How the Gringos Stole Tequila

Booze books can too often be overly positive, cheerleading for the industry at large; it’s rare you see one so incisive and damning.

Once nothing more than a headache-inducing frat house shooter, today tequila (and mezcal) has become the trendy spirit of those in the know…or those who want to seem like they are. But as Martineau details, the rapid expansion of this agricultural spirit into all bars, retailers, and marketplaces—much of it driven by, yes, gringos, some of them bold-faced names—has inherently ruined this beautiful spirit in many ways that may never be recovered.