Tequila overtakes gin as the UK’s favourite warm-weather spirit

Publicans say celebrity-backed brands have helped the take-up of a ‘slightly lighter alternative’ to the classic G&T

A crisp gin and tonic has for many British people been just the ticket as the weather gets warmer, but new consumer data shows tequila is overtaking gin for the first time as a summer tipple of choice.

Spicy margaritas, which are a piquant twist on the classic tequila, lime and triple sec cocktail, have taken the UK by a storm in recent years and now the country is firmly hooked on tequila, with many ordering a tequila and tonic instead of a G&T.