Top 10 Drinks with Tequila, Best Tequila Drink Recipes

Tequila is one of the most versatile spirits in the world; made from the Blue Agave plant in Mexico, its earthy, potent yet highly agreeable flavour make it a favourite for drinking neat or blended with other ingredients into a tasty and appetizing cocktail.  While many tequila novices may believe that tequila is only taken in shot format with some lime and salt or is only blended with sub-standard “sweet’n’sour” prefabricated drink mixes for chain-restaurant margaritas, the truth is that tequila, when properly paired with good-quality mixers, can make for some mind-blowing drinks.  Here is our list of the top ten drinks with tequila.

1. The Margarita
When prepared with fresh ingredients and made with care, this drink is the Queen of All Cocktails.  Bars and restaurants that serve premixed, slushy margaritas do a grave disservice to cocktail lovers the world over; a proper margarita highlights the subtleties of the tequila and is so flavourful that a person drinking one should feel like dancing with joy.

 Margarita La Reina
1            cocktail or wine glass with SALTED rim
1       cup crushed ice
1 oz     freshly squeezed lime juice
1.5 oz     tequila (use silver, 100% pure agave tequila)
½ oz     cointreau

Put all the ingredients into a blender or a cocktail shaker and either blend or shake well.  Do not strain, pour into glass.  Garnish with lime slice.

Variation:  Fruit Margaritas
Instead of using a glass with a salted rim, fruit margaritas have a sugared rim.  Prepare the margarita in the exact same fashion; if using a cocktail shaker add a fruit flavoured syrup, but if using a blender fresh fruit can be added with the rest of the ingredients.  Fruits that work best are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and mangoes.  Garnish with a slice of orange.

2. The Paloma
This simple yet incredibly tasty drink should be the national drink of Mexico due to its huge popularity south of the U.S. border.  Try the classic version or the spicy version called the Paloma Pícara.

Paloma
1    tall glass, filled with ice cubes
2 oz    silver tequila
grapefruit-flavoured soda like Fresca or Squirt
squeeze of lime juice

Pour the tequila over the ice cubes and fill the glass to the top with the grapefruit-flavoured soda.  Add the squeeze of lime juice, give a quick stir, and serve.

Paloma Pícara
Made exactly the same way as above, but with an added dash of Tabasco sauce and once crushed mint leaf.

3. Tequila Sunrise
This is the cocktail that people sing songs and make movies about, it is so good.  Try it out and you will see why.

Tequila Sunrise
1    tall glass filled with ice cubes
2 oz     silver tequila
4 oz     good quality orange juice
2 tbs    grenadine
1    orange slice
1    maraschino cherry

Pour the tequila and orange juice over the ice cubes, and stir. Add the grenadine by slowly pouring it down the inner edge of the glass; this will make it sink to the bottom.  Garnish with the slice of orange and cherry.

4. Tequila Sunset
The lesser known cousin of the Tequila Sunrise is equally delicious.

Tequila Sunset
1    tall glass, chilled beforehand
2 oz     gold tequila
2 oz    good quality orange juice
2 oz    lime juice
2 tbs    liquid honey

Pour the tequila, orange and lime juices in the empty, chilled glass and stir well.  Add the honey, and afterwards fill the glass with ice cubes.

5. Matador
In this cocktail, pineapple and tequila complement each other to make a “killer” drink.

El Matador
1    cocktail glass
2 oz     silver tequila
4 oz     pineapple juice
1    squeeze of lime juice
ice

Blend the tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice and ice in a blender until everything is slushy.      Pour into the cocktail glass.

6. Bloody María/Mexican César
Not all drinks with tequila need to be sweet; tequila provides a lovely twist for the classic Bloody Mary and Caesar cocktails.

Bloody María
1    tall glass rimmed with celery salt and filled with ice cubes
some Tabasco sauce
some Worcestershire sauce
dash of lime juice
tomato juice
celery stick for garnish
lime wedge for garnish
crushed black pepper
2 oz    silver tequila

Pour all the ingredients except the garnish ingredients and black pepper over the ice cubes.  Stir, place the celery stick in the drink and garnish with the lime wedge.  To make a Mexican César, replace the tomato juice with clamato juice or add some clam juice to the tomato juice.

7. Long Island Iced Tea
This is a beloved American cocktail that people in many countries also enjoy.

Long Island Iced Tea
1    tall glass filled with ice cubes
½ oz    vodka
½ oz    tequila
½ oz    rum
½ oz    gin
½ oz     cointreau or triple sec
½ oz    lime juice
Coca-cola

Pour all ingredients over ice, and fill the remainder of the class with Coca-cola, stir and serve.

8. Submarine
A simple drink enjoyed by party-goers; it is simply a shot-glass of silver tequila dropped into a ¾ full mug of beer and drunk quickly.  Do not pour the tequila into the beer; drop it in, shot glass and all.

9. Black Mexican
A perfect after-dinner drink and is the feistier version of the Black Russian cocktail.

Black Mexican
1    short glass, filled with ice cubes
1 oz    silver tequila
1 oz     Kahlua or other high quality coffee liqueur

Pour the ingredients over the ice cubes, stir and serve.

10. Tequila with Sangrita Chaser
Although it’s at number 10 on our list, tequila purists declare that this is the best way to enjoy a high-quality tequila.  The tequila is poured into a shot glass and gently sipped; after each sip a small sip of sangrita is taken to highlight the flavour.

Sangrita
1    short glass
2 oz     tomato juice
1.5 oz     orange juice
½ oz    lime juice
generous dashes Tabasco sauce
pinch of salt
Pour all ingredients in the glass and stir, add ice if desired.

The days of thinking that tequila is only good for shots or sickly-sweet margaritas are over once these recipes are tried.  Tequila is the King of Spirits and a taste of one of our top ten choices will have even the most skeptical tequila critic convinced.

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