For most of the last decade, Tequila (and pretty much all spirits) has seen almost all of its growth in the premium sector. As more consumers became interested in the category, choosing to sip instead of shoot their Tequila, they were also willing to spend more in order to get something better. As additive and diffuser-free Tequilas became more and more popular, the prices continued to go up.

Which left all of us with one serious, gaping hole of a problem: What are we going to mix in our Margaritas?!! 

Few of us want to dump a beautiful $50 bottle of Blanco Tequila into a Wednesday night Paloma or Ranch Water, and once you’ve gone additive free it’s almost impossible to go back. 

For most of the last decade, Cimmaron has been the only additive-free option under $30 worth contemplating. But as of late, the crown has most definitely been handed to Cazcabel, one of the newest superstars of the additive-free bargain bracket. 

Distilled at NOM 1436 (the same distillery as the esteemed Fina Estampa), Cazcabel brings all the grassy, spicy, and citrus-driven notes we crave from real Tequila, without any of the added caramel, glycerol, or sugar that’s dumped into the larger brand name bottles. The Blanco is a bonafide barstar and will mix into just about anything you can throw at it (we particularly love it with the new Fever Tree Lime & Yuzu). At $24.95, there’s nothing even remotely close in terms of value to quality. 

If you’ve got an extra five bucks to spend and like your Tequila just a bit softer, try the Reposado as well at $29.95 that mellows out some of the spice through a short barrel maturation process. Either way, you can’t go wrong.