Setting The Record Straight on 5 Additive Free Tequila Myths

(Photo: Fortaleza)

If you’ve spent any time reading about liquor over the past year, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about tequila additives. They’ve taken on the role of the alcoholic boogeyman — a secret substance stashed at the bottom of your bottle, hiding all sorts of unwanted tricks that brands want desperately for you to forget. Common sense is that these additives are sugary, synthetic, and most of all, not the making of a quality tequila.

The movement grew from a murmur to a roar until its head was effectively severed in October. Tequila Matchmaker, a non-profit that gained traction for its popular “Verified Additive-Free” list, was compelled to take down its findings amid pressure from regulatory authorities. Much has been written about the evolving situation, the gist of which boils down to this: Distillers are no longer allowed to label themselves as additive-free, and the largest online database has gone silent.

As the tug-of-war between regulators and enthusiasts rages on, we’ve put together a list disproving five myths that should hopefully help clarify the additive-free debate.

1. There’s No Set Definition

Though there’s an agreed-upon understanding of additives within the community, there’s no actual definition among regulators.

Back when Tequila Matchmaker was testing spirits, its team was on the lookout for abocantes, a subset of additives legally permissible in 100% agave tequila so long as they don’t exceed certain parameters. Abocantes can be sorted into four categories: glycerin (for achieving a smooth mouthfeel), oak extract (for adding aromas and flavors of barrel aging), caramel coloring (to add a darker tint) and sugar-based syrup (for sweetening). When you hear an influencer mention additives or the lack thereof, these are the ingredients they’re talking about.

Abocantes, however, are not the end of the story. So long as an additive meets the chemical parameters of the CRT’s guidelines, it can be used in tequila without legal risk or disclosure. The International Tequila Academy says that examples include fermentation additives like acids and nitrogen sources as well as viscosity additives like pectin and glycol. Additives included in non-100% agave tequilas encompass a much broader range, extending from sugar in mixto tequilas to infusions of lime, cinnamon and tutti frutti in flavored tequilas.

The main takeaway is that “additive-free,” as a term, is up for debate. Distillers are free to use the terminology without fear of repercussion, leading to a string of brands that were confirmed additive-free by themselves but not Tequila Matchmaker. Without a legal definition, “additive-free” is about as impactful a descriptor as “gourmet” or “ultra-premium.”

2. Rubbing Your Hands Doesn’t Always Work

One of the most enduring tidbits of additive-free folklore is the hand rub. According to viral claims on social media, an easy way to test for additives at home is to dab a small amount of liquor onto your palm before rubbing it between your hands for a few seconds. If it maintains a watery texture, supposedly, no additives are present. If it develops a syrupy film that sticks to your skin, additives galore.

Though this technique is far from useless, results will vary wildly. For one, ambient temperature and sweat can radically alter the outcome of this little demonstration. Ask someone with sweaty palms to perform the test and there’s a good chance that anything could become a syrupy tequila in their hands.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, tequila additives are not an all-or-nothing game. While some brands contain enough sweetener to rival an agave Jolly Rancher, others use trace amounts of oak extract and colorant to achieve a subtler effect. The hand rub may be useful at detecting the former but near-impossible at sniffing out the latter. The only surefire way to test for additives is to use a liquid chromatography lab setup.

3. Additives Have Been Used for Centuries

Tequila additives may seem like the obvious cousin of ultra-processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup. That is to say, there’s a sense that additives are a modern concession for modern tastes; an unorthodox technique that parts ways from the good old-fashioned way of doing things.

In truth, tequila additives have reportedly been in use since as early as the 1860s, when they were deployed to cover up the taste of bad agave tainted by fungal blight. It wasn’t until 1873 that Jose Cuervo exported its first bottles to the U.S. If your great-great-grandparents were among the small handful of Americans drinking tequila in their day, there’s a good chance it contained nearly as many if not more additives than today’s supply.

On the topic of fungal blight, it’s worth noting that Blue Weber agave is more susceptible to disease in the 21st century than perhaps any other time in history. In the majority of cases, farmers replant agaves using clonal shoots, otherwise known as hijuelos. Though these shoots provide a quick and easy means to expand the fields, each is genetically identical to its mother plant. Over the decades, the technique has created a monoculture as vast as it is unsustainable. Researcher Rodrigo Medellín estimates that clones of just five to 10 plants are responsible for Jalisco’s current supply of over 270 million Blue Weber agaves. These crops are far more vulnerable to disease than those grown with seeds, otherwise known as agave de semilla.

Unless the industry pivots toward sustainability, there’s a high likelihood that fungal blight — the progenitor of modern-day additives — may make a devastating comeback.

4. The 1% Volume Limit

Much has been said about the volume limit on additive-free tequila. According to some accounts, brands are not required to disclose to presence of additives unless they make up over 1% of the total liquid. According to others, brands are allowed to include 1% of each of the four abocantes, potentially amounting to a total of 4% between caramel coloring, natural oak extract, glycerin and sugar syrup.

Reading through the regulations, a valid argument could be made for either case. The wording is — to put it mildly — quite vague, and a lack of transparency into distillation practices hasn’t done much to ease the community’s concern.

Last year, Tequila Matchmaker founder Grover Sanschagrin asked the CRT and producers where the real answer lies. According to Sanschagrin, both parties confirmed that the limit is 1% of the total volume, albeit with some caveats. The CRT doesn’t perform a lab test for the four abocantes; instead, distillers are required to maintain a logbook that’s checked off by inspectors in good faith.

5. Mixto and Additive Free Tequila Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

Up until recently, mixto tequila was the most reviled descriptor in the agave spirits community. These products, distinct from the current wave of 100% Blue Weber agave tequilas, are distilled from 51% agave and 49% “other sugars,” typically cane or high fructose corn syrup. When you recall the headache-inducing, saccharine-sweet tequila of your college years, it’s going to be a mixto.

Interestingly enough, however, additive-free and mixto tequila aren’t mutually exclusive, at least not in terms of how the subject is commonly discussed.

For our main example, we’ll take a look at El Tequileño Blanco. El Tequileño has developed a stellar reputation since its founding in 1959, these days demanding prices of up to $800 for glitzy, one-off releases that embody all the qualities we know and love in additive-free spirits. But its flagship product is a mixto — a blend of 71% agave and 29% unrefined Mexican cane sugar. You can find it at $25 wherever spirits are sold. Its unassuming bottle even has a plastic screw-off lid.

Despite all signs screaming otherwise, El Tequileño Blanco was confirmed additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker. This is because the tequila — or at least, 71% of it — did not contain any of the four abocantes that would disqualify it from the running. Though this is more of a fun fact than a serious qualification, it goes to show how community-sourced definitions have laid the groundwork for the current movement.