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How To Open A Tequila Bottle: Full Guide (2023 Updated)

Last Updated on April 18, 2023 by Lydia Martin

A tequila drink is made of blue agave plants that have been aged for about 8 to 12 years before being harvested.

The long time, patience, and effort in the making process of this distilled spirit make it more special and expensive than other types of liquor. 

So how do you open a tequila bottle without messing up your kitchen or breaking your precious bottle? 

6 Easy Steps To Open A Tequila Bottle Like A Pro

1. Hold The Bottle Down On The Counter 

Tequila Bottles on a Table

Liquor bottles have a plastic thing inside that we call many names like spill guards, pour spouts, and bottle pourers. 

This flow restrictor prevents refilling the used liquor bottles, as it is illegal to even with the same liquor brand or any liquid type [1]

However, this flow restrictor sometimes makes it harder and longer for us to fill our glass.

So if you have decided to remove the flow restrictor on your tequila bottle, hold it down on the counter.

2. Remove The Cap

You would want to work on a flat, solid surface since you will use sharp objects like knives or scissors. Unscrewing the cap is easy, but you must place it safely aside so you can still use it if there are leftovers with the tequila. 

You would need to reattach the cap later on. But on some bottles, the bottle cap is connected to the flow restrictor, preventing you from reattaching the cap after the process. 

3. Carefully Look For The Punta

Look for the serrated edge on the bottleneck or the punta. Prepare a towel or a sharp knife, but you can also use scissors to avoid the sharp edges of the knife. 

The towel would help you hold the bottle in place so it won’t slip out of your hand and mess up your kitchen. Or worse, you might break your tequila bottle while opening it.

4. Insert The Punta Into The Hole In The Lip

Opening Bottle Using Knife

Your tequila bottle would have a metal wrapping around the neck that you must cut away using a sharp knife or a thin blade. It doesn’t matter how you insert the knife or blade underneath the wrapper, but be careful using these sharp tools.

The next step is inserting the punta into the hole of the bottle’s lip using your fingers or a toothpick.

5. Twist & Pull The Punta

Once you have inserted the punta, you can twist the bottle open. Be careful with this process because nothing prevents the tequila from spilling anymore. 

Twisting too hard may also cause your bottle to break. Moreover, as you open the bottle, the liquor can be under pressure and sprayed out of the bottle.

6. Pop It Open & Pour A Shot

Pouring Tequila on a Shot Glass

Finally, pop it open and enjoy a shot of your tequila. You don’t have to worry about that opened tequila bottle because you can still drink the spirit for a few months. 

“Take life with a pinch of salt, a shot of tequila, and a wedge of lime. Do nothing at all, but take your time.”

– John Walter Bratton, Theatrical Producer.  

A distilled spirit like tequila which commonly contains 40% ABV or higher, won’t make you sick if it has gone bad [2].

FAQs

Do you need a bottle opener to open a tequila bottle?

No, you don’t necessarily need a bottle opener when opening a tequila bottle. You can use a sharp knife as an alternative. 

How do you open a tequila bottle that won’t open easily?

If the tequila bottle doesn’t open easily, try running it under hot water to loosen the cap. Be careful when doing it because it may burn your hands. 

Is it easy to get the cap out of a tequila bottle?

Yes, most of the time, the cap is easy to remove from the tequila bottle. Just twist the cap, or use hot water when it’s hard to open. 

Final Say

Tequila has been in high demand recently, and some brands are getting harder to find.

It would be disappointing when your long-awaited tequila brand would be so hard to open, or worse, and you accidentally break the bottle while trying to open it. 

You can easily open your tequila bottle using a sharp knife, a thin blade, or a pair of scissors to cut the metal wrapping around the bottleneck.

References:

  1. https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/ise-atonprm.aspx 
  2. https://www.insider.com/alcohol-going-bad-how-long-does-it-take-2019-1

Lydia Martin

Lydia Martin hails from Redmond, Washington, where you’ll find some of the best cocktail bars and distilleries that offer a great mix of local drinks. She used to work as a bar manager in Paris and is a self-taught mixologist whose passion for crafting unique cocktails led her to create Liquor Laboratory. Lydia can whip up a mean Margarita in seconds! Contact at [email protected] or learn more about us here.

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