Beverage of the Week: Santo vs. Camarena in a cheap-vs.-(slightly)-expensive tequila throwdown

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

This series wasn’t especially kind to Sammy Hagar two weeks ago. Sure, his Beach Bar rum was a fine mixing spirit, but his branded canned cocktails were a throwback to 2015’s drinking scene — and not in a good way. Fortunately, the high-pitched pitchman gets a chance at redemption with the liquor he does best: tequila.

The man who birthed Cabo Wabo into the world is back in the agave game, teamed with Guy Fieri to bring us Santo — a line of spirits that covers both tequila and a curious blend called “mezquila” (Adam Levine is somehow involved as well, but we don’t talk about America’s Chad Kroeger here, not after that Super Bowl halftime show). I already talked about how much I liked their reposado, but today we’re gonna dig into Santo’s other offerings — and compare them to another fairly new (at least to me) tequila.

Camarena pitches itself as an old school, highly awarded liquor at a bargain price. Where a fifth of Santo reposado clocks in at $46 at my local Total Wine, Camarena only costs $23 for a full liter. I happened to have both on hand and, as a relative tequila neophyte, I decided to stack them up and see who came out ahead.

Let’s do some reviews.

Santo tequila reposado: B+

You get agave and fruit off the job when it’s in a rocks glass, a little like a creamsicle tequila mix. I’m gonna chalk that up to the vanilla oak coming from the barrel, even with minimal aging.

The first sip is kicked off with a distinct sweetness that gives way to tingly warmth that never progresses to a burn. There is a *lot* of fruit up front in a way I’ve never experienced in a tequila before. But at the same time, please realize I am a tequila neophyte, so this may not be as rare as it seems to me.

This is a great sipper; there’s no harshness and a lot of flavor up front. While it’s not complex after that, it’s a worthy tequila that goes beyond the meme-tastic imagery of Fieri and Hagar wasting booze and ruining guitars in the promos.

It’s better than you’d expect, unless you’re a resident of Flavortown. Then it’s exactly the quality you’d want to see from your most public representative.

Camarena reposado tequila: B

Two months of barrel time leaves the spirit with a mellow taste up front. A slight burn sneaks in, and that’s when the flavors come out. A little fruit, a little pepper and some floral chewiness linger long after the sip has left your lips.

This makes it an easy drinker, if a bit simple. It works as a sipper and, since it appears you can get a bottle at my local Woodman’s for around $20, a pretty useful mixer. I’m still a tequila neophyte, so maybe my basic brain is drawn to a basic spirit. But I like it enough to have another.

Santo blanco tequila: B-

Ultimately it’s fine. Not as smooth or flavorful as the reposado or weird and intense as the Mezquila. This feels like Santo’s safe play; a slap bunt down the third base line to advance the runners. It’s about what you’d expect, but it could be better.

Camarena silver tequila: B

Shooting this would be a mistake; a quick gulp means missing out on what makes it good. I know that’s true for most quality tequilas, but I came up on Pepe Lopez so it’s still a point that requires making. There’s no dreadful swallow here; just a dynamic spirit that delivers complex flavor for what’s a pretty reasonable price point.

Santo Mezquila: C+, no, B+? B-. Wait hold on...

There’s a minor daffodil tint to the pour. It smells like someone dropped a bouquet into a vase filled with tequila. Those roses might not last long, but they’ll go out partying, dammit.

The first sip is … oh wow, it is a *journey.* What begins as a strong tequila takes a hard turn into roasted … well, roasted something. I wasn’t expecting smoke, but there it is, crashing into the picture like a bottle of rauchbier straight from Frankfurt. There’s also very pronounced pepper involved.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting any of that. Now that I’m prepared, let’s try again.

Man, I am genuinely unsure whether I hate or love this spirit. The smoke lingers long after it’s cleared your lips, making it the Islay malt of the tequila (adjacent) world. There’s a ton of depth to it and it really does balance its flavors well. Despite all the different factors at play, there’s no alcoholic burn; just a really complex and interesting sipper.

I really don’t know what to think of this liquor. It might be the best thing Adam Levine’s ever been associated with, but that’s a low bar to clear.

Camarena anejo tequila: B

It’s a bit boozier than its forebearer, with a lasting warmth that trickles down your esophagus and into your chest. The aging provides a smoother exit but dulls some of the flavor that made the reposado interesting. The cinnamon and fruit and spice and agave are there, but just in a much quieter way.

Again, it works as a sipper and is probably a bang-on mixer, particularly at its price point (less than $30). I was hoping for a little more than what I got, but this remains a complete spirit. It’s smooth and lingers on your lips with the warmth of a proper drink. Not bad.

Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?

Welcome to a new feature on these reviews; a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, which of these tequilas would I choose over a cold can of Hamm’s?

They’re all decent enough to merit sipping. Let’s talk about which one is the better choice. Santo has the best spirit in the bunch (reposado) as well as the most interesting one (Mezquila, which, pheeewwwww). But it costs about twice as much, which creates a dilemma.

Camarena is very good for what it is, and as a guy who doesn’t drink a ton of tequila it’d probably be my choice at the liquor store. But Santo is mostly superior and well worth the extra cost. Your decision all comes down to how much you like tequila — and whether or not you’re willing to roll the dice on the Mezquila. There’s room for both spirits, but if we’re going by taste, complexity and uniqueness alone then Santo is my jam.