How to choose tequila

Start with 100% agave. Then pick a style: blanco if you want the plant, reposado if you want a little oak, añejo if you want it slower. Ignore celebrity bottles until you know whether you like pepper, citrus, or vanilla. Tell a shop the cocktail or the sip. A good merchant will hand you two options, not a speech. Mixing blanco in a margarita is not a lesser choice. Sipping añejo is not automatically wiser. Taste, then remember the name.