At-home Tequila Cocktail Recipes
The immense popularity of margaritas has made it the go-to tequila cocktail but there are several other ways to enjoy the refined blue agave flavor. The variety of tequilas available, from clear blancos (“whites”) to dark brown añejos (“aged”) to reposado (“rested”), means the flavor profiles of your cocktails will also be as diverse.
> Fun fact: in 1974 the Mexican government declared the term “tequila” its intellectual property which made it a requirement to produce and age it in Mexico, usually Jalisco, and the nation is also recognized as the birthplace of the Tequila Daisy (“margarita”).
GAYOT’s list of tequila cocktail recipes includes the most famous cocktail as well as tips for how to make a carbonated margarita and a Mexican cosmopolitan.
If you’re looking for affordable tequila options for your foray into cocktail making, check out our list of affordable tequilas or, if you’re looking to splurge, here’s our list of luxury tequilas.
1. Black Diamond Margarita
Recipe courtesy of Maestro Dobel Tequila
Maestro Dobel is a hand-crafted tequila made from 100 percent blue agave that grows in the volcanic lowlands of the Jalisco region near the coast.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Maestro Dobel Tequila
1/2 oz. Agave syrup
1/2 oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice
Method: Pour all the ingredients into an iced shaker. Then shake all ingredients with ice, and serve on the rocks. Garnish the rim with black salt, if desired.
2. Brujeria Dulce
Recipe courtesy of Tequila Corralejo
This easy-to-make cocktail features the smooth flavor profile of Tequila Corralejo Silver, which is made from 100% Blue Weber agave. Slightly sweet and utterly bewitching, this recipe is courtesy of Al Sotack from Brooklyn bar Jupiter Disco.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Tequila Corralejo Silver
3/4 oz. Sorrel (one cup of hibiscus tea to one cup of white sugar)
3/4 oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Muddled cucumber slices
2 Dashes angostura
Method: Shake all the ingredients together and serve with a cucumber wheel garnish.
3. Carbonated Margarita Recipe
Recipe courtesy of NYC-based craft bartender, Kyle Ford
Have you ever tried a carbonated cocktail? Top cocktail bars around the world are using a combination of classic cocktail recipes with a touch of molecular mixology to add some zing to the usual drinking experience.
In order to try a carbonated cocktail at home, you will need a soda siphon. This hand-held beverage carbonator gives everything from a negroni to a margarita just the right amount of bubbles. How does it work? Just make a batch of your favorite cocktail, pour it into a siphon and charge it with CO2. Check out these instructions from NYC-based craft bartender, Kyle Ford, for making a Carbonated Cointreau Margarita.
1. Using a soda siphon to create carbonated cocktails simply involves batching your favorite cocktail, pouring it into a siphon, and charging it with CO2. A standard issue iSi soda siphon will hold about five to six cocktails.
2. The trick is to properly dilute the batched cocktail with water before putting it into the siphon. This is to adjust for the fact that you are not shaking and diluting the cocktail with ice.
When you do shake a cocktail, you are diluting and expanding the drink by about 25 percent. That said, if you have a cocktail that has a measure of 4 oz. of liquid (like the 2-1-1 margarita) you will need to add 1 oz. of water to the batch.
3. Prepare your cocktail in a large container accordingly and funnel into the soda siphon. Screw the cap on and then charge the siphon with a CO2 cartridge, using the provided attachment.
Ingredients:
6.5 oz. Cointreau
13 oz. Tequila
6.5 oz. fresh lime juice, strained
6.5 oz. cold water, filtered
Method: Prepare batch in a large container and funnel into a siphon. Charge with CO2 and keep on ice or in a refrigerator. Serve over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a lime wheel. Yields 6-7 drinks.
4. The Original Margarita
Recipe courtesy of Dale DeGroff, former bartender at New York’s famous Rainbow Room, author of the book The Craft of The Cocktail and president and founder of The Museum of the American Cocktail.
Ingredients:
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/4 oz Cointreau
1 1/2 oz silver (or blanco) Tequila
Method: Assemble all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake well to a slow ten count. Strain into the serving glass of choice (tumbler or cocktail glass if served without ice). If salting the rim of the glass, use only Kosher salt, never iodized. Just salt half the glass.
The Original Margarita Batch
Recipe courtesy of Dale DeGroff
The batch cannot be assembled simply by multiplying the ingredients by the number of drinks you would like to make. Additional sweetness in the form of simple syrup, and a little less tequila and lime juice is needed to make the batch work for 47 portions.
Don’t forget to take into account the shaking of the drink, which provides the final and critical ingredient of any cocktail: the one ounce of water added by shaking. That is why it is so critical to shake a drink well and for the proper time.
Ingredients:
32 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
16 oz simple syrup
36 oz Cointreau
44 oz 100 percent blue agave plata tequila
Method: Assemble all the ingredients in a container just a bit larger than a gallon and adjust sweetness with lime juice and simple syrup. If it tastes good to you, it is probably good. Remember individual servings still must be shaken with ice, even if the mixtures is already chilled. Yields one gallon or about 47 4.5-ounce margaritas.
Note: To use the batch above for margaritas, an additional 1 1/2 to 2 ounces of simple syrup must be added to the blender for each serving to carry the flavor forward through all the additional water.
How to Make Your Own Simple Syrup
Fill a container that has a screw top half way up with granulated sugar (if your grocer has Superfine or Bar sugar use that). Fill the rest of the way with pure water. Screw on the top, turn upside down and shake well. Set aside and if sugar settles out, shake well again to dissolve. It is not necessary to cook and room temperature water will do fine.
5. Mexican Cosmopolitan
Recipe courtesy of Agavero Tequila Liqueur
Agavero is a fine-sipping liqueur that is quite similar to tequila, but lighter and more palatable on the rocks or mixed in a cocktail.
Ingredients:
1 oz. Agavero
2 oz. Vodka
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of lime juice
Method:In a shaker, combine all ingredients with ice. Shake until cold. Pour into martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge.