No. 120 March/April 2026

If your experiences are anything like mine, then your first encounter with tequila likely involved a salt-rimmed glass of sweet-tart slush, possibly with a festive-looking plastic pick or a lime wedge a day or two past its prime.

Tequila’s suffered many such indignities in its history, but it’s also risen to the challenge. Today, tequila is one of the hottest-selling spirits around, with thousands of brands and countless bars around the world dedicated to it and its agave-spirits kin. As tequila’s fortunes have soared, tequila drinkers have been showered with the increasing availability of excellent options, made by producers populating the spectrum between tradition and innovation. But such success hasn’t eradicated all of tequila’s enduring indignities, and online forums are filled with talk about additives and adulteration, and their role in tequila today. Tequila has a complicated story, and a fascinating one. We’re bringing you our own exploration of tequila and its beauty, along with some of the promise (and challenges) it’s facing.

Is one sip of tequila not enough? Then head to Taste Test for a roundup of higher-proof tequilas; take a tour of the Jalisco city of Tequila in Drinks Atlas; and catch up on the story of Francisco Terrazas, a bartender turned importer and now director of the Tequila Interchange Project.

We’re celebrating Imbibe’s 20th anniversary in 2026. Our big birthday bash is coming up soon (keep an eye on our May/June issue for that), but we’re also spending time in each issue looking back at how far we’ve come. Contributing editor Josh Bernstein (part of the Imbibe crew from almost the very beginning) evaluates the rollercoaster ride the beer world’s been on over the past two decades, and considers where its path may eventually lead.

As part of the celebration, we’re also looking back at influential cocktails of the past 20 years. We focus on the anatomy of the Barbacoa, a drink that helped put Los Angeles on the modern cocktail map. How have we learned about such influential cocktails over the past two decades? Books led to blogs and then to social media; Wayne Curtis surveys the modern cocktail information age in Mixopedia. And just as a magazine is nothing without longtime subscribers, a bar or restaurant struggles without dedicated regulars. As part of an ongoing series, we check in with Houston sommelier June Rodil about how such individuals have benefited her world.

We’ve also got Betsy Andrews’ exploration of New Zealand winemakers who are turning their attention to red wines, Oset Babür-Winter’s look at the booming of matcha, and Carrie Honaker’s insight into the culture of the tea men of Istanbul.

Cheers,