Tequila Category Report 2026
Tequila is booming. But what is loved by many, appears to be understood by few.
The category is outpacing almost every other spirit, yet the trade is struggling to keep up. 100% of bartenders rate their desire to learn about tequila as higher than the training available to them. Sustainability credentials are now 14x more likely to drive a recommendation than celebrity ownership. And a second wave of tequila cocktails — beyond the Margarita and Paloma — is gaining traction.
This report draws on 25 bartenders from the DrinkSight panel, AI-powered analysis of 40 leading UK bar menus, and four hours of expert interviews to map exactly where tequila stands right now: the knowledge gap, the brand vs. liquid tension, the sub-category confusion, and the cocktail serves primed to explode.
Download below.
Charlie Mitchell
Data & Insight Director
Charlie Mitchell is the Data & Insight Director at Wilde Toast. He has over 15 years of experience in the drinks data space and is a regular face on trade panels and via his column for Global Drinks Intel.
