Mixing With Mexican Spirits

The Margarita may be the top cocktail at most restaurants, but there are plenty of other drinks that use tequila as well as mezcal and some of the less-known spirits from Mexico. Here are a few to try for this year to give your Cinco de Mayo celebrations some added flair.

Need some more tequila recipes to consider? Here’s a look back at our Cinco recipe picks from 2022.

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Luna Roja

Course Drinks

Keyword chile liqueur, lime, Prickly pear purée, sotol

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz. Nocheluna sotol
• ½ oz. Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
• 1 oz. Prickly pear puree
• ¾ oz. Lime juice
• ¼ oz. Simple syrup

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
• Shake well.
• Fine strain into a coupe or stem glass.

Notes

The mixologists at Nocheluna created this recipe.

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Smoke on the Horizon

Course Drinks

Keyword agave, blanco tequila, lime, orange liqueur, pear, pineapple

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Blanco tequila
• 1 oz. Pear nectar
• 1 oz. Pineapple juice
• ¾ oz. Agave nectar
• 1 oz. Lime juice
• ½ oz. Orange liqueur

Instructions

• Combine ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake.
• Pour into Collins glass with ice.
• Garnish with lime wheel.

Notes

The mixologists at ECHO restaurant in The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort on Georgia’s St. Simons Island created this recipe.

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Oaxacan Revolver

Course Drinks

Keyword coffee liqueur, mezcal, tequila

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Vida mezcal
• ¾ oz. El Jimador Reposado tequila
• ¾ oz. Tia Maria coffee liqueur
• 2 dashes Orange bitters
• 2 dashes Bittermens mole bitters

Instructions

• Stir all ingredients.
• Strain over large ice cube (or serve up).
• Garnish with an orange twist.

Notes

The mixologists at Asheville Proper in Asheville, NC, created this recipe.

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Little Green

Course Drinks

Keyword Coco Lopez coconut cream, Crème de Cacao, lime, mezcal, mint, raicilla

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ oz. Mal Bien mezcal
• ¾ oz. Estancia raicilla
• ¾ oz. Coco Lopez
• ¼ oz. Lime juice
• 1 tsp. Tempus Fugit creme de cacao
• 3-4 Mint leaves

Instructions

• Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake.
• Strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass with crushed ice.
• Garnish with mint sprig.

Notes

Mixologist Shannon Ponche created this recipe for Death & Co. in New York.

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Autumn Breeze

Course Drinks

Keyword bacanora, cloudy apple juice, honey, lemon, vermouth

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ oz. Kilinga Bacanora Blanco
• ½ oz. Vermouth
• 1 ⅓ oz. Apple juice
• ½ oz. Lemon juice
• ¾ oz. Honey

Instructions

• Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake.
• Strain into a coupe glass.
• Garnish with dehydrated citrus.

Notes

The mixologists at Kilinga created this recipe.

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Mexico

Course Drinks

Keyword agave, chile liqueur, corn liqueur, Mexican whiskey, mezcal, tequila

Ingredients

• ¾ oz. Arette reposado tequila
• ¾ oz. Abasolo Mexican whiskey
• ½ oz. Ojo de Tigre mezcal
• ¼ oz. Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
• ¼ oz. Nixta corn liqueur
• ¼ oz. Agave nectar
• 3 dashes Chocolate mole bitters

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in mixing tin or glass, add ice.
• Stir and strain over 1 large ice cube on a rocks glass.
• Garnish with an orange twist and grated dark chocolate.

Notes

The mixologists at Sweet Liberty in Miami created this recipe.

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Cantarito

Course Drinks

Keyword agave, blanco tequila, Grapefruit juice, grapefruit soda, lime, orange, Tajin

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Lunazul blanco tequila
• ¾ oz. Grapefruit juice
• ½ oz. Orange juice
• ½ oz. Lime juice freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp. Agave syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 3 oz. Grapefruit soda chilled.
• Tajín seasoning

Instructions

• Rim the cantarito cup (or a Collins glass) with Tajín seasoning.
• Add the tequila, juices and salt into a shaker with ice.
• Shake until well chilled.
• Strain into the prepared cup over fresh ice.
• Top with the grapefruit soda and stir gently to combine.
• Garnish with a lime wedge.

Notes

Mixologist Lynnette Marrero created this recipe.

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Fly as a Kite

Course Drinks

Keyword Batavia Arrak, cinnamon, grapefruit, grapefruit liqueur, lemon, rosewater, tequila

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Blanco tequila
• ½ oz. Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur
• ½ oz. Batavia Arrack
• ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
• ¾ oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
• ¾ oz. Mexican cinnamon rose water syrup*
• Mint and cinnamon for garnish

Instructions

• Add all ingredients and shake with ice.
• Serve into a Collins glass.
• Garnish with mint and a smoking cinnamon stick.

Notes

*For Mexican cinnamon rose water syrup:
3 Cinnamon sticks
32 oz. Water
48 oz. Granulated sugar
1 oz. Rose water

Toast up 3 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes (make sure to occasionally shake so it doesn’t burn). Add water and bring to a boil. Add the granulated sugar and stir till completely dissolved. Drop to a simmer for 20 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes. Strain and add rose water.

Brandon Verkaik, bar manager at Maya in Charleston, SC, created this recipe.