Have your tequila bottles been collecting dust since Cinco de Mayo? Here’s an excuse to trot them out again: National Tequila Day is Sunday, July 24.
Mention tequila, and it seems that everyone’s mind goes to the same place: shots and margaritas. But bartenders and mixologists are proving that tequila is just as versatile as vodka when it comes to cocktails. On drink menus everywhere, we’re finding complex, refreshing cocktails made with tequila.
This weekend, give the store-bought margarita mix a rest and get creative with these four tasty tequila cocktail recipes:
The Hothouse Flower
Tequila drinks can be sipped alongside more than just Mexican food.
At Bread & Tulips, a rustic Italian restaurant in New York City, its Hothouse Flower cocktail combines tequila and Campari, an Italian aperitif.
Recipe courtesy of Bread & Tulips
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 ounces Corralejo Blanco Tequila
- 1/2 ounce Campari
- 1/2 ounce fresh agave nectar
- 1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
- Dash of orange bitters
Directions:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Blood Orange Margarita
Sometimes, only a margarita will hit the spot. The next time you
invite the girls over for margs, change things up with this suggestion from Roka Akor, a sleek sushi spot in Scottsdale, Ariz.: Add blood orange puree, which brightens the margarita with sweet, citrusy flavor. And the color is gorgeous, too.
Recipe courtesy of Roka Akor
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 ounces of Sauza Blue Agave Silver Tequila
- 1/2 ounce Triple Sec
- splash of simple syrup
- splash of fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce of organic blood orange puree
Directions:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into glass, top with crushed ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Dosjito
Wow your brunch guests by mixing up a pitcher of these tequila-and-OJ drinks. With fresh mint and a bit of fizz from club soda, no one will miss the mimosas.
Recipe courtesy of Dos Lunas Tequila
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 ounces Dos Lunas Silver tequila
- 1/2 ounce agave nectar
- 3 ounces fresh squeezed orange juice
- splash of club soda
- fresh mint leaves
Directions:
Place mint leaves in the bottom of a glass. Add crushed ice, tequila, agave nectar and orange juice and muddle. Top with club soda and garnish with mint leaves and orange slices, if desired.
Stone Park Collins
Take a cue from Stone Park Cafe, a neighborhood bistro in Brooklyn, and sip this lemony cocktail that combines tequila and limoncello, an Italian liqueur.
Recipe courtesy of Stone Park Cafe
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 ounces silver tequila
- 1 ounce Pallini limoncello
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
Directions:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, then strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda and garnish with an orange twist.
Photos courtesy of Bread & Tulips, Roka Akor and Dos Lunas Tequila.
More cocktail ideas
The Honey Bea and more easy summer cocktails
How to make the perfect mojito
Summer cocktails made with watermelon
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