Yes, pure distilled tequila, generally made with the blue agave plant, is considered gluten-free.
However, some cheaper brands of tequila are known “mixto,” meaning they are not completely made from the blue agave plant. As a result, they might contain gluten.
Gluten-Free Tequila
Here is a list of tequilas that are made in the long-established fashion from 100% blue agave, which means that they are gluten free:
- Agavales Gold
- Calle 23
- Casa Noble Anejo
- Casa Noble Crystal
- Centenario Plata
- Don Julio Blanco
- Don Sergio (1942, Resposado, and Blanco varieties only)
- El Destilador Blanco
- El Jimador
- Espolon
- Fortaleza Blanca
- Hornitos Black Barrell
- Jose Cuervo (Tradicional, Tradicional Silver, Platino, and Reserva de la Familia varieties)
- Legado Blanco
- Lunazul Reposado
- Milagro
- Olmeca Altos Plata
- Siete Leguas
- Suerte Tequila Blanco
- Tequila Tapatio
- Zapopan
The Basics of Tequila-Making
The blue agave plant is an excess-sugar plant, and all that sugar goes into making traditional tequila. On the other hand, while “mixto” tequila has at least 51% of its sugar from the blue agave, it can get the other 49% from other sources of glucose and fructose.
Whenever there are different sources involved, gluten can sometimes enter the picture—for example, wheat can be used to make glucose syrup. That said, it is unlikely that a tequila manufacturer would use a gluten ingredient in this whole process. However, if you want to exercise an abundance of caution, stick with usual, 100% blue agave tequila. It is more expensive, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
If the tequila bottle does not state “100% agave,” then it is mixto.
Mixto tequilas won’t be labeled “mixto,” they will just say “tequila.” There are many more mixto tequila brands on the shelves than there are 100% blue agave tequila brands. Note, a tequila that is made from 100% agave will advertise that fact prominently. Look for those that do.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.
Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there is no way to make that food gluten-free.
Are Tequila Mixers Gluten-Free?
There are a number of ways you can drink tequila, ranging from straight shots (the salt and the lime wedges are gluten-free, but you will need to get gluten-free beer for the chaser) to margaritas. Tequila connoisseurs drink it neat and choose only 100% agave tequilas.
If you drink margaritas, it can be quite trickier to ensure that your drink is gluten-free. It is common to use a cheaper, mixto tequila in mixed drinks like margaritas. That means the first thing you will need to do is make sure the tequila used in your drink is pure agave.
Traditional margaritas contains tequila, triple sec, and lime or lemon juice. Triple sec liqueur is distilled from orange peels, and the famous name brands Grand Marnier and Cointreau are gluten free. You also can use non-alcoholic triple sec syrup (Monin triple sec syrup is labeled gluten free).
When you get into margarita mixes and flavored margarita drinks, it can be even difficult to assure a gluten-free beverage. There are dozens of possible ingredients ranging from pineapple and coconut to beets and hot sauce. Therefore, you will need to double-check each and every single ingredient to be certain that your margarita is safe to drink.
Frozen margaritas are even trickier because they can be made from a mix with mixto tequila added.
It is quite fashionable to have signature margaritas where each bar uses a different recipe. Unless you find a bartender who has an in-depth knowledge of the various places that gluten can hide (or better yet, if you find a bartender who actually follows the gluten-free diet themselves), you may have difficulty verifying the gluten-free status of the various drink ingredients.
What is tequila made from?
Tequila is made from the blue agave plant. It is a distilled beverage that originated in Mexico. It is similar to mescal, in that they are both made from blue agave but prepared in various ways.
Are margaritas gluten-free?
Margaritas are generally made with a combination of tequila, triple sec or Coitreau, and lime or lemon juice. If your margaritas are homemade, you can check all your ingredients to be sure there is not any gluten in any of them before adding them to your margaritas.
Both triple sec and Cointreau are liqueurs made from orange peels, and distilled into a gluten-free orange flavored alcohol. These are also naturally gluten-free. Bottled margarita mixes need to be looked at a bit more carefully for hidden sources of gluten. You can look under their ingredient lists for other names of gluten to be safe.
For the most part, margarita mixes are gluten-free and will have a “gluten-free” label on them to help you recognize them easily.
Is Jose Cuervo gluten-free?
Jose Cuervo is safe to enjoy on a gluten-free diet, as it is a distilled 100% tequila without any additional flavorings or additives.
Is Patron gluten-free?
Patron is usually gluten-free as it comes from the blue agave plant. Enjoy Patron Silver, Reposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo. They also offer Cafe Dark Cocoa and Cafe flavors that are also gluten-free.
Does Tequila Rose have gluten? Is Tequila Rose gluten-free?
Tequila Rose is a strawberry cream and tequila liqueur. The packaging on the bottle states that it contains wheat and rye, making it NOT a good choice if you are on a gluten-free diet.
Is Sauza tequila gluten-free?
Sauza tequila is naturally gluten-free as it is made from the blue agave plant and safe for a gluten-free diet.
Remember that as long as the tequila you choose is pure and distilled, it should not contain any gluten. If there are flavorings or additives added to the distilled vodka, you’ll want to do some further research in order to make an informed decision that’s right for you and your body.
Which Alcoholic Drinks is Gluten-Free?
Finding gluten-free alcoholic beverages has become increasingly difficult. From the ongoing debate about distilled alcohol being gluten-free or not, to the accidental mix-ups by a bartender, it’s a challenge to find a gluten free alcoholic beverage that works for you and your diet.
In this gluten-free alcohol listing, you’ll find all the beers, hard ciders, vodkas, rums, tequilas and other hard liquors that are gluten free.
Warning: Remember to always double-check the drink labels when out and about, and use GluteGuard to back up your gluten-free choices!
BEER
Gluten-free beers are becoming more available and more delicious by the day, with plenty of craft breweries popping up!
Try brands such as:
Alley Cat Scona Gold Kolsch, Against the Grain, Bards Beer, Billabong Brewing, Brewdog Vagabond Pale Ale, Brunehaut Blanche, Drummond Gluten-Free, Estrella Damm Daura, Ghostfish Brewing, Glutenberg, Green’s Gluten Free Beer, Ground Breaker Ale, Hambleton Ales, Harvester, Lammsbräu by Neumarkter, Messagère, Mongozo’s Exotic Flavored Pilsners, New Planet Beer, Nickel Brook Gluten Free, Ramapo Valley Bewery Honey Beer, RedBridge Beer, Schnitzer Bräu, St. Peter’s, Steadfast Pale Ale, Tumma Kukko, Whistler Forager, World Top.
HARD CIDER
If you absolutely HATE beer, then you should definitely try a delicious hard cider. Plus, there are a lot of free brands that are gluten-free
! Just remember that not all hard ciders are gluten-free because some brands do barley for enzymes and flavor, so be sure to read the labels carefully!
Try brands such as:
Ace Pear Cider, Angry Orchard, Blue Mountain Cider Company, Blackthorn Cider, Bulmer’s Hard Cider, Crispin Cider, Gaymer Cider Company, Harpoon Craft Cider, J.K. Scrumpy’s Organic Hard Cider, Lazy Jack’s Cider, Magner’s Cider, Newton’s Folly Hard Cider, Original Sin Hard Cider, Smith and Forge Hard Cider, Spire Mountain Draft Cider, Strongbow Cider, Stella Artois Apple and Pear Hard Cider, Woodchuck, Woodpecker Cider.
VODKA
Vodka can be a very tricky alcohol for gluten-free drinkers. Although gluten proteins from wheat based vodkas are technically removed during the distillation process, many people still report feeling the classic symptoms of gluten sensitivity after drinking them. It’s best to steer clear of all wheat-based vodkas, but you can still opt for non-wheat, potato, corn, or grape-based vodkas!
Try brands such as:
Blue Ice Vodka, Bombora Vodka, Boyd and Blair, Cayman Blue Vodka, Chopin Polish Vodka, Ciroc, Cold River Vodka, Devotion Vodka, DiVIne, Famous Vodka, Fleischmann’s Vodka, Kamachatka, Krome Vodka, Luksusowa, Monopolowa, New Amsterdam, Ocean Vodka, Pau Maui Hawaiian Vodka, Smirnoff Vodka, Teton Glacier Vodka, Three Olives, Tito’s Vodka, UV, Vikingfjord.
TEQUILA
When tequila is made the traditional way with a blue agave plant is naturally gluten free. However, there are cheap brands that contain gluten, which are called ‘mixto’. To make sure that your tequila is gluten free, check that the bottle says ‘100% agave’.
Try brands such as:
1519 Tequila, 1800 Tequila, Cabo Wabo, Cazadores, Don Julio Tequila, El Jimador, Herradura Tequila, Hornitos, Jose Cuervo, Patron Tequila, Suaza Tequila.
RUM
Try brands such as:
Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, Bayou Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Captain Morgan Rum, Cruzan Rum, Mount Rum.
OTHER- WHISKEY, BRANDY AND MORE!
Try brands such as:
Americanaki Ouzo, Brandy, Campari, Cointreau, Cold River, Harvey’s Bristol Cream, Hendrick’s, Hennessy Cognac, Jaegermeister, Malibu Rum, Midori, Myer’s Rum, Prosecco, Skinny Girl Margaritas, Wild Turkey Bourbon.
Frequently Asked Questions 
1- Can celiacs drink tequila?
Be sure to scout out tequila that’s 100 percent agave, which is naturally gluten-free. The same goes for mezcal since tequila is actually just a specific type of that alcohol. Anyone with Celiac disease can still enjoy a glass of vino. It’s made from grapes, which don’t affect people with gluten sensitivities.
2- Is Jose Cuervo tequila gluten-free?
This intense taste experience may be what leads people to mistakenly think that Tequila is “stronger.” Being straight distilled spirits, all Jose Cuervo Tequilas are gluten free. In addition, Jose Cuervo Authentic Cuervo Margaritas, Margarita Minis, and Golden Margaritas are also gluten-free.
3- Is El Toro tequila gluten-free?
Yes, pure, distilled tequila, usually made with the blue agave plant, is considered gluten-free. Even if the tequila is mixtos, meaning that it contains at least 51% agave with other sugars added, it will still be safe for people with celiac disease.
4- Does Tito’s have gluten?
Tito’s Handmade Vodka is made from corn, and as a distilled spirit, is completely gluten-free. Some producers add a little bit of mash back into the spirit after distillation, which would add gluten content into an otherwise gluten-free distillate (if using wheat as the base), but we don’t do that regardless.
5- Is 1800 Silver tequila gluten free?
When tequila is made the traditional way with a blue agave plant is naturally gluten free. 1519 Tequila, 1800 Tequila, Cabo Wabo, Cazadores, Don Julio Tequila, El Jimador, Herradura Tequila, Hornitos, Jose Cuervo, Patron Tequila, Suaza Tequila.
6- Is 818 tequila gluten free?
818 Tequila Reposado 750ml has lowland and highland agave hand-picked by jimadors, slow roasted in adobe brick ovens, distilled twice, gluten free.
7- Is Blue Curacao gluten free?
Since 2011, our Senior’s Curacao Liqueurs are a Kosher certified product. Our liqueurs are not only delicious but also gluten-free, GMO-free (no genetically modified organisms) and held to strict, clean and pure production standards according to the Kosher laws.
8- Is Malibu rum gluten-free?
Yes, we don’t use any gluten-containing ingredients in Malibu Original, Malibu Black, Malibu Flavours & Malibu RTDs. Please note, however, that we cannot offer specific advice, and we recommend that you speak with your medical or dietetic advisor.
9- Is Maestro Dobel tequila gluten-free?
Tequila does not contain gluten, as long as it is pure tequila and does not have any additional flavorings or additives added to the bottle. Once flavorings or additives are added to the drink, you’ll need to do further research to be sure it’s gluten-free.
10- Is Captain Morgan gluten-free?
Captain Morgan Rums are generally considered gluten-free, but there’s one thing to remember. Captain Morgan produces flavored rums as well, and there’s an outside chance those could contain gluten (and since it is alcohol they are not required to disclose allergens).
Conclusion:
The blue agave plant is an excess-sugar plant, and all that sugar goes into making traditional tequila. On the other hand, while “mixto” tequila has at least 51% of its sugar from the blue agave, it can get the other 49% from other sources of glucose and fructose. It is gluten free.