Snobbery?
Is it snobbery to prefer 100% agave to mixto? Perhaps. Keep in mind, if you order a margarita in most bars, you’ll be getting mixto, unless you order a specific tequila or a brand is named on the menu. And if you order a round of shots, you’re probably getting mixto—unless you have more money than sense, of course, and you’re getting rounds of top-shelf brands to shoot. (If that’s the case, invite me along next time.)
For cocktail use, you enter a land of diminishing returns if you go too far upmarket with your tequila choices. For most cocktails, blanco or reposado will be just fine. If you prefer blender margaritas, mixto is probably fine, honestly, because the icy-coldness of the drink will obliterate any subtleties from more upmarket tequilas.
Furthermore, raicilla is made almost entirely within Jalisco, the cradle of tequila. This legislation would prevent raicilla and other agave spirits from even being produced in Jalisco, which could cause raicilla to entirely vanish from production.
The Diner’s Journal blog at the New York Times covered this controversy in more depth. Proponents of the legislation say they’re preventing confusion and fraud. Opponents think the regulation is a tool by which large distilleries are trying to crack down on small companies.
