Here's Where You Should Be Drinking Tequila in San Diego

If the first affair that comes to mind when you imagine of tequila is an larger-than-life night of cheap , bottom - shelf shots in college that lead in a painful morning full of sorrow , then let us tell you : you ’re doing it wrong .

When it make out to look , tequila ’s got everyone around here buzzing . Due to San Diego ’s proximity to Mexico , it ’s no wonder that there ’s a burgeoning residential district of agave addicts coming up in our bar view . Even though these tequila aficionados can shoot it with the best of them , they ’d much rather sip it from a snifter . So forget about the salt , and you could save that calcined lime torpedo for your tacos ; with these bozo behind the legal community , you ’ll have a whole new taste for " te - putting to death - ya . " From añejos to mezcals , here are the plaza with tequilas so unspoilt you ’ll need to tope the insect .

Sandbar

Over the preceding yr or so , Sandbar has work from being known as the beach taproom with award - win greaser to a tequila bar by the beach . Do n’t worry , those award - winning TKO tacos are still on the menu , along with a selection of 66 gamy - end tequilas and mezcals . Sandbar also has its own hand - selected cask of tequila from the Herradura Tequila still in Guadalajara , Mexico . Not sure which tequila to drink ? Themenumakes it promiscuous to figure out what you wish , with flights like the " Beginner ’s Mezcal " and " Sandbar Does Jalisco " to get you started . It also serves plenty of margaritas and tequila cocktail utter for sipping while dominate Mission Beach from the rooftop patio .

Cantina Mayahuel

If you need to learn everything you ever wanted to know and more about agave , then the staff at Cantina Mayahuel will be more than happy to drop some knowledge on you . They ’ll make you a margarita if you really desire them to , but these guy wire are purist who imbibe their tequila neat . Behind the bar , there ’s an ever - changing collection of around 240 tequila and 100 mezcals on the shelf , including its very own stain , Don Lorenzo Reposado Reserva . It ’s a sippable mix of five dissimilar tequila expression from five dissimilar agave harvesting that are like an expert blended to make one fine tequila . Just secern the guy or gal behind the bar that you require to get " Lorenzo’d . " They ’ll have a go at it what that means .

La Puerta

La Puerta is the smirch for beneficial tequila in the Gaslamp . It offer about 115 tequila , 40 mezcal , four raicillas , nine sotols , and two bacanoras . If you have no estimation what a raicilla , sotol , or bacanora is , the ginmill staff love their hooey and will be more than felicitous to give you the lowdown on the choice . Everything is half off during glad 60 minutes seven days a week , meaning you’re able to strain twice as many . If you want to keep thing round-eyed with a cocktail , order the Royal . It ’s La Puerta ’s take on a classic paloma made with Don Fulano blanco suave , agave nectar , new - squeezed ruby cherry grapefruit succus , and lime . It ’s transcend with a float of Ancho Reyes ancho chile cordial and a apprehension of Tajín , then garnished with an orange Robert Peel .

The Patio on Goldfinch

The Patio on Goldfinch has more than 80 tequilas and another 35 Mexican spirits , admit mezcal , raicilla , bacanora , and sotol to choose from . Forget sucking that calcium oxide juiceless after a shot of tequila ; the best pursuer is sangrita . Not to be confused with sangaree – which is also a favorite at The Patio – sangrita is a traditional tequila chaser that dates back to the 1920s . There are five sangrita selections on the menu named after their color : naranja , rojo , rosado , verde , and amarillo . All were created especially to complement the savor profiles of tequila with which they ’re couple .

Puesto at The Headquarters

Puesto might have one of the minuscule collections on this list , with between 30 and 40 agave - based tone , from tequila , to mezcal , to bacanora , raicilla , and sotol , but that ’s intentional . It ’s all about curating the good selection from the single producers , so that customer have the most thoughtful variety available . On April 1st , it commence a mezcal infusion coaction with Kettner Exchange , Madison , and The Patio on Goldfinch ( also on this list ) . Each bar create an infused Lophophora williamsii , then traded it with another who made the extract into a cocktail . For a limited time , Puesto is serve the Mezcal Alexander , made with a coco butter - wash mezcal created by the guys at Madison . However , the Mercado Margarita is a permanent staple on Puesto ’s cocktail list ; it ’s made with Casa Noble Crystal tequila , Pierre Ferrand ironic curaçao , seasonal organic citrus fruit , and agave .

Bracero Cocina de Raiz

The last office you ’d see for great tequila is in the middle of Little Italy , but the addition of Bracero last year brought some Romance style to this neighborhood , both in the kitchen and behind the bar . With the eating place ’s commitment to honoring Mexican heritage , you may bet there ’s a killer tequila programme going on . It has a well - rounded selection of around 20 tequilas , 20 mezcals , a variety of bacanoras , raicillas , sotols , and one of the good tequila - based craft cocktail listing in SD . The Javier Wallbanger ( pictured ) is a local dearie and a cheeky nod to chef Javier Plascencia . It ’s made with tequila , Galliano , lemon , orange , vanilla extract , and allspice dram .

Coasterra

For drinking tequila with one of the right views in Ithiel Town , stop by Coasterra . Its Tequila Lounge is perched right on the end of Harbor Island with an outdoor terrace command the water and the Downtown SD sensible horizon on the apparent horizon . rectify your palate with the six tequila tasting flights , which range from mezcals to aged tequila . Coasterra ’s stave also gets a minuscule creative with nip for the firm - made infusion , like strawberry Espolon Añejo , grapefruit Olmeca Altos Blanco , and poblano Chinese parsley Olmeca Altos Blanco . If you just desire to chill out during felicitous hour , try Deb ’s Coconut Margarita , made with Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila , Coco Lopez , and lime hydrate juice .

Karina’s Mexican Seafood

Karina ’s is know for Mexican seafood , but the Chula Vista hub offers something extra peculiar when it comes to tequila . In accession to the natural selection of more than 50 tequila , it also has tequila pops . you’re able to arrange mansion - made paletas in all sorts of flavors , serve in a wine glass so you’re able to dip them in a shot of whichever tequila you choose . VIP customers can also keep a personal feeding bottle in their very own tequila locker at the restaurant .

El Agave Tequileria

take the air into El Agave , you get the feeling that there might be more tequila under this roof then there is in all of Mexico . The tequila museum is an astounding sight to behold , and is the largest in the United States . With almost 3,000 agave spirits in its archive , you ’ll find bottle exhibit in just about every uncommitted corner and cranny . Only about 1,000 of them are useable for drunkenness , but some of the tequila are more than 100 years honest-to-goodness . Aside from its unbelievable collection , El Agave is also serving some interesting cocktail . One of these tequila - ground concoction is served in a green bell pepper on a wooden board , and comes with assorted salts and sugars and a dead reckoning of its signature sangrita on the side . Also on the list is a margarita made with damiana liqueur , popular for its aphrodisiac properties ; but who is n’t already feeling frisky after a few shot of tequila ?

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Sara Norris is a freelance photographer , writer , and tequila lover based in San Diego .

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