Cocktail Connoisseur: The Most Expensive Tequila Cocktails in the World

The pursuit of the perfect cocktail is a never-ending journey. The stakes are always raising, craft cocktails have moved beyond the elite and entered the mainstream, but top-level, cocktails will always be sought after. Our focus is on tequila and we’ve found three amazing and expensive tequila cocktails that you’ll need to experience.

The Benjamin, $100

The Benjamin costs only $100 (yes, only $100) at the Red O Restaurant in Los Angeles. It made waves with its debut in 2011 by Mexican cuisine master Rick Bayless at his Red O Restaurant. It is comprised of three extra añejo (ultra aged) tequilas: Patron Burdelos, Herradura Selection Suprema and Partida Elegante. From there, they add Grand Marnier Cuvee du Cent Cinquentanaire, 100% organic agave syrup, and fresh lime juice, as well as a float of Louis XIII cognac. It then comes in a classic margarita glass with a blood orange caviar and edible-gold-and-kosher-salt rim.

Margarita, $1,200

A few years later, Manhattan’s 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar & Penthouse Lounge launched a margarita of their own that took a long leap to $1,200 (half of the cost of this margarita was donated to the purchaser’s charity of choice). So, how did they arrive at the $1,200 price tag? They used the limited-release extra-anejo tequila as well as ice made of frozen Champagne.

Billionaire’s Margarita at The London Bar at The London NYC, $1,200

The Billionaire’s Margarita at The London NYC ties for the top dollar margarita in New York. This one features the most luxurious spirits including the limited edition Patrón en Lalique Serie 1 and Rémy Martin Louis XIII, as well as lime and Meyer lemon juice, and a splash of Cara Cara bitters.

Moctezuma’s Gold, $4,600

At almost four times the cost of the most expensive margaritas, Moctezuma’s Gold from The Tortuga Mexican Kitchen and Bar at the Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, requires not only a thick wallet, but also a strong stomach. Made with the Limited Edition Jose Cuervo 250 super premium tequila mixed with Centenario Extra Anejo Tequila, Aperol, fresh Kumquat, and organic Agave Miel, then served in glass with a chilli salt rim. Moctezuma’s Gold costs 17,284 Saudi Riyals which (at today’s rate) is just over $4,600.

If a cocktail is not your speed, try going directly to the source of these cocktails and sip on Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario. At $2,500 per bottle, this limited-production Tequila is aged in toasted new American oak barrels for a minimum of three years, then finished for 10 months in sherry casks. The most selected tequilas in the Cuervo family’s reserve then blend together to make the 100 percent blue agave extra anejo tequila. You won’t need lime or salt as this one is a sipper, not a shooter.

Which of these tequila cocktails will you try?