Don Julio Blanco
Don Julio's bright, unaged tequila: citrus, cooked agave, and a touch of black pepper. This is the bottle for a Paloma or Margarita that tastes like real agave, but it is smooth enough to drink neat over ice.
Tequila as it comes from the still
Don Julio Blanco is the purest bottle in the range: tequila that has not been aged in wood after distillation. The agaves are blue Weber agaves from the highlands of Jalisco, hand-harvested when fully ripe, and the tequila is distilled in copper stills. Because there is no barrel involved, you taste the agave itself: fresh, lightly sweet, and slightly green.
That makes Blanco different from its older siblings. Reposado and Añejo get vanilla and caramel from the oak; Blanco stays bright and citrusy, with a peppery side. That is exactly why it is the best choice for cocktails in which lime and grapefruit take center stage. Julio González started his distillery in 1942; this tequila shows most clearly what it is all about.
In brief
Fresh, green, and slightly peppery
Citrus and agave
Lemon zest, lime, and grapefruit over the sweet aroma of cooked agave, with a hint of grassiness running through it.
Lightly sweet and sharp
Bright and lively: pronounced agave, a touch of sweetness, and black pepper that tingles on the tongue.
Clean and fresh
A short, clean finish in which the citrus and pepper linger for a moment. No oak, no vanilla.
Flavor profile of Don Julio Blanco neat at room temperature. With ice, it becomes smoother and the citrus comes through more.
How to serve Don Julio Blanco
Blanco is made for fresh, tart and sparkling drinks. It can also be enjoyed neat, but then over ice.
Don Julio Paloma
50 ml Don Julio Blanco over ice in a highball glass, add 10 ml lime juice and top up with 120 ml grapefruit soda. Finish with a grapefruit wedge. This is how Don Julio serves it himself.
To the recipe →Spicy Margarita
Muddle two jalapeño slices in the shaker, then add 50 ml Blanco, 25 ml Cointreau and 25 ml lime juice. Shake hard with ice and strain into a margarita glass. The tequila's pepper and the pepper from the jalapeño amplify each other.
To the recipe →Over ice with lime
40 ml Blanco over a large ice cube in a tumbler, with a strip of lime peel. The cold takes the edge off and brings out the agave and citrus.
Tumblers →Cocktails that call for Don Julio Blanco
Every tequila cocktail with lime or grapefruit starts with a good blanco. These four are the classics.
Paloma
Tequila, lime and grapefruit soda with a salt rim. Mexico's most popular tequila cocktail.
Margarita
Tequila, Cointreau and lime, shaken and served with a salt rim. Fresh and crisp with Blanco.
Spicy Margarita
The Margarita with jalapeño. The peppery Blanco makes it even livelier.
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila, orange juice and grenadine layered. Fruity and easy.The right glass for Don Julio Blanco
A tall highball glass for the Paloma, a margarita glass for the Margarita, a coupe for the spicy version and a low tumbler for Blanco over ice.
More Don Julio flavors
Don Julio
Where it all began. The brand page tells you everything about Don Julio: origins, varieties and classic cocktails.
Go to Don Julio →
Don Julio Añejo
Eighteen months in American oak: rich, warm and complex. Neat in a tulip glass or over ice.
View Don Julio Añejo →
Don Julio 1942
Caramel, chocolate and vanilla surrounding roasted agave. The bottle for a gift or a special evening.
View Don Julio 1942 →Everything about tequila: the types, best-known brands and cocktails.
Questions about Don Julio Blanco
Can’t find your question here? Read more on the Don Julio page or browse our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Don Julio →