In the United Sates, alcohol sales equal about $90 billion per year. Unlike many other entertainment expenses, alcohol sales even tend to thrive during most recessions. In fact, an alcohol industry analyst for Standard & Poor's told CNN Money that people generally continue to drink through a recession.

Americans are drinking record amounts of tequila even as they migrate toward more expensive and pure varieties that are sipped slowly and savoured rather than chugged down in shot glasses with salt and lime. Overall sales of tequila in the United States have grown by 47 percent since 2003, Gonzalez said, with an estimated 11.6 million cases sold in 2010. During this seven-year period, sales for tequila brands in the higher price brackets grew by even larger rates.

U.S. sales of tequila bottles within the $20 wholesale price range have gone up by 129 percent since 2003, according to figures compiled by DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Meanwhile, sales of bottles priced at $22 and up, known in the industry as the super premium category, increased by 317 percent.