If you know anything about tequila, you know there are plenty of inexpensive bottles around. They’re usually in the blanco (or silver or plata) designation but there are some reposado cheap buys to be found, too. The key is finding inexpensive bottles worth buying.
To find the budget bottles you should pick up, we turned to the professionals for help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best bargain tequilas under $30 that belong on your home bar cart. Keep scrolling to see all of the fresh, flavorful, agave-centric choices.
Arette Blanco
Federico Doldi, food and beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $27
The Tequila:
There is just one winner in this competition for well-made, bargain tequilas and that is Arette Blanco. It’s great to mix but also extremely balanced and tasty, with a price of around $25. What could be better than that?
Tasting Notes:
The aroma and flavors of the agave are present, along with hints of pepper, ripe fruit, and orange. For a blanco, it’s surprisingly flavorful and balanced.
Cimarron Blanco
Dave Tyda, USBG bartender at BARCOA Agaveria in Phoenix
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $28
The Tequila:
Cimarron Blanco. It’s about $29 for a liter. It’s made at the same distillery as high-end tequilas like Don Fulano and Tears of Llorona. It’s our well at BARCOA because for one, the peppery notes make a great margarita, and for two, it’s sippable on its own. Most well tequilas aren’t drinkable, but we found one and we love it.
Tasting Notes:
It starts with a nose of roasted agave, vanilla, and gentle spices and moves into a palate of vegetal agave sweetness, cracked black pepper, vanilla, and woody, earthy flavors.
Mi Campo Blanco
Tsuru Goto, food and beverage manager at Society Cafe in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $27
The Tequila:
We appreciate Mi Campo as a well-crafted well-priced tequila. Both the Blanco and the Reposado are easy on the budget. Mi Campo Blanco makes a nice mixing tequila as it has a great cleanness and a Chardonnay finish that adds some crisp orange and apple notes for the mid palate and a hint of vanilla at the end.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of cooked agave, vanilla, citrus oil, and spices makes way for honey flavors, candied orange peels, roasted agave, and pepper on the palate.
Astral Blanco
Matthew Frischmann, director of food and beverage at The Emily Hotel in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Tequila:
We are currently using Astral Blanco Tequila in our mixed drinks. Astral is a well-rounded tequila that works great in cocktails, as it does not overwhelm or take over the drink.
Tasting Notes:
Mineral water, agave, cinnamon, citrus, and grass are prevalent on the nose. Sipping it brings you flavors of vegetal sweetness, agave, cinnamon, orange peel, and vanilla with a spicy, peppery finish.
Teremana Blanco
Loni Lewis, USBG bartender at Okan Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29
The Tequila:
Teremana Blanco, they do a lot for the bartending community, so I love to support them. It’s easy to mix and is an easily recognizable replacement for Casamigos if you don’t carry that brand.
Tasting Notes:
Flavors of earthy, roasted agave intermingle with vanilla, cinnamon, and cracked black pepper. For a blanco, it’s a great mixer and a decent sipping tequila as well.
Espolòn Blanco
Michael Challenger, head bartender at Nautilus Sonesta in Miami
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $28
The Tequila:
The bargain tequila that is actually worth sipping or mixing with is Espolòn Blanco. It is a fantastic value tequila that belongs in any tequila fan’s home bar. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular tequila brands on the market.
Tasting Notes:
It offers a vibrant agave flavor with hints of tropical fruit and a peppery finish. It’s well-balanced and versatile, making it an excellent choice for both sipping and mixing in cocktails.
Centenario Plata
Jazz Craft, beverage director at Proxi in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29
The Tequila:
One of my favorite bargain tequilas is Centenario Plata. It has been a standard on both sides of the border for a long time. It uses high-altitude agave, which is full and robust but reflects some of that minerality of the soil as well.
Tasting Notes:
Better as a mixer than a sipping tequila, there are a ton of vegetal, agave, vanilla, earthy, spicy flavors intermingling.
Lunazul Blanco
Corey Hayes, general manager and beverage director for Gala & Muse Bar in Miami
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Tequila:
Lunazul Blanco. It’s a great bang for your buck tequila. It’s a legit tequila with earthy tones and a true vegetal note. I often go to this tequila as it is in the well and I do not believe in let alone trust some of the top brands. This brand has also made it on every single one of my cocktail lists.
Tasting Notes:
This tequila has a nice mix of pepper, vanilla, agave, and fruity flavors. The finish is long, warming, and pleasantly spicy.
El Tequileño Blanco
David Ortiz, corporate beverage manager at Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar in Miami
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $23
The Tequila:
The best bargain tequila is El Tequileño Blanco. It’s one of my all-time favorites for blanco under $30 retail. El Tequileño Blanco is made traditionally by extracting the juice from the pina with a roller wheel and fermenting in the old method with mixto, copper pot distilled, and with no additional additives.
Tasting Notes:
Its flavor and profile blend cooked agave, vanilla, vegetal notes, cinnamon, black pepper, slight anise, and a medium ethanol finish. It’s very easy to mix and drink.
Camarena Silver
Jennifer Yim, USBG bartender at The Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Tequila:
Camarena Silver Tequila. Its clean and versatile flavor profile, along with its affordability, makes it a popular choice for cocktails, allowing the agave notes to shine in various mixed drinks like Margaritas and palomas.
Tasting Notes:
The bargain-priced tequila is filled with complementary flavors like roasted agave, citrus peels, vanilla beans, wintry spices, and just a hint of cracked black pepper at the finish.
