Today is World Tequila Day, and if you’ve only ever experienced tequila in a Margarita, Mucho Group is offering the perfect excuse to dig a little deeper. Across Super 44, Cantina OK!, Centro 86 and Tio’s, the group has assembled what it believes is Australia’s most diverse collection of agave spirits. And if all that talk of tequila leaves you inspired, we’ve also included a recipe created by Jeremy Blackmore Creative Director of Mucho Group at the end of this story.
Together, the four venues boast 328 tequilas and 118 mezcals, alongside raicilla, sotol, bacanora and other agave spirits. The collection includes expressions made from at least 37 agave varieties, from globally recognised tequila houses to small-batch producers sourced during the team’s regular trips through Mexico.
Guests can explore everything from traditionally stone-crushed tequilas and clay pot-distilled mezcals to high-proof bottlings, pechugas and tequilas aged for more than a decade. Many of the bottles come from fourth- and fifth-generation distilling families preserving production methods that pre-date industrial tequila.
The back bars also showcase how the category is evolving beyond Mexico, with Australian-made agave spirits featured alongside traditional producers, including an aged expression made from Queensland-grown blue agave and a kangaroo pechuga inspired by one of Mexico’s oldest distilling techniques.
“There are so many unbelievable stories to hear, and such a wild history of knowledge to get lost in when you start diving into tequila and agave spirits,” said MUCHO Group Design & Brand Director Clayton Ciolac.
“Every bottle is a product of the hands it passes through. Hands that have perfected modern and ancestral techniques, passed down the family tree like treasure.”
Each venue offers its own take on agave. Centro 86 houses the group’s largest tequila collection, Cantina OK! focuses on small-batch mezcals sourced directly from rural producers, Super 44 presents a curated agave list, while Tio’s extensive back bar caters to both newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts.
Whether you’re looking to try your first sipping tequila or track down a rare mezcal, World Tequila Day is a reminder that there’s far more to agave than the classic Margarita.
The Whirlpool
By Jeremy Blackmore, Creative Director, Mucho Group
Ingredients
5 parts blanco tequila
2 parts sugarcane syrup
3 parts fresh lime juice
1/8 avocado
4 drops saline
10 ice cubes
Method
Blend all ingredients in a Nutribullet until smooth.
Garnish
Swirl of dragonfruit purée.
Glassware
Coupe.