Justine Sterling
Good cheap tequila does exist—but you can’t just reach for a bottle of tequila under $20 and expect it to be passable. That’s like walking onto a field littered with landmines except, you know, the worst thing that happens is you get a bad bottle of tequila, rather than a foot blown off.
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We’ve all had the bad stuff. The stuff that burns and necessitates salt and lime in order to erase the flavor from your mouth. But the best cheap tequila is good enough to sip—just like expensive tequila. Luckily, for you, we tasted through a bunch of cheap tequila brands and weeded out the landmines of bad cheap tequila from the good cheap tequila. After our most recent taste test, we even found a delicious, cheap anejo tequila!
How we chose the tequilas for our taste test
Cheap tequila doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Some folks might consider anything under $50 cheap for good tequila. Others might say that it’s not cheap unless it’s under $10. In the end, we chose to find the best cheap tequila under $20 (with one exception). Depending on your local liquor stores, these bottles might be more or less expensive than the prices at which we bought them. But know that when we purchased them, they were all under $20. Heck, we even found a cheap but good tequila under $12!
How we tasted the tequilas
We tasted all of these cheap tequila brands straight at room temperature. Chilling tequila down dulls some of the flavor. That’s not fair. We wanted to find the best cheap tequila that tasted good even at its worst. No salt. No lime. No Margarita mix.
What we looked for in the best cheap tequilas
Expensive flavor. Good cheap tequila should taste like good not-cheap tequila. If it’s blanco tequila, it should be grassy with a pure agave flavor and zesty quality. If it’s reposado tequila, it should be rounder and softer with perhaps a hint of vanilla-tinged oaky flavor.
Easy to drink but with a kick. We wanted tequila that was smooth but still had a bit of an edge. We still wanted to know we were drinking alcohol.
Utility. We also looked for tequila that would be good to drink straight, as well as the best cheap tequila for Margaritas.
Put that bad college night aside and let’s dive into the best cheap tequila under $20.
Best Cheap Tequila, Ranked
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- Los Cabos Silver ($11)
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If just under $20 is too rich for your blood, then this is the best cheap tequila for you. We snagged a full-size bottle for $11. And, for that price, it’s shockingly good. It goes down really easy—no burn. The flavor is fruity and a little bit sweet. Is it 100% blue agave? No, of course not. This is $11 tequila! But it is made with blue agave, at least, as well as some natural flavors. While it’s not strong enough to stand up to the flavor of a Margarita, it’ll do in a pinch. And it certainly will work in a cheap Tequila Soda with just a spritz of lime.
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- Lunazul Blanco ($19)
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Want a good cheap tequila for shots? Look no further than Lunazul. It’s so mild and smooth, with just a touch of a vegetal agave flavor. It’s seriously mild tequila—possibly dangerously mild. You can pour this over ice and sip on it no problem. And, as a shot, this cheap tequila requires no chaser.
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- Solo Agave Tequila Blanco ($18.50)
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This budget-friendly blanco tequila smells super-duper fruity—I’m talking fresh pineapple. And it goes down pretty fruity, as well. If you’re a little turned off by tequilas with a strong, vegetal, agave flavor, then this is the best cheap tequila for you to buy. It goes down easy, leaving a mild but pleasant warmth in your chest. Unlike some of the other fruity cheap tequilas I tried, this is actual tequila made with 100% blue agave without added “natural flavors.” While it’s a bit too fruity for Margaritas, in my opinion, it’s for sure a great cheap tequila for shots, sipping straight, or mixing into tropical cocktails.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Cazadores Reposado ($19)
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Reposado tequila is barrel-aged for anywhere between 60 days and 364 days. Barrel aging mellows the flavor and adds some oaky notes. Cazadores Reposado is a great example. While it’s not the best cheap reposado tequila we tried (that honor goes to the Kirkland brand, more on that later), it is the best cheap reposado tequila to buy if you don’t regularly shop at Costco. It’s round and toasty and very, very easy to drink. The time spent in the barrel has transformed this cheap tequila into something you can sip straight—even at room temperature.
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- El Jimador Silver ($17)
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El Jimador is a classic, extremely good blanco tequila. It’s fruity and grassy with a flavor that lingers. The first sip is super zesty—almost like you’re biting into a lime. There’s definitely some burn from the alcohol, but it’s not unpleasant. In fact, it’s what makes this the best cheap tequila for Margaritas. You need a good hit of alcohol to stand up to the agave nectar and lime (or premade mix) of a Margarita. El Jimador is up to the challenge.
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- Kirkland Reposado ($16.49 for 1L)
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Costco is known for its good, cheap liquor, and it didn’t let us down when it came to cheap but good tequila. You can get a liter of reposado tequila for a price comfortably under $20. And it’s so good. It tastes refined. It’s smooth. It has just a touch of bite and just a touch of bitterness. The oak is present, giving it structure and heft. I took this bottle home and have been using it for all manner of cocktails, including Tequila Negronis and Tequila Manhattans.
Credit: Merc / Costco
- Kirkland Tequila Anejo ($23.49 1L)
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I know, I know, it’s not under $20. But it still counts as cheap tequila because even though you’re paying more, you’re getting more—a full liter rather than 750 ml. And it’s so worth the extra cash. Costco’s anejo tequila is absolutely delicious and it tastes expensive. It’s very, very toasty and very, very vanilla forward. This is the best cheap tequila for a bourbon drinker. It’s a smooth, sipping tequila—not for Margaritas. At most, stir it into an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan.
Credit: Liv Averett / Costco
- Cazadores Blanco ($16.49)
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Any of the top four best tequilas on this list will really treat you right—the quality is similar across the board. But if you want a truly versatile tequila, this is the best cheap tequila to buy. It smells tropical, almost like pineapple. And the flavor is rich and bright at first, ending on a mellow lime-zesty bitterness. It’s complex—a tequila you can really sip and ponder. But it’ll also add dimension to a Margarita or Paloma. Cazadores is proof that cheap but good tequila not only exists, but it can stand toe-to-toe with the fancy stuff.
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
Best Very Cheap Tequila
Best Cheap Tequila for Shots
Best Cheap Fruity Blanco Tequila
Best Cheap Reposado Tequila (Runner-Up)
Best Cheap Tequila for Margaritas
Best Cheap Reposado Tequila
Best Cheap Anejo Tequila
Best of the Best
Other cheap tequila brands we tried:
Sauza Silver, Hornitos Plata, Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, Familia Camarena Silver, Jose Cuervo Especial Gold, El Jimador Reposado, Los Cabos Gold, Piedra Azul Reposado
Matt Crowley
