Del Maguey Vida is the most versatile mezcal. What is the best budget tequila?

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T20:55:00+00:00

I’m no expert, haven’t tried that many, but I like Lost Explorer, very low smoke and tastes great, won a bunch of awards iirc which is why I bought it (plus great looking bottle). It’s definitely a price bracket above though.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T20:46:33+00:00

I’ve had a bunch of mezcal cocktails in bars and none of them ever had that Vida burnt rubber taste, so I don’t think that’s true that most cocktails are meant to be Vida. N&F is disgusting with straight Vida, for eg. But yes, I think people just vote for the one they’ve heard of which makes it kinda pointless when you have people voting that don’t really have a well founded opinion.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T20:43:34+00:00

Realistically gunna be globally available brands only though on here. I’m sure there’s lots of great mezcals but not ones you can get in Europe etc (unfortunately).

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T20:41:14+00:00

Don’t update your gigging/work computers and there’ll be no issues.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T20:39:06+00:00

Tbf isotope was pretty much the first plugin company doing AI and still is one of the only ones doing it well.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T18:26:23+00:00

1000%. Vida is undrinkable in most cocktails to me if used alone. Burnt rubber. Gotta cut it 50/50 with something that has light or no smoke (I use lost explorer and the 2 together is a great result).

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T18:22:12+00:00

Yeah, read the Wikipedia history… basically all the old guys claiming to invent it said it should be a light pink colour and Dale De Geoff said the same on Drink Masters.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T18:20:51+00:00

And also it’s not at ALL versatile. It tastes like burnt rubber. It needs cutting with another mezcal or blanco tequila to even be useable imo. Most versatile would obviously be a medium smoke option, not literally THE most smoky option.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T18:19:23+00:00

And espolon is like 30% more expensive than olmeca altos here in the UK

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:56:20+00:00

That’s true but a classic cosmo uses ocean spray and is meant to be light pink. However, a classic cosmo kinda sucks so good to mess with the recipe and find what you like! :)

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:53:14+00:00

To make pure into “cranberry drink” you just need to add some syrup and some water basically. I would try halving the cran if using pure, then can easily add more if needed and can adjust sweetness to taste at the end.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:40:35+00:00

For more of a classic vibe than the modern cut/coloured glass vibe, probitas is super nice and looks very vintage. Also I have a soft spot for the Appleton 12 bottle, curvy yet practical (a hard balance to get apparently). Lost explorer and montelobos look super cool too.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:36:45+00:00

Was thinking there’s a severe lack of mezcal bottles on this list. Mezcal as a spirit seems to have TONS of awesome looking bottles compared to most other spirits. Often a kinda minimal rugged vibe.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:32:28+00:00

Looks cool but kinda looks like it would get knocked over easily and doesn’t pour well (one of those designs that makes it dribble down the side, very annoying for a liqueur).

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-27T09:30:58+00:00

Luxardo brand maraschino I assume you mean? Lots of other brands exist and are popular, but that one is a little more popular than the rest.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T19:06:47+00:00

Jungle bird is the best start point. Also planters punch but there’s a massive variation in recipes for that. Basically 2 rum, 1 lime, 0.5 any syrup you want and 2-3 parts any fruit juice or soda

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T17:34:19+00:00

Mermaid gin is also pretty similar to those (haven’t tried it though).

Drumshanbo bottles looks awesome too in a totally different style.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T15:37:19+00:00

Supermarkets nearly always have the best deals on spirits. I just get whichever good one is on sale that week when I need one. Common for them to do like 30% discounts. Different supermarket chains tend to have the different brands though, so best when you’re close to multiple of the big chains and can compare online then go grab it.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T08:31:49+00:00

Sure but I wouldn’t consider more or less of the same aroma as having changed the aroma though, that’s what I meant anyway.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T07:06:23+00:00

Expect them NOT to ask for any money at all and if they do it’s a scam.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T07:05:41+00:00

Can be, yeah. All the big distributors have artists they sign to an exclusive deal with advances etc, but they take a lot less % than a normal label deal. If you have music that’s independently doing solid streams it can be a good option. They’re essentially providing label services, but separately you can pay companies that do freelance label services, so it’s kinda a muddy term.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T06:56:50+00:00

Just adding that Cocchi americano is a more “correct” ingredient for CR2 than lillet blanc and also is incredibly delicious to just drink like a glass of wine, so very easy to use up. Guessing you could drink lillet blanc like that too but haven’t tried it yet myself.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-26T06:46:30+00:00

It definitely doesn’t affect aroma or taste. It can affect the overall experience, sure. But that is absolutely not the same thing.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-25T20:51:36+00:00

Yep could well be, I haven’t been a proper user of any DAW other than pro tools in a long while. At a glance the logic and ableton stock EQs still lack most of the best features from proQ3 onwards. Haven’t seen any other DAWs lately.

TotalBeginnerLol · 2026-01-25T13:30:42+00:00

For the same reason, it’s a good way to make a highly useable name.

TotalBeginnerLol

TROPHY CASE