What Drinks Are Included at Hotel Xcaret All-Fun-Inclusive (Honest Look)

The hardest question to answer about a Mexican all-inclusive resort is also the most basic: which drinks are actually included, and which are going to surprise you with a charge at checkout? Most resorts are deliberately vague. The marketing says "premium liquor included" and the reality is that you find out at the bar whether the bottle you wanted is on the included list or off of it. By that point you've already ordered.

Hotel Xcaret's All-Fun-Inclusive plan is more transparent than most, but the rules are still confusing because the resort doesn't publish a single brand list. After five stays — and a few embarrassing checkout surprises early on — I've compiled the actual list. What's standard, what's premium, what costs extra, and how to ask for what you want without getting stuck with an upcharge.

This is the list I wish someone had handed me on my first stay.

The structure of the bar program

The All-Fun-Inclusive plan covers all bars at Hotel Xcaret México and Hotel Xcaret Arte. (Casa de la Playa is a separate property and runs its own pricing — covered in the Sky Bar review.) Within those two hotels, every bar pours from a similar core lineup, with a few specialty bars (Mar de Cortés, Las Bellotas, the Sky Bar at Arte) keeping additional bottles for cocktails and tastings.

The bartender will pour you the included list without commenting. If you order something that's an upcharge, they'll tell you the price before pouring. They're trained to do this — I've never had a charge appear at checkout that I wasn't told about at the bar.

For the broader breakdown of what All-Fun-Inclusive covers beyond drinks, see the explainer post.

Tequila — what's actually in the well

Tequila is the headline category. The included list is broader than you'd expect.

Standard included blanco tequilas:

• Don Julio Blanco — the workhorse. Clean, peppery, in every well at every bar.
• Tequila Tradicional Silver — Herradura's accessible silver. Standard at most pool bars.
• Tequila Cazadores Blanco — common at the swim-ups for frozen drinks.
• A rotating "house" silver from a smaller producer — varies.

Standard included reposado/añejo:

• Don Julio Reposado — the reposado workhorse.
• Herradura Reposado — at most bars.
• Tres Generaciones Reposado — common at the better cocktail bars.

The premium-included tier:

• Casa Dragones Joven — included as a sipping pour at the better bars (Mar de Cortés, the Arte rooftop, Las Bellotas) and stocked in the in-room minibar at Hotel Xcaret. This is genuinely a $200-bottle tequila and it's included. Order it neat, slightly chilled, sipped slowly.
• Don Julio Añejo — included at the better bars.
• Fortaleza Reposado (when in stock) — small-batch, traditional production. The most interesting included tequila in my opinion.

Upcharges (in the $14-18 range for premium pours, more for bottle service):

• Don Julio 1942 — the most-recognized upcharge bottle. Smooth, slightly oaky, very Instagrammable. Worth it if you specifically love this bottle. Otherwise the included Casa Dragones is the better sipping tequila.
• Clase Azul Reposado and above — the ceramic-bottle tequila. Beautiful packaging, very expensive even on resort terms. Skip unless you're celebrating.
• Patrón Gran Burdeos and other reserve aged tequilas — niche upcharges, usually only stocked at the higher-end bars.

Mezcal — surprisingly serious

This category is where Hotel Xcaret outperforms most all-inclusive properties. The included mezcal list is small but the producers are real.

Standard included:

• A house espadín — varies; usually a quality mid-tier producer.
• Vago Espadín — at the better bars. Clean, well-made, an honest introductory mezcal.
• Mal de Amor Espadín — small-batch from Oaxaca, soft smoke. The mezcal I'd convert a non-mezcal-drinker with.

Better-included (limited pour):

• Yuu Baal Tobalá — wild agave, rotates in and out. Smaller pour because the cost per ounce is real.
• A rotating tepeztate from a Tlacolula producer — wildcard. Always order this if it's available.
• Sotol — technically not mezcal but in the same family. The bars usually keep one or two.
• Raicilla — the Jalisco mountain spirit. Sometimes available at Cocina de Mexicana; ask.

Mezcal upcharges:

• The very-high-end small-batch bottles — certain Del Maguey single-village pours, certain reserve Wahaka. These are the rarest upcharges and the bartenders will offer them only if you ask.

The full mezcal experience is best at the tequila and mezcal tastings or as a flight at Cocina de Mexicana before dinner.

Vodka, gin, rum, whiskey

These categories are simpler.

Vodka (included):

• Ketel One
• Absolut
• A house vodka (varies)

Gin (included):

• Tanqueray (the standard gin pour at every bar)
• Bombay Sapphire at most bars
• A small craft gin selection at the better cocktail bars

Rum (included):

• Bacardi (white and gold)
• Captain Morgan
• A premium dark rum at most bars (varies — sometimes Diplomatico, sometimes a Mexican rum)
• Mexican rums from Veracruz at the better bars

Whiskey (included):

• Jack Daniel's
• Jim Beam
• Johnnie Walker Red and Black
• A standard bourbon (Buffalo Trace or similar)
• Jameson

Whiskey upcharges:

• Single-malt Scotches (Glenlivet 18+, Macallan 12+)
• High-end bourbons (Blanton's, certain reserve releases)
• Japanese whiskies when stocked

The whiskey program is the weakest part of the bar lineup. If you're a serious bourbon or Scotch drinker, you'll find the included options fine but unexciting. The upcharges aren't priced especially well versus what you'd pay on land.

Wine — broader than you'd expect

The included wine list rotates and varies by bar. The deepest selection is at Las Bellotas, which has its own dedicated post. The general pattern across the property:

Included by-the-glass at most bars:

• A house red and white (varies; usually decent Mexican or Chilean producers)
• A sparkling option (Cava or Mexican-method sparkling)

Included by-the-glass at Las Bellotas (rotating):

• Mexican producers from Valle de Guadalupe (Monte Xanic, Casa Madero, L.A. Cetto)
• Spanish reds (Rioja, Ribera del Duero entry-level)
• A rotating European mix

Included bottle service at Las Bellotas:

• Most of the cellar up to a certain price tier — the staff knows the line and will tell you before they open anything that crosses it.

Wine upcharges:

• High-end Bordeaux, Vega Sicilia, Krug, Dom Pérignon, certain reserve Mexican producers — these are clearly marked.

Beer

Included on tap and in bottle/can across all bars:

• Modelo Especial
• Negra Modelo
• Pacífico
• Victoria
• Heineken
• A rotating Mexican craft beer (Tijuana, Cucapá, or Wendlandt depending on the season)

I have never seen a beer upcharge anywhere on the property.

Cocktails — included by design

Every cocktail on every printed bar menu is included. There is no "premium cocktail upcharge" tier — the cocktails are all built using the standard included spirits. If you order an Old Fashioned with a specific upcharge bourbon substituted in, that triggers an upcharge. If you order any cocktail off the menu using house spirits, no charge.

Some specialty cocktail experiences worth knowing:

• The clarified milk-washed cocktails at the Arte Sky Bar (covered in the rooftop review)
• The mezcal cocktails at Mar de Cortés
• The micheladas at Pebbles
• The palomas at any bar — they're consistently well-made across the property

Non-alcoholic drinks

Included everywhere:

• Aguas frescas — jamaica, tamarindo, horchata, rotating fresh fruit (made fresh daily, genuinely good, the most under-ordered category at the property)
• Fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juice at breakfast
• A wide soft drink lineup (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, mineral water)
• Coffee (espresso, Mexican-style café de olla, drip coffee at the breakfast bars)
• Mexican hot chocolate
• Non-alcoholic cocktails — every bartender will mix you a serious zero-proof cocktail if you ask. The ones at Mar de Cortés are particularly good.

The aguas frescas are the under-marketed gem. The jamaica with mineral water and a spritz of lime is my mid-day default when I want a break from the bar.

The honest test of an all-inclusive bar program isn't the upcharge bottles — it's the standard pour quality. If you ask for a paloma at a random pool bar at 2 PM and it comes with fresh-squeezed grapefruit and real salt rather than mixer and rim sugar, the program is taking itself seriously. Hotel Xcaret passes that test consistently. Most all-inclusives don't.

In-room minibar — what's actually stocked

This deserves a callout because it's part of the All-Fun-Inclusive value proposition that's easy to miss.

The in-room minibar at Hotel Xcaret México and Arte is restocked daily and includes:

• A small bottle of Casa Dragones Joven (the headline)
• A few full-size bottles of Mexican beer
• A bottle of red and white wine (varies)
• Soft drinks, mineral water, juices
• Snacks (chips, nuts, sometimes chocolate)

This is included. You can drink the entire minibar every day and they'll restock it. Most guests never touch it because they're at the bars. If you have a balcony with a view, a Casa Dragones at sunset on the balcony is an underrated way to start an evening.

How to ask for what you want without getting upcharged

A few practical conversational moves:

• "What's your best included pour?" Bartenders will give you the right answer. They know which included bottles are interesting and which are filler.
• "Is this on the included list?" Always fair to ask. They'll tell you yes or no, no judgment.
• "What would you make if you were drinking this afternoon?" Gets you the bartender's actual favorite, almost always within the included list.
• "Surprise me with something off-menu." Same answer, more permission.

The conversational moves to avoid:

• Pointing at the back-bar at a bottle. You can't always tell which bottles are included and which aren't. Ask first.
• Ordering "the best tequila you have." That's an upcharge by default.
• Ordering by brand name from memory. If the brand isn't included, you'll get charged.

Tipping

Tips aren't required. Two US dollars per drink at the busy lobby and pool bars, three to five at the better cocktail bars, more at the structured tasting experiences. Carry small bills.

What I'd do differently

A few things from my own first stays:

• Order Casa Dragones at least once. It's included, and you'll never see a $200 tequila on an all-inclusive list again.
• Skip the Don Julio 1942 upcharge. The included program is better.
• Drink the aguas frescas. Best non-alcoholic drinks on the property by a wide margin.
• Ask the bartenders questions. They want to be asked.
• Don't order whiskey. It's the weakest category. Stay in tequila, mezcal, and Mexican beer.

Final thoughts

The All-Fun-Inclusive bar program at Hotel Xcaret is the most generous I've drunk through at any all-inclusive resort I've stayed at on the Yucatán coast. The included list is wide enough that the upcharges are largely unnecessary, the bartenders are honest about what's on which list, and the standard pour quality is consistently good. The whole pricing structure rewards staying in the included program — which, given how much of the included program is genuinely interesting, is exactly the right way to do it.

If you're planning a stay, the bars complete guide, Hotel Xcaret all-inclusive guide, and Xcaret destinations cluster round out the picture. Drink the Casa Dragones. Ask for the tepeztate. Tip well. The bars are the part of this resort that surprised me most.