Where to take a tequila fan

If you like to shoot the tequila then you'll love these five bars found by

Townhouse

31 Beauchamp Place, SW3 (020-7589 5080). Mixing it in Knightsbridge

Just as you might think that cognac is a particular type of brandy, you might assume that tequila is a particular style of mescal. But they are very different drinks and produced in a different fashion. Tequila is distilled from the blue agave plant, which, despite its spiky appearance, is botanically related to the lily, rather than the cactus plant. Mescal, on the other hand, is produced from roasted pinas, which is what gives it its distinctive smoky flavour. And it is mescal, not tequila, which has the worm in the bottle. To complicate things further, it is not a worm, but a moth larva, found on the growing pina plant. Still with me? Good. Then get on down to Knightsbridge's newest cocktail emporium and try La Cucarach, a cocktail of Jose Cuervo Especial tequila, Agavero, a tequila liqueur, fresh lemon juice, homemade vanilla sugar, fresh passion fruit and English apple juice (£6.75).

La Perla

28 Maiden Lane, WC2 (020-7240 7400). Authentic Mexican cuisine

The La Perla chain of bars in London and around the world is at the forefront of authentic Mexican cuisine and drink. Its clattering cantina operations have proved immensely popular for more than a decade, and this branch carries more than 80 different tequila brands and 15 mescals at any one time. All branches carry the rarest tequila in the world, the Jose Cuervo Millennium, which was produced solely for the millennium. When it's gone, that's your lot, so try it now while stocks last (£25 per shot). In terms of quality, the Jose Cuervo 1800 Coleccion is top of the pile, and it can be sampled for a mere £100 a shot at any of the La Perla branches (also at 11 Charlotte Street, W1 and 803 Fulham Road, SW6), or Café Pacifico in Langley Street, Covent Garden.

Cactus Blue

86 Fulham Road, SW3 (020-7823 7858). Best for margaritas

Tequila, of course, is the base ingredient of a margarita, and these classic cocktails don't come much better than at the achingly trendy Cactus Blue in Chelsea. When you choose a Primera Margarita, you can build it yourself (not literally, you understand) from a choice of any of the 30 or so premium quality tequilas in stock. Depending on the brand chosen, these reasonably priced cocktails should set you back between £6.25 and £7.65.

Zander

45 Buckingham Gate, SW1 (020-7379 9797). Lethal cocktails

Few teams of bartenders can be more skilled in the art of preparing cocktails than those at Zander. Exciting new creations are always being added to the menu. Try The Sullivan - although it costs £15, you get what you pay for, an ecstatic mix of Patron Silver premium tequila with Citronage, lemon and cranberry juice, and served in a double-size martini glass. Have one and you'll know about it, have two and everyone else will know about it. Value for money, then? I should say so.

Navajo Joe's

34 King Street, WC2 (020-7240 4008). Largest collection of mescals

Navajo Joe? Who he? He be one of the American Indians who was banished from his ancestral hunting grounds, before earning huge amounts of money through compensation to pay for the reclamation of his land, so the story goes. This modern bar boasts one of London's largest collections of tequila (up to 200) and mescals (more than 100). A standard shooter costs as little as £2.95, but true aficionados know that tequilas should be revered and enjoyed as much as any great brandy - hence the price tag of £45 for a glass of Gran Centenario Reserva Azul.