July 24. Big holiday. Yep, the totally-not-made-up National Tequila Day. Now, we’ve never required an excuse to drink tequila, but a full 1/365th of a year dedicated to the stuff is just fine in our book. So naturally, we took to mixing up a few tequila cocktails to celebrate. Of course you can go with a simple margarita or paloma, but how about a not-so-simple margarita or paloma? We’ve got those below, plus a riff on a tequila sour that’s just delightful.
First up we’ve got that easy-drinking tequila sour, which features a heavily oak-aged reposado.
Cherry Valance
1.5 oz Hornitos Black Barrel
.5 oz Applejack
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1/3 oz pomegranate syrup
Egg white
Add all ingredients to a shaker, and shake vigorously without ice. Add ice, and shake again until cold. Strain into a coupe, and garnish with a brandied cherry.
Next up we’ve got an interesting take on the margarita that incorporates Pulque, a drink that dates back hundreds of years to when the Aztecs would ferment sap from the surrounding maguey plants. This drink comes to us from NYC’s Mexicue.
Aztec Margarita
1.5 oz La Pitaya Blanco Tequila
1.5 oz Pulque
.5 oz agave nectar
1 oz lime juice
1 oz lemon juice
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
And lastly, here’s a riff on the classic Paloma. Rather than simply tequila, lime and grapefruit soda, this cocktail adds mezcal and fresh grapefruit to the recipe. Find it at the W New York’s Living Room Bar, or easily mix this one up at home.
Smoky Paloma
1.5 oz Milagro Reposado Tequila
.5 oz Mezcal
.25 oz agave
2 oz pink grapefruit juice
2 oz Soda water
Build in a collins glass with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a lime wheel.
