Mixtos left a bad taste in my mouth. Turns out, all I needed was an upgrade.
If you've ever turned a violent shade of green when someone mentions tequila, it's likely because you had a bad experience with a blend called "mixto." This distinct form of tequila only needs to contain 51 percent agave. The other 49 percent is often a hangover-inducing mix of fillers, sweeteners, and sugars distilled from other non-agave plants. It’s a cheap way to produce something that’s still technically tequila without the pedigree—but with killer headaches.
Mixto gives tequila blends a bad name. There are many brands out there making delicious, 100-percent agave spirits by mixing different types of tequila, such as Don Julio. The brand dropped a new blend this year called Alma Miel, which translates to "Soul Honey." It mixes blanco—agave-forward tequila that goes straight from the distillery into the bottle—with añejo, which is aged in barrels for over a year after being distilled. Together, the two types become something else: joven, or "young," tequila.
Alma Miel is in Don Julio’s premium category, which means you get that slick, tall bottle that looks remarkably similar to 1942. Luckily for us, it's priced around $100 rather than 1942's $200-plus. But still, why are the cheeky folks at Don Julio asking us to clear top-shelf space for a mix of blanco and añejo? It's as if Maker’s Mark offered a blended bourbon and called it a signature series. It’s bold, it’s silly, it’s near-sacrilege—but in this case, it’s actually a win.
Andy Vasoyan
First off, this joven has a little something for everybody. The blanco part is distilled with agave honey, giving it an inviting sweetness and rich, soft mouthfeel. Meanwhile, the añejo is aged for over 14 months in French sparkling wine casks, the kind of zany power move that you can only pull off if you’re consistently one of the top three tequila brands in the world. By barrel-aging the spirit, Don Julio adds complexity and depth without going overboard, imparting a little bit of spice and fruitiness.
Admittedly, there was a risk of doing too much. But Alma Miel threads the needle, staying clean and highly sippable. Throw an ice cube in the glass and slowly drink it straight, like an upscale liquor deserves. Or, mix it into a margarita at a cookout this summer. Why not? The whole point of this experiment is that it’s fun, tasty, and elevates any drink.
Learning something new is ultimately what picking up a bottle of Alma Miel is about. It’s an insanely hot summer, airplanes still aren’t working, and boneless wings can apparently legally have bones in them. You’re telling me a blended tequila can’t be one of the most interesting, fresh-tasting, and visibly swanky liquor flexes of the year? Put down the cheap stuff, snag some Alma Miel, and pour it neat. You'll never touch a mixto again.
