8 Delicious Cocktails to Sip on National Tequila Day
By Amanda Gabriele
National Tequila Day is coming up on July 24, so we’re prepping for the drink holiday with deliciously refreshing libations made with the agave spirit.
Whether you’re looking to serve a crowd with a fruity punch or sip on a deeply satisfying tequila and mezcal Old Fashioned, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Here, eight tasty tequila cocktails to celebrate National Tequila Day like a pro.
Health-Ade Cherry Berry Lime Margarita Punch
Courtesy of Health-Ade Kombucha
Ingredients:
- 2 bottles Health-Ade Cherry Berry Kombucha
- .5 cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 6 oz. Silver Tequila
- 2 oz. Simple Syrup
- Lime Wheels (to Garnish)
- Basil (to Garnish)
Preparation: In a pitcher, combine kombucha, lime juice and simple syrup, then add tequila. Stir to combine. Fill four glasses with ice (with an optional salt rim) and equally distribute the cocktail mix. Garnish with lime slices and fresh basil.
Margarita Al Pastor
Created by Jim Kearns for Recreation at Moxy NYC Downtown
Ingredients:
- .75 oz. Lime Juice
- 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
- .5 oz. Agave Nectar
- .25 oz. Ferrand Curacao
- .5 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
- .5 oz. St. George Green Chile Vodka
- 1 oz. Espolon Blanco Tequila
- 1 Cilantro Sprig (to Garnish)
- 3 Pineapple Fronds (to Garnish)
- Pineapple Wedge (to Garnish)
Preparation: Add liquid ingredients to a shaker and shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a pineapple frond, pineapple wedge and cilantro.
Oaxacan Old Fashioned
Created by Nate Sandberg for Bamboo Sushi
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Sauza Tequila
- 1 oz. Vida Mezcal
- .25 oz. Agave Nectar
- 6 drops Mole Bitters
- Orange Peel (to Garnish)
Preparation: Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain over a big ice cube in a double rocks glass. Garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Blood Orange Paloma
Courtesy of Inigo Salazar, Beverage Director at Bodega Negra
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Don Julio Reposado
- 1.5 oz. Blood Orange Juice
- .5 oz. Lime Juice
- .5 oz. Agave
- Club Soda (to Top)
- Salt and Paprika (to Rim)
- Blood Orange Wheel (to Garnish)
Preparation: Rim a Collins glass with an equal mix of salt and paprika. In a tin with ice, combine all ingredients, excluding the club soda and garnish, and shake. Strain over fresh ice in the paprika and salt-rimmed glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a blood orange wheel.
Raspberry Sour
Courtesy of DeLeón Tequila
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. DeLeón Añejo
- .75 oz. Lemon Juice
- .5 oz. Simple Syrup
- 4-5 Muddled Raspberries
- Raspberries (to Garnish)
Preparation: Muddle 4-5 raspberries in a shaker. Add liquid ingredients and ice, and shake until chilled. Double strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a skewer of raspberries.
Tequilado
Courtesy of Cleo South Beach
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Silver Tequila
- 1 spoonful Avocado
- 1 oz. Lemon Juice
- 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
Preparation: Muddle the avocado in a shaker tin. Add ice and the rest of the ingredients, and shake until chilled. Double strain into a Martini glass.
Guadalajara Fizz
Modified by Emily Arden Wells of Gastronomista
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Volcan de mi Tierra Cristalino Tequila
- .5 oz. White Crème de Cacao
- .5 oz. Triple Sec
- .75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- .5 oz. Simple Syrup
- 4-5 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
- 1 oz. Soda Water
- Grapefruit Slice (to Garnish)
Preparation: Dry shake the tequila, triple sec, crème de cacao, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters for 1-2 minutes. Open the tin and add a large cube of ice, and shake again for another 1-2 minutes. Strain into a Collins glass and top with soda water. Express a grapefruit peel on top of the drink, and garnish.
Mango Chile-rita
Courtesy of HI-CHEW mixologist partner Allison Kave, owner of Butter & Scotch
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. HI-CHEW Mango Infused Reposado Tequila*
- 1 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
- .75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- .5 oz. Simple Syrup
- 1 dash Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub (Optional)
- Kosher Salt and Cayenne Pepper (to Rim)
- Lime Wheel (to Garnish)
- Mango Chunk (to Garnish)
Preparation: Run a lime wedge along the lip of one half of a rocks glass, then roll that side of the glass in an equal-parts mix of kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Measure all the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, shake vigorously, then strain over fresh ice in the prepared rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and mango chunk.
*HI-CHEW Mango Infused Reposado Tequila: The infusion ratio is one piece of candy per ounce of liquor. Soak the candy until dissolved.