This article was co-authored by Mimi Perryman. Mimi Perryman is a Bartender and the Owner of Events with LML, an events company based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area but serving the full state of California. With over 15 years of experience in the serving industry, she specializes in traveling bartender services and event planning. She earned a BS in Marketing from California State University-Dominguez Hills, is ServSafe & RBS Certified, and carries a bartending license. She also has a Marketing & Graphic Design background and is a member of the American Marketing Association. Events with LML has a 5-star rating on Yelp and is a featured vendor on The Knot.
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Tequila is a spirit distilled from the blue agave plant, and is the national drink of Mexico. Tequila comes in three basic varieties (with a couple of variations in between): Blanco, meaning "white" and unaged; reposado, meaning "rested" and aged between 2-12 months in oak barrels; and añejo, meaning "vintage" and aged between 1-3 years in small oak barrels. Although tequila has worn the reputation of party drink for some time, there are many ways to drink it without making your head feel like a piñata the morning after. Here are just a few.
Steps
Sipping Neat, Enjoying Slowly
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1Choose a tequila that is made from 100% agave. Not all tequilas are created equal. If you are planning on sipping your tequila and enjoying it like most Mexicans do, be sure to choose tequila that is 100% authentic.
- There are tequilas that are "mixtos," meaning that they are made with at least 51% agave and fortified with sugars. Stay away from these. They don't taste much like tequila.
- Many bartenders and tequila experts recommend choosing a family-owned tequila over a large conglomerate. (We're looking at you, Cuervo.) If you can find a tequila that's part of a small, family-owned business, chances are overwhelming that it will be 100% agave, and simply that it will taste better.
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2Choose an Añejo tequila. Because añejo tequilas are aged for at least a year, they make for better sipping than a tequila that is rushed to maturity or those that are front-loaded with tequila flavor but lack any body or complexity to round it out. These añejos are often compared to aged cognac.
- Añejos tend to be more expensive than reposados or blancos, but not outrageously so. You should be able to find a good añejo for under $50.
- Drink añejos at room temperature.[1] Adding ice to it dilutes the flavor and can mask the tequila's different components.
- If you become serious about sipping tequila, consider getting a tequila glass to enjoy your añejo in. Many also enjoy the tequila in a snifter.
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3Enjoy your tequila with a little bit of sangrita. "Sangrita" means "little blood" in Spanish, called this way because of the color of the liquid. The sangrita is non-alcoholic. Pair the sangrita with your sipping tequila in a separate shot glass and take turns sipping the tequila and sangrita. To make sangrita, mix together, then refrigerate:
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup tomato juice (not V-8)
- 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 12 dashes hot sauce — e.g., Cholula
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4Follow the sipping protocol. (Optional.) If you're the kind of person who enjoys the thought of sipping tequila the right way, here are some tips on how the experts enjoy their vintage tequila.
- Pour about one ounce of tequila in a tequila glass or snifter. Hold the glass at the stem (not the bowl), raise the glass to eye level and look at the tequila's color.
- Swirl the tequila gently in its glass. Note how the tequila clings to the walls of the glass, looking for the "string of pearls" effect.[2]
- Take a small sip, swishing the tequila around in your mouth for about 10 seconds, letting the alcohol travel over different parts of your tongue.
- Swallow and repeat! Fancy, huh?
Shooting Tequila, Imbibing Quickly
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1Choose a blanco, oro, or reposado tequila to shoot. Oro, meaning "gold," tastes similar to blanco and costs about the same. Remember to choose 100% agave tequila. Mixtos may be cheap, but a nasty headache in the morning is expensive.
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2Shoot neat and unchilled. You don't have to go through the salt-and-lime routine if you don't want to. (Most Mexicans don't drink tequila this way, anyway.) Take room-temperature tequila, pour it into a shot glass, toast, and pour it down your gullet.
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3Shoot with salt and lime. The salt-and-lime method of shooting tequila has been around for a while, though it's not clear that it's a popular way of shooting tequila in Mexico. One report suggests that the oldest known mention of the salt-and-lime technique, from 1924, reverses the order: First lime, then tequila, then salt. Either way, it's a popular way of shooting tequila, even if it's detested by snobs the world 'round. Here's how:
- Lick the skin between your thumb and index finger. Shake a little bit of salt on your skin, which should stick to the moisture.
- With a tequila shot and lime wedge in hand, lick the salt on your hand and shoot the tequila. Try to get the tequila down in one gulp if you can. You are shooting it, after all.
- As a "chaser," suck on the lime wedge after shooting the tequila. The acidity of the lime won't taste as sharp after the alcohol.
Mixing Tequila, In a Cocktail
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1Enjoy your tequila in a classic margarita. A margarita can be frozen or classic. If you really want to savor the flavor of the tequila, go for a classic margarita, as the frozen margaritas are laden with sugar and water. To make a great margarita, follow this recipe:
- Pour the following ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-full with ice:
- 2 oz. blanco, oro, or reposado tequila
- 1/2 oz. orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Triple-Sec
- 1 oz. freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 oz. agave nectar sweetener
- Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds and strain into cocktail glass with a salted rim.
- Pour the following ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-full with ice:
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2Enjoy your tequila in a "tequini," or tequila martini. A tequini takes all the sophistication and class of a martini and squeezes a little bit of fun into the mix. Imbiber beware, however, because this brother is boozy! Turn the tequini into a sweeter tequini by using a reposado tequila and sweet vermouth.
- Into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix:
- 2 1/2 oz blanco tequila
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
- Dash of Angostura bitters
- Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds and strain into a martini glass.
- Garnish with an olive, lemon twist, or jalapeño pepper.
- Into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix:
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3Enjoy your tequila in a tequila sunrise. Called "tequila sunrise" because of the layering of red and orange, this recipe is another reminder that tequila and citrus make a really nice pairing.
- In a highball glass with ice, pour in:
- 2 oz. blanco, oro, or reposado tequila
- Enough orange juice to fill the glass almost to the top.
- Stir ingredients, and then dip two dashes of grenadine syrup into the drink by tilting the glass slightly and funneling the syrup quickly down the side. The grenadine should sink to the bottom and slowly rise through the drink.
- Garnish with stirrer, straw, and cherry-orange.
- In a highball glass with ice, pour in:
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4Try a twist on a Bloody Mary, called a vampira. This is also sometimes called a "Bloody Maria." The vampira cocktail is a Mexican twist on the classic bloody Mary recipe. It's light and spicy, and manages to be original without betraying the essence of the prototype.
- Fill a 10-ounce glass with ice. Into the glass, pour:
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 oz. blanco tequila
- 1 teaspoon Mexican hot sauce, e.g. Cholula
- 1 oz. Clamato
- 1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Top up the drink with Mexican Squirt or another grapefruit soda, and garnish with a lemon wheel.
- Fill a 10-ounce glass with ice. Into the glass, pour:
Tips for Drinking Tequila and Recipes
Community Q&A
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QuestionIs Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila Reposado Blue Agave a good tequila?
Community AnswerIt's fair, you can do better for the price point. -
QuestionHow much alcohol is in one drink of tequila?
Community AnswerFirst you need to find the proof of the tequila you're drinking. Assume that it is 80 proof, that's 40% alcohol. Now, how much tequila is in your drink? If it's one ounce of 80 proof tequila, then there is .4 ounces of alcohol in your drink. If it's two ounces of 110 proof tequila, then you've got 1.1 ounces of alcohol. The formula is that the total alcohol (in ounces) equals the proof divided by two, times the number of ounces you're drinking. -
QuestionCan tequiila mix with ice?
Community AnswerYes. That is simply serving it "on the rocks." The ice chills the spirit, and also dilutes it as it melts, which opens up its flavor.
Warnings
- Always enjoy alcohol responsibly. Never drink and drive.⧼thumbs_response⧽
References
About This Article
Tequila is an agave-based liquor distilled and popularized in Mexico. There are three main types of tequila: blanco (often called “white” or “silver” tequila), reposado (Spanish for “rested”), and anejo (or “gold” tequila). Blanco tequila is usually lower-quality, and goes best in a soda with a dash of lime. Reposado tequila has notes of vanilla, caramel, and butter, which makes it ideal for Mexican mules, palomas, and other simple cocktails. Anejo tequila tends to be spicier and richer, and many tequila aficionados enjoy it neat or on the rocks with a dash of citrus. You can even replace the bourbon in an old fashioned with anejo tequila to make a Mexican version of the drink. Regardless, any tequila will work well in a margarita, sangria, or highball. You can also mix any tequila with grapefruit juice for a refreshing summer drink, or pour it into some club soda. Garnish it with a lime or lemon wedge for a simple and smooth drink. If you’re doing a shot of tequila, lick the bit of your nondominant hand where your thumb and index finger meet. Sprinkle a lit bit of salt on the spot you licked, grab a lime wedge, and hold the shot steady. When it’s time to toast and knock the shot back, lick the salt off of your hand first, shoot the tequila with your friends, and then suck on the lime wedge. If you want to take it up a level when preparing your shots, try chilling the tequila first in a shaker with some ice, which is how it’s often prepared in Mexico. Keep reading for mixed drink recipes if you don’t want to drink straight tequila!
