So you can’t handle your agave neat, eh? Well, don’t cower in the corner. Mix that grand tequila in some of these lusty libations instead.
The granddaddy of them all:
The Classic Margarita
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce Mexican lime juice
Clench a rose tight between your teeth, combine ingredients in a fluorescent-colored shaker and mix with wild abandon, preferably while Harry Belafonte’s "Jump in the Lime" bellows in the background.
The Tequila Sunrise
Ingredient proportions for this second-most popular of the tequila drinks are all over the Mexican map, but every recipe agrees on the basic three: tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Here’s our favorite.
1 1/2 ounces tequila
1 1/2 ounces orange juice
3/4 ounce grenadine
Combine tequila and orange juice over ice. Slowly pour grenadine over the top, but do not mix-you want it to trickle down the sides like the bleeding of a real sunrise. Finish with a splash of fresh lime juice and you’ll be sinking into your own tequila sunset.
Here’s a devilish version of that old standard, the Bloody Mary:
Vampiro
1-1/2 ounces tequila
One glass of tomato juice (or Clamato, if you prefer)
Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to taste
Garnish with a celery stalk and lemon slice.
If you’re feeling especially parched, toss in a pinch of horseradish. Take one drink and then stand back and howl at the moon.
How about a funky take on the ubiquitous Cosmopolitan?
Cosmoquila
2 oz. Casa Noble Crystal or Gold
1 oz. Cointreau
½ oz. Fresh lime juice
Splash of cranberry juice
Mix with ice in a stainless steel martini shaker and pour gently.
And for something completely different:
The Paloma
2 oz. Casa Noble Reposado
Fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz. Lime juice
Combine all ingredients with a splash of soda or tonic water and watch the sparks fly.
