Vodka vs Tequila

Vodka, by a small margin. A 1.5 oz shot of either at 40% has about 98 calories and no sugar, so on nutrition it is a tie. The difference is what else is in the bottle. Vodka is distilled to 95% alcohol or higher, which leaves little but ethanol and water. Tequila is distilled lower on purpose, so the agave flavor survives, and Mexican law requires it to keep some of the byproducts that come with it.

Is tequila healthier than vodka?

No, but the gap is small. Calories and sugar are the same at the same strength. Tequila carries more congeners by law: Mexico's tequila standard requires 30 to 300 mg of methanol per 100 mL of pure alcohol, while EU rules cap vodka at 10 mg. Congeners can make a hangover worse, so plain vodka is the cleaner spirit and 100% agave blanco tequila a close second. What you mix either one with matters more than which one you pick.

Vodka vs Tequila: the differences

Attribute	Vodka	Tequila
Made from	Grain, potato, corn, grape	Blue Weber agave
How it is made	Column, multiple passes	Pot or column, 2x
Aging	Unaged	Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, Extra Añejo
Typical strength	37.5 to 50% ABV (75 to 100 proof)	38 to 55% ABV (76 to 110 proof)
Calories	98 to 104 kcal per 1.5oz	98 kcal per 1.5oz
Gluten	Some bottlings from gluten grains	Naturally gluten-free
Distilled to	95% alcohol or higher (US rule for vodka)	Below 95% alcohol (US rule for agave spirits)
Methanol allowed	Up to 10 mg per 100 mL of pure alcohol (EU)	30 to 300 mg per 100 mL of pure alcohol (Mexico)
Fusel alcohols allowed	Up to 0.5 mg per 100 mL of pure alcohol (EU)	20 to 500 mg per 100 mL of pure alcohol (Mexico)
Additives allowed	Sugar up to 2 g per liter, citric acid up to 1 g (US)	Caramel, oak extract, glycerin and sugar syrup, up to 1% of weight (Mexico)
Sugar per 1.5 oz shot	None in plain vodka; under 0.1 g even at the US limit	None in plain tequila; under 0.5 g even at the additive limit
Hangover Index	2/10	4/10

Side A

Full profile →

Vodka

Closest to neutral alcohol you can drink

Hangover Index

2/10

Light

Chemistry

Congeners: Very Low
Histamines: Very Low
Polyphenols: Very Low
Sulfites: Very Low
Tannins: Very Low
Sugar: Very Low
Additives: Low

Side B

Full profile →

Tequila

Agave, regulated, sometimes adulterated

Hangover Index

4/10

Moderate

Chemistry

Congeners: Low
Histamines: Low
Polyphenols: Low
Sulfites: Very Low
Tannins: Low
Sugar: Low
Additives: Moderate

Verdict

On chemistry, vodka edges out tequila: it is distilled to near-neutral, and tequila keeps congeners by law. In the glass, a 100% agave tequila neat or with soda and lime beats a vodka poured into a sugary mixer.

Why vodka is the cleaner spirit

US rules define vodka as a neutral spirit distilled at 95% alcohol or higher, and let it be treated with no more than 2 grams of sugar and 1 gram of citric acid per liter. Agave spirits, tequila included, must be distilled below 95%, so more of what the fermented agave produced comes through with the ethanol.

Mexico's tequila standard, NOM-006-SCFI-2012, goes further: it sets minimums as well as maximums. Every class of tequila, from blanco to extra añejo, must contain 30 to 300 mg of methanol and 20 to 500 mg of higher (fusel) alcohols per 100 mL of pure alcohol. The EU caps vodka at 10 mg of methanol, and the agricultural alcohol it is made from at 0.5 mg of fusel alcohols, per 100 mL of pure alcohol. So the least methanol a tequila may legally carry is three times the most an EU vodka may.

In a 1.5 oz shot at 40%, that works out to 5 to 53 mg of methanol in tequila against at most 1.8 mg in EU vodka. These are trace amounts that are legal in every bottle. They matter as congeners, the byproducts that give a spirit its character and can add to a hangover.

Does tequila give a worse hangover than vodka?

A little, if congeners are the deciding factor, but nobody has tested the two head to head. The closest evidence is a Brown University study that took 95 young heavy drinkers to the same breath alcohol level on bourbon or on vodka. Bourbon, with 37 times vodka's congener content, left people feeling worse the next day, while sleep and next-day test performance suffered equally on both. The authors' summary: ethanol is the main cause of hangover symptoms, and congeners may add to their severity.

Tequila sits between the two. It carries far fewer congeners than an oak-heavy bourbon and more than vodka, which is why it scores 4 out of 10 on our Hangover Index against vodka's 2. How much you drink moves the result far more than which of the two you choose.

Why people say tequila is healthier

"Agave sugars lower blood sugar." The 2014 study behind this fed mice agavins, sugars from the agave plant, dissolved in their water. The researchers' own release noted that agavins are converted to ethanol during production and are not found in the finished tequila.

"Tequila is an upper." The drug in tequila is the same ethanol as in vodka, and at the same 40% strength a 1.5 oz shot of each holds the same 14 grams of it, one US standard drink. Tequila's reputation comes from how and where it is drunk, not from the agave.

"Tequila has no sugar, so it is better for weight loss." Plain vodka has no sugar either, and at equal strength both have about 98 calories a shot, all from alcohol. The real calorie and sugar gap is the mixer: a tequila with soda and lime adds almost nothing, a vodka with cranberry juice cocktail or an energy drink adds plenty. See the lowest calorie liquor for every spirit by calories per shot.

Which one for which situation

You drink it neat or with soda water

→ Either works

Both have about 98 calories and no sugar per 1.5 oz shot at 40%. Vodka scores 2 on our Hangover Index, 100% agave tequila 4.

You need gluten-free

→ Tequila

Tequila is made from agave, which has no gluten. Wheat and rye vodkas cannot be labeled gluten-free in the US; corn and potato vodkas (Tito's, Chopin) can.

You want the fewest congeners

→ Vodka

Vodka is distilled to near-neutral. Tequila must keep 30 to 300 mg of methanol per 100 mL of pure alcohol by Mexican law.

You want flavor without sugar

→ Tequila

Blanco tequila delivers character neat or with soda and lime; unflavored vodka tastes of little on purpose and invites sweet mixers.

Lightest vodka picks

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Lightest tequila picks

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FAQ

Is tequila healthier than vodka? ▾

No, but the gap is small. Calories and sugar are the same at the same strength. Tequila carries more congeners by law: Mexico's tequila standard requires 30 to 300 mg of methanol per 100 mL of pure alcohol, while EU rules cap vodka at 10 mg. Congeners can make a hangover worse, so plain vodka is the cleaner spirit and 100% agave blanco tequila a close second. What you mix either one with matters more than which one you pick.

What is the difference between vodka and tequila? ▾

What they are made from and where. Vodka can be distilled from any fermentable base (grain, potato, corn, even grapes), anywhere in the world, and US rules require it to be distilled to 95% alcohol or higher. Tequila must come from blue Weber agave grown in Jalisco or set municipalities of four other Mexican states, is distilled below 95% so the agave flavor survives, and is either 100% agave or a mixto with at least 51% agave sugars.

Why do people say tequila is healthier than vodka? ▾

Mostly because of a 2014 study on agavins, sugars from the agave plant that lowered blood sugar in mice. Agavins are converted to ethanol during production and are not in finished tequila, so the result does not carry over to the drink. On chemistry, tequila carries more congeners than vodka, not fewer.

Is tequila cleaner than vodka? ▾

No. Mexico's tequila standard requires 30 to 300 mg of methanol and 20 to 500 mg of fusel alcohols per 100 mL of pure alcohol. EU vodka may carry at most 10 mg of methanol and is made from alcohol with no more than 0.5 mg of fusel alcohols. 100% agave blanco is the cleanest tequila, but it is still not as neutral as vodka.

Which is stronger, vodka or tequila? ▾

Neither, in practice. Both are usually bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof), and US rules set 40% as the minimum for both. Mexican rules allow tequila from 35% to 55%, and EU vodka can be as low as 37.5%, but the bottles on most US shelves are identical in strength. See the strongest alcohol for what goes higher.

Does tequila get you drunker than vodka? ▾

No. The intoxicant in both is the same ethanol, so a 1.5 oz shot of each at 40% delivers the same 14 grams, one US standard drink. Tequila's "upper" reputation comes from how and where it is drunk (fast shots, parties), not from anything in the agave.

Which has fewer calories, vodka or tequila? ▾

Neither. At 40% ABV both have about 98 calories per 1.5 oz shot, all from alcohol, with no carbs or sugar. A higher-proof bottle of either has more. The mixer is where the calories differ.

Is tequila or vodka better for weight loss? ▾

Neither helps, and they are equal on calories at the same strength. Choose by mixer: soda water and lime add almost nothing, while juice, margarita mix or regular soda can double the calories of the drink or more.

Does tequila have less of a hangover than vodka? ▾

Usually not. Vodka has the fewest congeners of any common spirit, and tequila is required to keep some. Blanco 100% agave tequila is close behind vodka; mixto tequila, which can be up to 49% other sugars, and sweet mixers are where tequila mornings go wrong. The total amount of alcohol matters more than either.