Don Julio Blanco

Blanco is where you meet the agave with nothing in the way — no barrel, no colour, no softening. Don Julio's is double-distilled and bottled unaged, so what you get is the raw material of the highlands, clean and bright.

The house sits in Los Altos, Jalisco, the high red-earth country founder Don Julio González chose for its fruitier, more floral agave. That style comes through immediately here. This is the bottle to reach for when you want to understand what the aged expressions are built on.

The nose is crisp: fresh agave with a run of citrus — lemon, lime, a little grapefruit. The palate is light and lively, gently sweet, with a clean agave core and a peppery snap towards the end. The finish is short, dry and refreshing. Bottled at 38%, it's smooth enough to sip but far too characterful to waste — and it makes the best Margarita or Paloma you'll drink at home, where its citrus does half the work for you.

This is your warm-weather workhorse: aperitivo hour on the balcony, the base of a round of cocktails, the bottle that never sits idle.

How to Serve

Chilled and neat in a small glass to taste it properly, or as the backbone of a Margarita or Paloma over plenty of ice. Lightly chilling flatters the citrus.

Where to Drink It

Tayēr + Elementary for a genuinely good Margarita. Swift in Soho for the agave list. Soho Whisky Club when you want it neat and no fuss.

Food Pairings

Made for fish tacos with lime, or fresh ceviche with plenty of coriander.