Cooking Up Agave Collaborations

As the world continues to embrace tequila and mezcal, a new niche is developing within agave spirits: expressions that are created by professional cooks and featured in their restaurants—and in retail stores and online—around the globe. Many chefs are putting their own unique spins on tequila and mezcal, creating products that complement their cuisine and also their lifestyles. They’re focusing on natural ingredients with minimal additives and no shortcuts, just like they do in the kitchen. It’s an interesting take on a booming spirits category and a great way for foodies to experiment and connect with tequila and mezcal in a new way.

Marcado 28 Tequila by Michael Voltaggio

40% • $50-$60 • Available online and at retail in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas

Michael Voltaggio comes from a culinary family. He and his brother, Bryan, have worked on several restaurant projects together, including Vulcania in California. Michael also operated Ink restaurant in West Hollywood for many years, and he’s a regular on television, having won “Top Chef” and competed on “Iron Chef America,” in addition to appearing on shows with Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay.

Michael—a tattoo enthusiast—launched his tequila portfolio in 2024 in partnership with Bruno Barba, a 10th-generation member of the Romo family, which has a centuries-long legacy in agave spirits in Jalisco, Mexico. The tequilas are made with no additives, using a slow, traditional agave cooking process. The lineup includes an unaged blanco and a reposado that’s aged 8 months in American oak.

“The opportunity to learn is always important to me, and I wanted to go through the process from the agave field to the bottle,” Voltaggio says. “I also felt there was an opportunity to create an additive-free tequila that’s smooth, approachable, and affordable. The brand complements my work and my lifestyle. It’s edgy, artistic, and rooted in tradition.”

Martín San Román Tequila by Martín San Román

40% • $75-$246 • Limited availability in California

Martín San Román puts a French spin on Mexican cuisine. The Mexico City native was schooled in Paris and worked in the French culinary scene before opening restaurants in Tijuana and starring in a cooking show in his native country. He now runs the kitchen at California-French fusion concept Dobson’s Bar & Restaurant in San Diego, where his eponymous tequila is featured in the signature Margarita. San Román’s brand includes blanco and an extra añejo that's aged 5 years in white oak.

“I made this tequila because I wanted it,” San Román says. “It’s a Mexican chef’s tequila that pairs with elevated cuisine. It’s been a great ride to have my own tequila brand, but it’s hard to keep it on the market and there’s very few bottles left. There will be more released in spring 2026.”

Manojo Mezcal by Enrique Olvera

43% • $50 • Available online and in select retail stores in California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York

Enrique Olvera has restaurants in Mexico and the U.S. His first project, Pujol in Mexico City, opened in 2000. Since then, he’s added several other concepts, including Criollo in Oaxaca and both Cosme and Alta in New York City. Olvera launched Manojo mezcal in 2024. The joven (unaged) is made from single-varietal espadín agave from San Luis del Río, and is produced using traditional methods: The agave is roasted in underground pits, crushed with a horse-pulled tahona, naturally fermented, and double distilled in copper stills.

“Mezcal is more than a spirit, it honors Oaxaca, Mexico—its soil, its people, and its deep traditions,” Olvera says. “It connects directly with the stance I’ve taken in my cuisine to celebrate Mexican heritage with humility and respect, and do it in a way that feels authentic and enduring. Mezcal is a natural companion to my cooking philosophy. I’ve built my restaurants around ingredients rooted in place, integrity, and support for small growers. Manojo is an extension of that ethos; it’s not just a beverage, but a story of terroir and collaboration.”

Santo de Piedra Mezcal Pastorale Series by Massimo Bottura

45% • $585 • Available in select U.S. markets and online

Italian chef Massimo Bottura operates several acclaimed eateries, including Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy; the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura brand, with locations in Los Angeles, Italy, Tokyo, and Seoul; and Torno Subito in Miami, Singapore, and Dubai. Bottura recently partnered with Santo de Piedra mezcal on a special collaboration, the Pastorale series. The mezcal is sourced from two rare agave varieties and incorporates juniper wood during production in a nod to Bottura’s juniper barrel-aged balsamic vinegar. While 2,500 bottles of the 2,506 produced are soon to be released globally, six are bottled in specialty handblown glass and will be auctioned for an expected price of $7,500-$10,000. Half the proceeds from the sales of Bottura’s mezcal project benefit Food for Soul, a nonprofit the chef runs with his wife, Lara Gilmore, to fight food waste, isolation, and inequality.

“The Pastorale series is not just a mezcal, it’s a meeting of worlds,” Bottura says. “In every glass you taste time, place, and passion— Oaxaca’s patience, Modena’s soul, and the beauty of shared creativity.”

Santo Tequila by Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar

40%-55% • $45-$75 • Available nationwide and online

Chef and television star Guy Fieri has a massive restaurant portfolio that includes 17 concepts, ranging from pizza and barbecue to tacos and steak, and he’s built a brand around his name and his phrase “flavor-town.” He’s also a regular on Food Network, having won one of the television channel’s competition shows in 2006, and he’s since created and hosted several of his own shows, including “Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives” and “Guy’s Grocery Games.”

Fieri got into spirits in 2019, when he partnered with friend and rock star Sammy Hagar to create Santo tequila. The portfolio now includes blanco, reposado, and añejo expressions, all made in Jalisco in the highlands of Los Altos. The agave is slow-cooked in stone ovens and fermented in stainless steel tanks, then double distilled in copper and stainless-steel pot stills. The aged tequilas rest in bourbon and other American whiskey barrels.

“I’m a big tequila fan, so to join forces with Red Rocker Sammy Hagar on Santo was a no-brainer,” Fieri says. “We’re a traditional, old-school tequila company—nothing added, nothing toyed with. Blanco, reposado, and añejo are the building blocks of a great tequila portfolio, but the nuance is all in how the juice is created, barreled, and aged. Sammy and I feel really great about the expressions we have.”