Casamigos Cristalino: The Ultimate Bottle Guide

Casamigos is a tequila brand founded in 2013 by actor George Clooney with friends (and businessmen) Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman. Thanks to the celebrity allure behind its name, it's managed to stand out among a somewhat saturated celebrity tequila market, selling three million cases annually worldwide as of 2022. Casamigos has proven itself to be more than just another celebrity tequila brand, expanding to produce six different flavors in just over a decade, including the Cristalino.

First released in summer 2023 by Casamigos, Cristalino is made with reposado tequila that's been twice distilled and aged in white oak barrels, then filtered through charcoal to remove all color — leaving a clear spirit. While made from its reposado, the cristalino varietal from Casamigos differs in both color and taste from its standard reposado expression, and possesses a stronger agave flavor thanks to its production process.

Since anyone should consider sipping cristalino tequila, you may be interested in grabbing a bottle of this Casamigos variety. With that in mind, let's take a deeper look into the makeup of this tequila as we present the ultimate bottle guide for Casamigos Cristalino.

Casamigos was launched commercially in 2013 — two years after Clooney, Gerber, and Meldman began curating the product. The three had been drinking tequila for years prior, and decided they wanted to have their own tequila product to keep at home and give to a few friends. Thus, Casamigos was born into the public eye.

Clooney and Gerber spent time in Mexico sampling numerous tequilas before starting the company. As a result, they were able to determine what flavors and consistencies they wanted their own tequila to feature. The goal was to bypass the classic drinking habit of licking salt, swallowing the liquor, and sucking a lime. With Casamigos, the founders aimed to create a tequila that was smooth enough to stand on its own without the need to cover it with additional flavors.

Though the brand was sold to Diageo in 2017, it's continued expanding its tequila expressions since that time, including the introduction of its cristalino bottle. Cristalino — one of several different types of tequila – has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. As a result, Casamigos decided to try its hand with this clear-colored variety, leading to the release of Casamigos Cristalino in 2023.

Although the production process for this tequila makes it a relatively clear spirit, there is a slight hue in the Casamigos Cristalino that makes it visibly different from the brand's blanco tequila or Casamigas jalapeño flavor. The scent is certainly tequila forward, giving you exactly what you'd expect from a reposado (which is stronger than blanco since it's aged for a longer time).

To be sure, Cristalino is a smooth spirit that's easily drinkable. There's a slight vanilla taste on the backend which offsets the strength of the alcohol (40% ABV) — making it even more accessible to the average drinker. The liquor doesn't become overly sweet, either, as the vanilla simply tastes velvety, aromatic, and oaky, which adds to the complexity of the barrel-aged cristalino.

Likely due to its aging process, the Casamigos Cristalino has a crisp, refined flavor that leaves nothing to be desired. The taste is straightforward without being boring, and complex without being overwhelming on your palate.

Cristalino is made from blue Weber agave sourced from Jalisco, Mexico, which is typically grown for several years before being used in tequila production (up to nine years, in fact). Casamigos distills its cristalino tequila variety twice, before it's aged in white oak (rather than steel) barrels.

Once it's aged, the tequila is charcoal filtered in order to instill the brightness and poignancy of the agave flavor. When this filtration process occurs, the typical golden reposado color is lost, leaving the cristalino mostly clear. This process makes the spirit both oaky and smooth; consequently, the cristalino is meant to have the refreshing flavor of Casamigos Blanco tequila while maintaining the notes imparted by the wood it's aged in.

Like the brand's other tequilas, Casamigos only utilizes the piñas from agave plants (or the actual core) rather than its leaves, and roasts those for 72 hours in brick ovens. The cristalino is put through a slow, 80-hour fermentation process, as well, before the filtration and aging processes begin.

Given the founders hoped for a tequila that's easy to drink straight, it's no surprise the Casamigos Cristalino works well on the rocks, neat, or as a shot. In cocktails, you can use it to make a martini with vermouth and a lemon twist (or olives if you prefer your martinis dirty). In fact, this may be the best cocktail recipe for the cristalino since it allows the tequila to shine without being drowned out by other ingredients.

You can also tune into the reposado nature of this spirit by mixing Casamigos Cristalino with crème de cacao and orange bitters, creating a tequila old fashioned. This mixed drink is still tequila-focused but with a little extra sweetness and citrus. If you're celebrating, you can mix the cristalino with Champagne to make a bubbly drink (and even add a splash of vanilla syrup for a more prominent sweetness). Realistically, given the versatility of Casamigos Cristalino, the ways to drink it are virtually endless.

In terms of food combos, its oaky flavors would pair well with dark chocolate. Other desserts like crème brûlée will complement the hints of vanilla, while a berry crumble dish will balance out the tequila's smoothness by giving it some texture. If you're in the mood for a savory snack, try the cristalino with sweet potato fries for a balance of savory, salty, and sweet.

The Cristalino is offered in 375-milliliter, 750-milliliter, and 1-liter bottles. The company's suggested retail price for a 750-milliliter is around $60 as of July 2024, though the exact price and availability for each bottle will vary depending on where and how you purchase it. Depending on your location, Casamigos Cristalino is available from online retailers like Reserve Bar, Total Wine, and GoPuff, and can be found in stores across the U.S., as well.

Now, compared to the average cost of the brand's blanco and reposado varieties, the cristalino is likely to cost a bit more to purchase. However, when you consider the average price of Casamigos' bottle with cristalino varieties produced and sold by other distilleries and brands, the cost is fairly reasonable. In that sense, Casamigos Cristalino sits closer in price point to many standard reposados on the market and tends to rest somewhere in the middle price range of cristalino tequilas.

Casamigos Blanco was the first spirit released by the brand, and a 750-milliliter bottle generally costs between $30 and $40 (depending on how it's purchased). To start, the blanco has less of a sweet, vanilla flavor than the cristalino. This is likely because the cristalino is aged for a longer amount of time, allowing further flavors to ferment and develop before bottling.

The aroma of Casamigos Blanco is of straight tequila, as well, with a green, vegetable smell and a hint of agave — in other words, it's exactly what you would expect. Based on my taste test, the blanco seemed to retain the coldness of refrigeration better than the cristalino but was much weaker and less tequila-forward than the cristalino (as expected).

The blanco has the refreshing vegetal taste you'd expect with a slight hint of vanilla. But the cristalino has a more clearly developed, oaky, vanilla sweetness alongside the sharpness of the alcohol. In short, Casamigos Cristalino takes the cake for its smooth, silky texture and cleaner tequila taste — one that's still quite drinkable. The Casamigos Blanco tequila is a solid option for a basic tequila fan, but if you're looking for more complexity, its cristalino is the version to choose.

The Casamigos founders were personal connoisseurs of tequila long before they considered starting their own company. In fact, even after Casamigos — which means "house of friends" in Spanish – was conceived, the trio only planned to make tequila for personal consumption rather than commercial production. That Casamigos ended up for sale at all was a bit of an accident, and only occurred because they wanted to obtain more sample bottles.

After the Casamigos founders ordered a total of 1,000 bottles of tequila from their Mexico-based distiller, they were told by the distiller that they should apply for an alcohol license. Thus, the three friends seemingly stumbled into a monumentally successful tequila brand simply because they needed a license to obtain more bottles from their distilling partner.

Interestingly enough, prior to being informed about the necessity of an alcohol license, Clooney, Gerber, and Meldman had filed for several trademarks surrounding the brand. In 2011, these trademarks included the logo, name, and some taglines — such as the Casamigos slogan, "Brought to you by those who drink it" – so perhaps its formation was less of an accident than it appeared.

Many tequilas contain similar ingredients, with blue Weber agave used across the board (there's a law in Mexico requiring this, after all). What makes Casamigos unique, then, is its longer-than-average production process. We already know the company roasts agave piñas for 72 hours in brick ovens before being used in Casamigos' tequilas. Conversely, other distilleries may roast, or even steam, the agave plants for much less time (as little as eight hours in some instances). The longer roasting period leads to a more consistent and robust tasting tequila, as in the cristalino expression.

Additionally, the brand utilizes a slower fermentation process, fermenting the roasted agave for 80 hours before the tequila itself is rested and aged. Regardless of the tequila being made, the agave for each Casamigos flavor undergoes this long fermentation process. The 80 hours of fermentation is more than double the industry average, which helps set bottles like its Cristalino apart from the competition.

Celebrity spirits often end up being served at various parties, and Casamigos is no exception. In fact, its Cristalino has been featured at many iconic gatherings since its release. The launch of Danielle Guizio's Wildflower collection in March 2024 featured a Casamigos Cristalino martini tower, along with a guest list that included Benny Blanco and Alix Earle.

Additionally, actress Quinta Brunson held a celebratory dinner for her show "Abbott Elementary" in February 2024, where Casamigos Cristalino espresso martinis were served. The brand's Cristalino was also featured at the Sports Illustrated Golf Classic in 2023, which featured a special cristalino tasting station.

Casamigos tequila was served to movie stars such as Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, and Austin Butler when they enjoyed Casamigos-made cocktails at the premiere of "Dune: Part 2" in early 2024, and was even seen at a New York Fashion Week afterparty. Needless to say, Casamigos is widely enjoyed among celebrities.

Rap and hip-hop artists have made cultural lyrical references since the music categories were created. Lil' Wayne has a song titled "Kobe Bryant" about the late basketball player, for instance, while rap collective Pivot Gang released an album with songs such as "Clark Kent" and "Jason Statham." In other words, rap and hip-hop has always stayed current with trends, like with Casamigos. The tequila brand appears to be popular in the rap and hip-hop community, after all, and has been name-dropped in songs by multiple musicians.

The brand is mentioned in the 2022 song "Do We Have a Problem?" by Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby, while the 2021 Drake song "Girls Want Girls" features a similar lyrical reference to the Casamigos tequila. The brand's popularity in rap and hip-hop songs can be traced back to 2018, when Jaden Smith was featured on a Young Thug song where he rapped: "Casamigos got me spinnin'". Clearly, Casamigos has taken its place alongside other spirits (such as Hennessey and Patron) as a hot topical reference in various rap and hip-hop songs.

Casamigos has clearly been successful since its inception. After all, its three partners are said to have put in around $600,000 to get the brand started, before selling it to Diageo for up to $1 billion dollars in 2017. Yet Clooney and his fellow Casamigos founders haven't kept all that money for themselves, and the company has even made efforts to give some of the profits back to the community.

In 2017, Clooney announced plans to donate $21 million of the profits from the Casamigos sale to charity. This involved donating $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center — a nonprofit which works to enforce the promises of the civil rights movement and help combat racism and white supremacy, while supporting the rights of minority workers. The other $20 million was set to be distributed to the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which is Clooney's own organization which supports victims of human rights abuses.