Tequila becomes fastest-growing alcohol segment in India

Tequila, known for its versatility and unique flavor profile, has become the fastest-growing alcohol in recent years, attracting a wide range of enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. Anyone who parties is familiar with the classy combination of salt, tequila, and lime and has at least at some point in their life made a cocktail with the same reliable mix if not followed the path of many others that came before them and downed a shot with a lick of salt before sucking on a wedge of lime.

But though most drinkers prefer tequila neat or on the rocks, tequila’s rich agave constituents make it a pretty satisfying choice for cocktails, not just margaritas. Tequila mixes well with notes of citrus, sweet, sour and salty ingredients (often what constitute margaritas) but also suit the versatility of just about any kind of cocktail.

Some popular ways to drink tequilas in cocktails can be by pairing ranch water, lime juice and flavoured sparkling water, if you will, in one instance or something like the Honey Trap, a smoky, sweet and tart cocktail that fills you with a savoury warmth.

There are many ways to drink tequila, but the number one thing to note on how to drink tequila, of course, is responsibly. 

However, in India, tequila has always notably treated as something that one downs in the final legs of the party. A ritual, of a kind. But this trend seems to breaking with sales in Tequila nearly doubling to about 123,000 cases in the last year from around 68,000 cases in 2022. There seems to be a steady increase, in fact, from pre-pandemic times in 2019 when 38,950 cases of agave-based spirits were sold. 

“Tequila, which was literally a non-existent category maybe a few years ago, has now gained a lot of traction. It has been one of the fastest growing white spirits in the world since covid,” Hina Nagarajan, MD of United Spirits, said about investing in a local tequila brand called Pistola. 

Owing to the pop-culture trends, metro cities are seeing an obvious rise in tequila orders. It’s young, it’s fun and is a highly mixable drink. There are a number of reasons, aside from this, that have given tequila a rise and broken it free from the perception of being just a party drink and something comparable to much finer drinks like Scotch or Cognac. 

It is very compatible with Indian Cuisine, according to PegsIndia. Indian food is known to be spicy and dynamic, with a high concentration of flavours. Tequila has always been well reputed in being able to take apart flavours, complement it with it’s bold intensity. PegsIndia offers Tequila Añejo in complement to a spicy biryani, or Blanco, with pani puri. Being able to fit in with these diverse dishes, however, proves that tequila’s versatility makes it a very good fit with Indian cuisine. 

Tequila is also known for it’s lower calorie content and ‘cleaner’ hangovers, that makes it a recommended choice for health-conscious people. Premium brands of tequilas like Patrón, Don Julio and Casa Noble are also options for those with disposable incomes who decorate their shelves with wide varieties of premium alcohol, owing to elevating it’s status from a party thunder to something more refined and elegant, served from places like social gatherings or close-knit dinners to becoming gifts and such of the likes of whiskey and wine. 

India still prefers its whiskey to tequila, however, only allowing brandy to subsume its flame in the southern parts of the country. 

Monika Alcobev, biggest tequila seller and importer of premium brands, says, “At an overall level, tequila is surely taking share from the whiskey segment, which on a bigger base has reached its saturation point. Initially, the restaurants and bartenders needed convincing about Tequila as a beverage choice, which is no longer the case. Also, availability is not just restricted to top metro cities, as we see good demand from Guwahati to Tawang, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Jaipur to Lucknow, and Ladakh to Hubli.”

Rajat Gera, commercial director at Six Senses Hotels in Rajasthan, also pitches in with his illustrious catering experience. “Tequila is ahead of its curve compared to some of the European markets. In fact, both gin and tequila are here to stay, although the latter is a fad in India. Consumers can have them occasionally but will still go back to whiskey to unwind.”

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