Here’s What to Look for In an Authentic Tequila—and Why It Matters

Carlos Soto, founder of Nosotros Tequila, dives into how to discover a tequila you truly like and the benefits of exploring locally-owned brands.

During his senior year of college in 2015, one of Carlos Soto’s professors instructed his class to come up with a business pitch that had nothing to do with technology. Sitting at a bar one weekend, the idea came to him as he watched how others ordered their tequila (while simultaneously drinking his own). 

“It was interesting to me because I saw there was a difference between the brands on the shelf and the people drinking them,” he tells Better Homes & Gardens. “I saw the opportunity to create a brand that was more youthful and focused on sustainability.”

Related: 11 Tequila Recipes That Go Beyond Cocktails to Tasty Dishes

While he didn’t actually end up working on the idea for his class, it turned into a passion project he kept at after he graduated. He took out a personal loan to get it off the ground, “as opposed to the majority of the celebrity brands and private equity groups that are popping up left and right,” he points out.

Named Nosotros, which translates to “us” in Spanish, the company was built on the Pura Vida lifestyle Soto experienced through his upbringing in Costa Rica. Working with friend and now-CFO Michael Arbanas, their tequila has won awards, is sold all over the country, and has grown to include reposado, añejo, and mezcal variations.

The company’s internal motto, “Drink less, drink better,” encompasses the focus on quality that’s taken them this far.

“We try to avoid big sparkles at nightclubs and don't promote shot-taking,” Soto says. “We prefer to focus on a nice drink at sunset with some friends where Nosotros is the occasion.”

Since 2015, Soto has learned firsthand what goes into making an authentic tequila. If you find yourself reaching for the same commercial, celebrity-backed bottle without really knowing why, he has some advice for finding out what you actually like, how to drink it, and the importance of supporting local, Hispanic-owned brands.

Related: Is a Tequila Shortage Coming Next?

What to Know When Looking for an Authentic Tequila

Soto says it’s a very exciting time to be in the tequila business: Celebrities coming out with their own offerings has brought awareness to what goes into making the drink from start to finish. Consumers are realizing there’s a lot more depth to it, from the aging process to the production.

However, you shouldn’t purchase a tequila solely based on a celebrity’s name or because you’ve seen it advertised. Many of these brands add ingredients that create a synthetic taste profile, Soto says, and trying out others (responsibly, of course) through experiences like blind tastings allows you to discover more quality flavors.

“For the most part, big conglomerate brands are made with diffusers, which is the equivalent of making food with a microwave,” he explains. “Minimum starting point would be to always look for 100% de agave tequila, and I always encourage people to stay aligned with brick-oven or autoclave tequilas. From there, look at what differentiates the brand, and remember that just because something is expensive, it doesn’t make it good.”

Along with the higher quality and better flavor, this also usually means backing a smaller business. As an immigrant, Soto says he loves the American mindset of supporting the underdog—and you can do just that by adding an authentic bottle of tequila to your bar cart.

“We’re the ones getting scrappy, competing with the multi-million dollar marketing campaigns of conglomerate-owned brands,” he says. “Supporting brands like ours gives us a little space to continue to innovate and bring new things to the market while creating jobs both in the U.S. and in Mexico.”

And while smaller brands may be competing on the shelves and in restaurants, the community is there for one another to help grow the tequila category as a whole—especially in Mexico.

“There’s a lovely ‘we’re in this together’ mentality, and you build friendships through it,” Soto says. “More often than not, we’ll find ourselves in an asado (barbecue) at someone’s house who’s part of a different brand, and it’s all love.”

If you’re a tequila person, you already know there’s a variety of delicious drinks to experiment with. Soto enjoys sipping a glass of Nosotros with one big rock, sometimes with an added orange peel “just for the nose.” His cocktail of choice ebbs and flows, but he’s recently been into a Nosotros mezcal Negroni, which you can make by swapping out the regular gin. A Paloma also allows the notes of the tequila to come through, and it’s always light and refreshing—our recipe uses a blanco or reposado as the base.

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