Best Tequila for Margaritas (2026): 5 Blancos From $1.58 a Drink
Five blanco tequilas we have fully reviewed, in order of what the tequila in one margarita costs at November 9, 2026 prices, plus the pour that keeps a 96-proof bottle from making every drink 20% stronger.
The tequila in a margarita costs $1.58 with Olmeca Altos Plata and $3.94 with Fortaleza Blanco, the highest-scoring blanco we have reviewed. Those figures use ReserveBar's November 9, 2026 prices for a 750ml bottle and a 2 oz pour.
This page puts five blanco tequilas we have fully reviewed in order of what one margarita costs. Every score comes from that bottle's review. For the full blanco ranking, neat, see our best blanco tequila guide.
A 750ml bottle holds 25.4 fluid ounces, so it makes 12 margaritas at 2 oz. ReserveBar sells Siete Leguas in a 700ml bottle, which makes 11.
What this means when you buy: moving from Olmeca Altos to Fortaleza costs $30 more per bottle, or $2.36 a drink. Our Olmeca Altos review found its agave still reads through the lime, which is what it was built to do. So buy Altos when you are making margaritas for a crowd. Buy Fortaleza when you are making two for yourself and the tequila is the point.
The high-proof catch
Four of the five bottles here are 80 proof. Wild Common Still Strength is 96 proof, or 48% alcohol. Pour the usual 2 oz and the drink carries 0.96 oz of alcohol instead of 0.80, which is 20% more.
Pour 1⅔ oz instead and the strength matches. That also stretches the bottle from 12 margaritas to 15, so its cost per drink falls from $3.82 to $3.18. That is 76 cents less than Fortaleza, from a bottle that cost $1.58 less.
If you keep the 2 oz pour, three margaritas carry the alcohol of 3.6. The same rule works for any overproof blanco: divide 0.8 by the alcohol share. A 110-proof tequila such as Tapatio 110 or Terralta 110 takes about 1.45 oz.
How we chose, and what we did not test
We scored every bottle here neat, in its full review. We have not run a side-by-side margarita test of all five. The only review where we built a margarita is Olmeca Altos, and its recipe is below.
So the order is by cost, and the notes we quote are the ones we think matter against lime. We weight pepper, herbal and mineral notes most, because lime and orange liqueur already bring the citrus and the sweetness. That is our judgment, not a measurement.
What this page leaves out
LALO Blanco (86). It cost $3.39 a margarita on November 9, more than Tequila Ocho Plata, which scored four points higher.
Cimarron (84) and Arette (83). Both are reviewed budget blancos, but we could not confirm a current 750ml price for either, so we cannot give a cost per drink.
The 108 and 110 proof blancos.G4 108, Tapatio 110 and Terralta 110 all scored 90 or 91. We could not confirm a current price for any of them from a retailer we check.
Casamigos Blanco (80). It is our lowest-scoring blanco. Our review found sweet cake frosting and vanilla ahead of a soft agave note.
Reposado. This page sticks to blanco. If you like a rounder margarita, El Tesoro Reposado scored 92 in our review.
The margarita we built
Our Olmeca Altos review used a Tommy's Margarita: 2 oz blanco, 1 oz fresh lime juice and 0.5 oz agave nectar, shaken hard over ice. With Wild Common Still Strength, cut the tequila to 1⅔ oz and keep the rest the same.
Olmeca Altos was built for bars to pour into cocktails by the case. Our review found bright agave, citrus, green pepper and honey on a light, clean palate, and in a Tommy's Margarita the tequila read clearly through the lime instead of disappearing. At $19.99 on November 9, the tequila in each margarita cost $1.58.
ABV40%
RegionHighlands
Cost per margarita$1.58
$1.58 of tequila per margarita, the lowest here
Agave still shows through lime
Built for cocktails, per the brand brief in our review
Ocho is a single-estate highland blanco. Our review found bright agave sweetness, citrus and herbal notes over a mineral mid-palate with an oily texture. It scored six points more than Olmeca Altos for $1.49 more per margarita, and it cost less per drink than LALO, which scored four points lower.
ABV40%
RegionHighlands (Arandas), single estate
Cost per margarita$3.07
90/100 at $3.07 a margarita
Herbal and mineral notes beyond the citrus
Single-estate agave
Twice the cost per drink of Olmeca Altos
Lighter than the tahona-crushed bottles
Best For: Your everyday margarita when you want a better tequila
Wild Common is bottled at 96 proof. Our review found bold cooked agave, citrus, peppery spice, earthy herbs and olive brine with a rich, coating texture. Pour it at 2 oz and your margarita is 20% stronger. Pour 1⅔ oz and it matches an 80-proof drink, makes 15 margaritas a bottle and costs $3.18 each.
ABV48%
RegionValley (El Arenal)
ProcessTahona
Cost per margarita$3.18 at 1⅔ oz
$3.18 a margarita at a strength-matched pour
Pepper, herbs and olive brine on the palate
Rich, coating texture
A 2 oz pour makes every drink 20% stronger
You have to adjust the recipe
Best For: Margaritas where you want the agave loud
Fortaleza is the highest-scoring blanco we have reviewed. Our review found cooked agave, citrus and pepper with an oily, tahona-crushed texture and minerality, fully expressed at 80 proof. It costs $2.36 more per margarita than Olmeca Altos, which is the price of making the tequila the point of the drink.
ABV40%
RegionValley (Tequila)
ProcessTahona + roller mill
Cost per margarita$3.94
93/100, our top blanco
Oily, tahona-crushed texture
Pepper and minerality balance the lime
$3.94 a margarita
Hard to justify in a pitcher
Best For: One or two margaritas where the tequila matters
Siete Leguas is a highland blanco crushed by tahona and roller mill. Our review found robust agave, lemon peel, a steely mineral mid-palate and herbal depth with an oily texture. ReserveBar sells it in a 700ml bottle at $59.99, so it makes 11 margaritas, at $5.07 each, the most on this page.
Every bottle on this page links to its full BoozeMakers review, where the tasting notes behind its score are written out. Every review is scored on the same 100-point scale.
Editorial independence notice: Boozemakers maintains full editorial independence. We purchase all products at retail and are never compensated for our reviews. Affiliate links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
How We Test & Rate
This page uses only blanco tequilas we have fully reviewed. Each score is the score from that bottle's review, on our 100-point scale, tasted neat. We have not run a side-by-side margarita test, so the order is by what the tequila in one margarita costs, not by a cocktail score.
Cost per margarita is the ReserveBar price on November 9, 2026, divided by the fluid ounces in the bottle, times a 2 oz pour. For the 96-proof Wild Common we use a 1⅔ oz pour, which carries the same alcohol as 2 oz at 80 proof. The price box on each bottle shows our latest check, which may be newer.
How We Chose
A 100% agave blanco tequila with a full BoozeMakers review, and a current 750ml or 700ml price we could confirm at ReserveBar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Update History
November 10, 2026
Published: five reviewed blancos with November 9 ReserveBar prices and cost per margarita.
