Tequila cocktails
View all recipesTequila can only be made from blue agave, and only in specific regions of Mexico, with Jalisco leading the way. That is where its vegetal, faintly peppery edge comes from — something no other spirit imitates convincingly.
Always look for the "100% agave" label: the difference from a mixto is not subtle, it is what separates a rounded Margarita from one that scrapes. Blanco is the freshest and what most citrus drinks ask for; reposado, with a few months in barrel, softens the edges and suits slower, after-dinner mixes.
8 recipes
Charro Negro
Tequila with cola and plenty of lime. In Mexico people order it without thinking; elsewhere it is barely known, which is one of the few injustices with an easy fix.
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El Diablo
Reposado tequila, blackcurrant, lime and hot ginger. It reads oddly on paper and works first time: the cassis darkens the drink and the ginger lifts it.
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Margarita
The most famous Mexican cocktail in the world: tequila, orange liqueur and lime in perfect balance, with a salted rim.
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Paloma
The drink Mexicans actually order, far more than the Margarita. Tequila, grapefruit and salt: refreshing, light and hard to stop at one.
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Ranch Water
Tequila, lime and sparkling water, in the bottle or in a highball. Nowhere to hide: with three ingredients, whatever tequila you use shows up in full.
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Tequila & Tonic
Drier than a Paloma and more interesting than a Gin & Tonic. Agave and the bitterness of quinine understand each other surprisingly well.
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Tequila Sunrise
Tequila with orange juice and a thread of grenadine that sinks and stains the glass from the bottom up. Easy to drink, and it goes in through the eyes first.
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Vampiro
Tequila with grapefruit and sangrita, rimmed with chilli salt. Dark red, salty and spicy: the Paloma with an edge, and one of the most Mexican drinks there is.
View recipe →What to mix with tequila
Tequila has a vegetal, faintly peppery edge that asks for citrus and salt rather than sweetness. Almost everything that works with it turns on lime and grapefruit.
Lime and triple sec
2 parts tequila, 1 triple sec, 1 limeThe exact balance of agave, orange sweetness and acidity. Measured properly it does not scrape; measured badly it is the drink that gave tequila its reputation.
Margarita →Grapefruit and salt
50 ml tequila topped with grapefruit sodaThe bitterness of grapefruit does to agave what quinine does to juniper: it pushes it up. The salt on the rim closes the circle.
Paloma →Tonic water
1 part tequila to 2 or 3 parts tonicDrier than a Paloma and more interesting than a Gin & Tonic. With half a grapefruit slice in it, the whole thing changes.
Tequila & Tonic →Sparkling water and lime
50 ml tequila, the juice of half a lime, sparkling mineral waterThe most honest mix there is: it adds nothing, it only lengthens. If the tequila is good you will know, and if it is not, you will know that too.
Ranch Water →Cola and lime
50 ml tequila, cola and plenty of limeThe exception to the no-sugar rule, and it works because the lime corrects it. In Mexico it is ordered by name, not as a substitute for anything.
Charro Negro →
What does not work:The rule that matters most is not about mixing but about the bottle: look for 100% agave on the label. With a mixto — the kind that can carry up to 49% other sugars — every one of these combinations scrapes, and no amount of citrus will fix it.
