Keegan-Michael Key Just Gave Tequila a Whole Lot of Personality

It should come as no surprise that Keegan-Michael Key is the undisputed life of the party. 

Once you get the famous comedian and actor to start talking about one of his favorite spirits, tequila, he really comes alive and you suddenly find yourself craving a drink. “The fun thing about tequila is you can have a different kind if you're in a different mood,” he says. 

Given that he’s so good at dreaming up so many colorful characters and creating memorable bits, what kind of personalities does he think the different types of tequila have? “If you're talking about an older and aged tequila, that would feel much more like somebody who would be like my uncle or like an old neighbor and would be like, ‘okay, young blood, what are you doing young blood?’ I've seen you on the TV, doing good, proud of you.’ Whereas if it's a blanco, I get more of an A$AP Rocky feel, you know what I mean? But tequilas all have their own personality. Something may be a little smokier or there's more texture to it. It’s a versatile liquor.”

While his tequila may be nuanced, Key admits that when it comes to imbibing the spirit he keeps things simple. “I like a real straightforward tequila drink. I just like tequila on the rocks. Or if it's going to be a margarita, I don't need anything particularly complicated.” However, he is very particular about his citrus. “I'm a big fan of limes just across the board,” he says with a laugh. “So just a lime and some salt and I'm good to go.”

However, when pressed about how he makes his own margarita, Key reveals that he has his own signature twist — instead of orange liqueur he likes to add a small amount of orange juice to the cocktail. He also likes to twist a piece of lime above the glass and then drop it into the glass. “I’m into tangy and tart, which also is the profile of a margarita,” he says. 

While he talks convincingly like a bartender and can pantomime shaking a cocktail like a pro, Key has never worked behind the bar. “But I think that it would be something I would enjoy doing. I'm a very social person,” he says. “People always say bartenders are like half drink makers, half psychologists. Not necessarily that I would be a helpful psychologist, but I am a good listener. I'm a naturally curious person.”

His views of the profession have definitely been shaped by watching the TV show Cheers, which, in his mind, featured three of the most famous television bartenders of all time. “I have a soft spot in my heart for Coach over Sam or Woody,” he says. “Coach is my favorite of the bartenders. He also had the best one liners. Everybody had great one liners on that show. And each one of those characters, much like tequila, each one of those three guys had their own style, their own sensibility about them. But I really loved Coach. I really got a kick out of him.”

While on the other hand, he digs back decades into movie history to pick the greatest cinematic drinker of all time. “You have to think about Rick at Rick's American Cafe in Casablanca at the bar, right?” Humphrey Bogart’s iconic performance, which garnered him an Academy Award nomination, set the standard for how imibers are portrayed in films. 

And when asked which comedy great Key would like to have a tequila with he immediately answered in the same vein. “Since I'm the classic guy, you know, I would love to have a drink with a classic. Like, I'd love to have a drink with Mel Brooks. I'd love to have a drink with Sid Caesar. Yeah. I'd love to have a drink with Jonathan Winters. Even more so than the actual concoction in my hand, it would be more about the company with those people or the stories those people could tell you. Like, if you imagine having a drink right now with Mel Brooks, what an amazing experience that would be.”

After tequila, the subject that Key seems most passionate about is soccer. He has for weeks been preparing for the upcoming World Cup and thinking about the path that the United States team might take. “I grew up playing soccer,” he says. His childhood coincided with the first big soccer boom in the U.S. “And so pretty much from like ’82 till the moment I'm speaking to you now, I am obsessed with international soccer.” 

And somehow the stars have aligned for Key to combine tequila with his beloved soccer in a new advertising campaign that he’s partnered with Casamigos for around the World Cup, which starts in June. The brand even has a new pre-mixed Classic Lime and Spicy Margaritas, which feature the FIFA logo and trophy.

“For us to be able to share all of this together is something I'm really happy to be a part of,” he says. “And the fact that you can raise a glass and say, oh, I know your team won and my team lost, but hey, let's have a drink and be friends and revel in this huge international phenomenon that takes place.”