Tequila is now slated to be our favourite alcoholic drink in the UK, with sales in the spirit having trebled in a decade to 1.3 million litres a year but what does this mean for Mexico?

The good news for us is that we’re not talking about cheap shots of tequila, but more refined premium tequilas that are supposed to be sipped like a fine wine or whisky and cause a less painful hangover.

According to The Independent’s Cahal Milmo, the rise of premium tequila is due to a decision by Mexican producers to dramatically increase planting of blue agave.

Blue Agave is a cactus-like smooth-leafed plant native to Mexico, and Tequila is made from distilling the sap from the plant’s heart. By law in Mexico, only true Blue Agave plants may be used to distill spirits labeled Tequila.

UK sales by premium brand Patron, have doubled over the past year, with prices ranging from £40 to £400.

It is not all rosy though, because the more Tequila is produced, the worse it is for the environment. For every litre of tequila bottled, the process generates five kilograms of agave pulp and seven to 10 litres of distillation waste, or “vinaza”.

According to Adriana Hernández, an activist dedicated to protecting El Nixticuil forest; “The vinaza is acidic, it has an oil that makes the soil impermeable, and is hot when it is dumped. The acid is not recommended for agriculture; it should be neutralised. The oil makes the soil hard so it is useless for farming. And where the ground cracks, the vinaza filters into underground water sources.”

While it gives us brits a sore head the morning after, the environmental effect on Mexico is a much more damaging hangover.