An agave bar in Edinburgh? Contributor Anna Bruce reports on how the agave scene is spreading beyond London, the most popular tequila and mezcal brands in the UK, the rise of the mezcal margarita, and more…
“Another margarita!” and “Can you make it with mezcal?” are now popular requests heard throughout the United Kingdom, as the agave spirits scene continues to thrive.
Since my previous report about the agave spirits market “across the pond,” we’ve seen extensive developments in the UK and in the agaves spirits industry as a whole–not least with Trump’s tariffs destabilizing business projections, and the tequila lawsuit against London-based conglomerate Diageo.
Fortunately, much of the news from the UK is about growth in the industry, with more people becoming aware of the variety and quality of agave spirits. This is due to the tireless efforts of agave aficionados and brand ambassadors. We can thank commitment from importers like Amathus or Specialty Drinks. Doors to major brick-and-mortar retailers are finally opening to tequila and mezcal brands.
Speaking with industry specialists about the impact of the tariff, I’m hearing some mixed views. Ben Schroder, founder of Pensador Mezcal and Tequila Desdeya, expects there will be more focus on Europe from Mexican exporters. This is already a trend due to the saturation of the US market.
Steven Carr, assistant manager of Amathus, Soho, says, “Broadly speaking, awareness has been increasing. Accessibility for mezcal has reached a zenith here. People are realizing what to look for and what to avoid, be that pricing, endorsements, presentation etc. Buying less but buying better–which is great to see. I think we owe that to bartenders and dedicated brand reps, but particularly the specialist bottle shops.”
A strong community of UK tequila and mezcal aficionado
It’s exciting to see UK tequila and mezcal consumers taking an open-minded and collaborative approach. Steven explains how there is a dedicated community in London, “as well as a wealth of books, podcasts, and blogs of a really high calibre to learn with.” This dedication has led to sell-out UK agave spirits events, such as Glasgow’s Copita, which just had its second successful year running, and the ongoing Tequila and Mezcal Festival in London (since 2014).
Last month, award-winning spirits retailer, The Whisky Exchange, held their inaugural agave spirits fair in the UK. The Tequila and Mezcal Show kicked off on Friday, May 16. Over the weekend, visitors were treated to over 150 participating brands with teams from The NoMad and 1910 Cantina slinging tequila and mezcal cocktails. There was even a mini-market organized by Mexibrit, a comprehensive directory for all things Mexican in the UK.
The event featured a series of expert-led masterclasses. Speakers included Tom Bartram and Jon Anders offering a “Deep Dive into Mexico’s Other Spirits,” Dr. Iván Saldaña with an “Anatomy of Mezcal,” and Jesse Estes, Jamie Orendain, and Sergio Mendoza discussing heritage and legacy through the stories of their three families who have deep roots in agave spirits production.
The calibre of these speakers and the enthusiastic reception of the event indicate how much further the UK audience has come in their appreciation for agave spirits. The show highlighted a sharp rise in demand for agave spirits in the UK, with tequila sales for the retailer rising by 94% over two years.
The most popular tequila and mezcal brands available in the UK
Schroder considers key brands that paved the way for the growth of agave spirits in the UK to be Quiquiriqui Mezcal, Tequila Ocho, and Cazcabel Tequila. Schroder credits Quiquiriqui with bringing mezcal to the UK. Recently, the brand has made some key changes, including switching producers. They have also developed a bag-in-box mezcal to reduce waste issues associated with glass packaging in the hospitality sector.
This May, a Class poll for the UK’s top tequilas placed Ocho and Cazcabel high. However, the poll showed that Tapatio was the UK’s industry favorite. “Our poll suggests that this small, family-owned brand was the first pick in more than one in five top bars, while 38% said it was among their top three choices.” Using brick ovens to cook and a traditional tahona for crushing agave, the Camarena family has made a product that captures the hearts of agave enthusiasts worldwide.
A brand that has shot up the sales scale this past year is Pernod Ricard’s recent acquisition, Altos Tequila. According to a March 2025 article in The Spirits Business, this was the number-one “premium” 100% agave Tequila in the UK off-trade, after the brand grew by 8% in value in 2023.
When citing 2023 full-year Nielsen data, Josh McCarthy, Pernod Ricard UK brand director, said agave spirits were the fastest-growing spirits category in the UK, growing by 9.1%. Although this is still significantly lower than the US, he says: “We’ve got to look at what we call ‘guac’ markets–which is very fittingly named–which are global travel retail, Australia, Canada, and the UK.”
New categories growing in the UK include cristalino, led by Campari-owned Espolòn, flavored agave spirits, no/low ABV agave spirits, and RTD canned tequila and mezcal cocktails. We’re also seeing a greater appreciation for more niche types of agave spirits, including raicilla, bacanora, and mezcal from states other than Oaxaca.
Agave spirits–but not really
As reported previously in Mezcalistas, no/low ABV spirits are continuing to gain popularity. The UK agave spirits scene is no exception. British racing driver Lewis Hamilton’s Almave has made a big splash on arrival, with founding partner Iván Saldaña representing at the recent UK trade fairs.
Another recent contribution is the UK-made 12% ABV agave-based “spirit” from Quarter Spirits. Originally called Quarter T/quila, the product is made using blue agave imported from Mexico. This is fermented in Wales, along with the brand’s unique strain of yeast. The wash is then copper distilled to 55% ABV before being blended with the brand’s selected botanicals and diluted. Now it seems to be called Blanco Agave Spirits – Tequila Alternative.
T’quila is a (different and slightly cheeky) UK attempt at a tequila alternative. The Wensleydale Spirit Company launched t’Quila, a potato-based vodka blended with molasses, ginger, and lime, describing it as “a tango of Yorkshire charm & Mexican flavor.” It was apparently selling well until they received a letter from the British Embassy in Mexico. The distillery subsequently renamed its spirit TQ Vodka.
Tequila and mezcal margaritas have become a go-to
In 2021, Lucy Smith founded Neurita Tequila for the UK agave spirits market. She aims for her naturally-flavored tequilas (which are infused with Sicilian orange and pomegranate) to be the perfect option for a margarita. Last summer Altos tequila initiated a Hot Lime, an “emergency” service that delivered limes to consumers who called a free phone line.
This reflects the meteoric rise of the Margarita in UK bars. Whether it’s your classic tequila with triple sec or a smoky mezcal margarita with spicy salt, this cocktail is everywhere. Check out Brooks Bailey’s mezcal margarita recipe for Mezcalsitas if you’re in the mood for a marg–but need a little inspiration!
Leading London agave spirits bar Hacha has also done extremely well by bottling their clarified “Mirror Margarita” which is now on shelves in national supermarkets. Other UK-based brands (including El Rayo and Pensador) are making RTD canned tequila and mezcal cocktails.
Pensador’s contribution to the shelves of RTD cocktails is a mezcal Margarita collaboration with Clapton Craft and Whitebox. Schroder says, “Margaritas have become mandatory on menus. Tequila is often the top-selling spirit. At the same time, customers are (finally) asking for more mezcal. The request of ‘can I have that with mezcal instead’ is common.”
Where to find tequila and mezcal cocktails in the UK?
Established venues, even the local pub, are opening up to agave spirits. This was London-centric until quite recently, but Mexican spirits are slowly but surely finding their feet in other cities. McCarthy says, “I think once you get out of the capital, that adoption of tequila for sipping or in a cocktail is taking shape and slowly starting to evolve, but at a slightly slower pace.”
As well as the aforementioned Copita festival in Glasgow, bars across the UK have begun to take on more interesting pours, both for tequila and mezcal cocktails and at a premium sipping level. Edinburgh (Chancho), Bristol (Cargo Cantina), Bournemouth (Ojo Rojo), and Nottingham (400 Rabbits) have all caught my attention for their passionate contributions to the agave spirits conversation.
Amathus has been rolling out new stores and has just opened one in my hometown of Oxford. Last time I was home, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself deep into an impromptu mezcal tasting at Raoul’s bar in Oxford; an experience I previously wouldn’t have expected outside of London.
During that last trip to the UK, I was invited to visit No .23 in London’s (slightly bougie) neighborhood of Fitzrovia. The bar adjoins a restaurant called Carousel. I was bemused to realize the venue used to house Wahaca, where I exhibited my first mezcal-themed photography back in 2013. After over a decade in this business, I was home to discuss my upcoming book, Tequila, Mezcal, and More, so the moment felt pretty full circle.
Although Carousel was founded as a wine bar and supper club they decided to run No.23 as a mezcaleria. General Manager Joshua Bratt explains that “anyone interested in the world of natural wine, with its focus on terroir, artisanal production and authenticity, will quickly fall in love with mezcal and tequila as they share this same focus.”
No. 23 is a dark, intimate bar with a single shelf of premium agave spirit illuminated behind the bartender. I was happy to see some favorites, including Real Minero and Derrumbes, which I ordered for sipping. They also have some interesting and well-thought-through cocktails that pair with delicious tostadas.
Bratt shares that their Margaritas are very popular. “I feel like they are very much in vogue at the moment. Our house Margarita sees basil and habanero chilli macerated into an orange liqueur, shaken with The Lost Explorer Tequila, lime, a dash of sugar and a pinch of salt.”
The cocktail mezcal across the menu is Lost Explorer, who often run masterclasses and dinners paired with sips and cocktails. Alex Chatwin, co-founder of LXPR, recently attended one of these events. She was pleasantly surprised, noting that these pairing dinners don’t always work with liquor, but that “agave spirits can work better than darker spirit counterparts for a pairing dinner, and with interest in agave spirits and cocktails at the moment, when it’s combined with an exciting Mexican chef we tend to see people really interested and invested in it.”
Bratt says that they have always had a strong relationship with Latin American cooking “due to chef-owner Ollie (Templeton)’s travels in the region. His relationship is only made stronger with our current team of chefs, many of whom are from Mexico.”
Speaking of exciting London-based chefs, Santiago Lastra, founder of Michelin-starred restaurant Kol has now opened his second London venue, Fonda, which is a little more relaxed than his flagship space. At Kol, he collaborated with British brand Sin Gusano for a range of agave spirits. The selection consists of six distinct mezcals sourced from the rich terroirs of San Luis Potosi, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Jalisco.
He has also seen the interest become more niche around Mexican spirits. “I’ve seen a few companies coming in and selling all kinds of Mexican spirits: raicilla, bacanora, pox, sotol, etc. It’s such an exciting market to be surrounded by.”
At Fonda, their house mezcals are El Destilado and Pensador. Lastra explains that they don’t aim to do pairings for the food at Fonda. Instead the idea was “to create an agave-based offering on the drinks that would suit the food in general. We love encouraging the guest to end their meal as you do in the south of Mexico with a mezcal–either just one or a Mezcal flight featuring all our house mezcals.”
Lastra notes there has been a growing awareness of mezcal in recent years and people are much more open to trying it. “When my brother and I were growing up, mezcal was not a thing even in Mexico, it was tequila-dominated. I think there’s still much more to be told about mezcal, but we’re moving in the right direction for sure.”
The interest in agave spirits has not grown in a vacuum. According to Lastra, there is “ a growing interest in general for new things in Mexico around the world; not just gastronomy but also design, architecture, film, and music.”
Of course, there are very different categories to understand within the offerings of agave spirits in the UK. As with other markets, cheap tequilas still outsell the 100% agave bottles. However, with increasingly advanced education for bartenders and,in turn, consumers, there has been a spotlight on these premium options.
Schroder explains “Tequila training is similar to other spirit categories. Mezcal is more complex and requires significant knowledge and ideally personal experience of the production process. For both, there is an increasing pressure to take trade clients on trips to Mexico. An expensive practice which favours big brands but gets results.”
Through running Rambling Spirits in Oaxaca, I have seen significantly more people from the UK (bartenders and general enthusiasts) coming to learn about agave spirits. In my experience, seeing these processes firsthand makes a world of difference. People have a deeper understanding of the care that goes into the artisanal spirits, and it helps them to make considerate choices when purchasing different brands back home.
Echoing Schroder, Lastra says, “It’s difficult to realise how much work is behind every bottle of agave spirit. I think it is imperative that at least people working directly with these spirits are aware of this, so they can value and respect the liquid. The customer can care only as much as we do.”
Updated 6/4/2025 to include more detail in the quote by Alex Chatwin
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