Tequila Alternative

Ritual builds its spirits to be mixed, not sipped, and this one now goes by the Agave Spirit Alternative on Ritual's own shelf. The brief hasn't changed. Pour it one to one wherever a recipe calls for tequila. The nose leans earthy blue agave with a green pepper edge and a hint of rock salt, and the finish carries a deliberate burn that stands in for alcohol's bite. Behind that sit notes of Mexican lime, tropical guava, mesquite smoke, charred oak and cracked sea salt. The build is simple. Filtered water, natural flavors, a little cane sugar, citric acid and salt put it at zero calories, 1 to 2 grams of sugar per serving, gluten free, under 0.5% ABV. A 750ml bottle runs about 17 servings. Ritual is blunt that this isn't a neat pour, so keep it for margaritas, palomas, ranch water and Bloody Marias.