Trending Tequila: How Andy Cohen, Dry January and John Wick Inspired This Month’s Most Searched Agave Spirits
The fastest-growing spirit in the United States has its fair share of up-and-coming stars. With so many tequila releases hitting the shelf, we thought we’d take a look through Google Trends to find which brands were piquing public interest like no other.
Surprisingly, very few of the most buzzed-about agave spirits this month were new releases. Rather, a hodgepodge of old favorites were conjured back into the discourse by reality TV stars, action movies, wellness trends, sports teams and more. From Peligroso to Celaya, here are the top trending tequilas of January 2023.
De-Nada Tequila
(Photo: De-Nada Tequila)
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First comes De-Nada Tequila, the most popular agave spirits search of the month by a massive margin.
De-Nada was lucky enough to be the spirit of choice for Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper on this year’s CNN New Year’s 2023 broadcast. After taking a booze break in 2022 (opting for pickle juice instead), the duo returned in stride with hourly tequila shots that descended into the usual drunken antics by night’s end. In short, the best advertising any spirits brand could ask for.
Touted as the “first tequila brand created by Millenials,” De-Nada hit the market in 2021 with a well-reviewed additive-free Blanco and Reposado.
Ritual Zero-Proof Tequila
(Photo: Ritual Zero-Proof)
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Over a decade after the term was first reported in Huntington, New York, Dry January has taken hold of would-be drinkers the world over.
For many consumers, the most prominent name in the game is Ritual Zero-Proof. Coming in Rum-, Gin-, Tequila-, Aperitif- and Whiskey-Alternative varieties, the brand was acquired by British spirits juggernaut Diageo in 2020. Despite first appearances, this twist on tequila is not made from real agave, but rather a chemistry-like concoction of cane sugar, citric acid, xanthan gum and natural flavors.
Dry January has steadily risen in popularity year after year thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. By the time 2025 rolls around, we expect this brand to be more popular than ever — at least for a month.
Barullo Tequila
(Photo: Barullo Spicy Sandia)
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The popularity of celebrity-owned tequila has given way to a new generation of vaguely defined “influencer”-owned tequilas. In comes Barullo Spicy Sandia.
Created by Mexican YouTuber and musician HotSpanish, Barullo liqueur combines spicy watermelon flavor with a healthy lick of tequila (60-proof to be exact). Naturally, HotSpanish announced the brand by sledgehammering a massive case in the agave fields of Jalisco. In an era of endless trends and hashtags, Barullo was all but guaranteed to be a hit. For the time being only available in Mexico.
Deftones X Abre Ojos
(Photo: Abre Ojos)
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Legendary nü-metal band Deftones thrashed its way into 2024 with the announcement of a new tequila. Preceded by a 2021 bottling inspired by White Pony, arguably the band’s most famous album, Deftones teamed back up with Abre Ojos Distillery for a limited-edition añejo inspired by its latest album Ohms.
The new añejo — retailing for $99 — is distilled from a mix of highland and lowland agave before being aged two years in used American oak whiskey barrels. Though Deftones and tequila may not sound like the most obvious of friends, die-hard fans were more than happy to savor the release.
Peligroso Tequila
(Photo: Peligroso Tequila)
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Peligroso Tequila graced Google search trends this month rather unexpectedly thanks to “John Wick.” Rounded out by its fourth and final release last March, the Keanu Reeves-led action series has proven a breakout hit with over $1 billion in box office returns.
Journeying back to the original film, you’ll find a scene in which Reeves and John Leguizamo solemnly sip a bottle of Peligroso Añejo. Though it’s unclear how this scene reverberated into 2024, related searches of “John Wick” and “Peligroso Tequila” spiked this month; we imagine thanks to the film’s continued popularity on streaming services.
If single-handedly taking on the criminal underworld is your thing, Peligroso is available in Blanco, Reposado, Añejo and Cinnamon varieties.
Celaya Tequila
(Photo: Celaya Tequila)
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From alcohol to insurance to deodorant, sports games are loaded with so many brand sponsors that it’s difficult to stand out. In January, Celaya Tequila managed to rise above the pack.
Celaya was announced as the official tequila of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in August, at the time leading only to modest publicity. The real surprise came at the end of December — San Francisco 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey gifted his entire team a set of golf clubs and a bottle of Celaya Tequila for Christmas, prompting a surge of interest from imbibing football fans.
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