You can’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo without a craft tequila cocktail
Cinco de Mayo is here once again and if you are like me, you are hosting a party for your friends and loved ones. And in preparation for it, we have a few easy and delicious cocktails from some of our favorite brands.
The first brand we wanted to showcase is from Próspero Tequila. Available in three expressions, Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo, every element is crafted by hand. Próspero is driven by a commitment to work slowly and with passion, all driven by a woman’s touch. Stella has perfected her craft with Próspero Tequila, from the roasting of agave hearts to hand selecting the spirit’s final cut. All three expressions are made from 100% blue agave tequila from the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico.
The One
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Próspero Reposado
- 1 oz. rose cordial
- .75 oz. lime juice
- 1.5 oz. tonic water
- 1.5 oz. club soda
Method: Combine Próspero Reposado, rose cordial, and lime juice in a rocks glass. Fill the glass with ice and top with the tonic and club soda. Garnish with a lime wheel and a small rose.
French Marg
Ingredients
- 1 oz Próspero Blanco
- 1 oz Chambord
- 2 oz Grapefruit Juice
- Method: Combine all ingredients into a shaker. Add ice & shake vigorously for about 10 seconds, or until the shaker is cold. Pour into a Martini glass.
Mood Up Spritz
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Próspero Reposado
- 1 oz. Hibiscus tea
- .6 oz. Raspberry syrup
- Top with Blood Orange Bitters Kefir Water
Method: Pour each ingredient into a wine glass, with each ingredient building on the next. Stir drink two times and then garnish with two slices of blood orange, a sprig of rosemary and a raspberry.
Up next is from Cantera Negra, a new brand we have come to love. Cantera Negra means “Black Quarry,” inspired by the rich volcanic soil from where their agaves grow. Their tequila is handcrafted in small-batch quantities using 100% fully mature Blue Weber agave. On top of that, Cantera Negra has never add sugars or colorings in their tequila.
Dulce Noche
Ingredients
- 1oz Cantera Negra Café
- 2oz Espresso
- .24oz sweet condensed milk
Method: Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Double strain into chilled coup or martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon powder.
Los Angeles
Ingredients
- 2oz Cantera Negra Silver
- 1 cup tomato sauce (can sub Clamato for less ingredients but I wouldn’t)
- 2 cups Clamato Classico
- .75oz horseradish
- 2oz fresh lime juice
- 2oz orange juice
- .5oz Jugo Maggi
- .5oz Cholula or Tapatio hot sauce
- Celery salt, smoked paprika and pepper to taste
- Lime wedge or wheel, chili powder and dried chili peppers for garnish
Method: Rim glass with tajin. Pour 2oz of Cantera Negra Silver over ice in a Collins glass and top with mix (usually 3-4oz) and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel dipped in chili powder and two dried chili peppers.
Tommy’s Margarita
Ingredients
- 2oz Cantera Negra Silver
- 1oz fresh lime juice
- .5oz agave nectar
- Blood orange slice for garnish
Method: Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain over ice in a half salt rimmed rocks glass and garnish with blood orange slice.
Cinco Paloma
Ingredients
- 2oz Cantera Negra Silver
- .5oz fresh lime juice
- 5oz Mexican Squirt
- Tajin and sugar for rim
Method: Build over ice in a Collins glass rimmed with tajin/sugar mix (3 parts tajin to 1 part sugar). Stir and garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Piña Mule
Ingredients
- 2oz Cantera Negra Silver
- 5oz Ginger Tepache
- .5oz fresh lime juice
- Chili mango and lime for garnish
Method: Add all ingredients into copper mug over ice, stir and garnish with chili mango and lime.
Another cocktail we tried marries tequila with vodka perfectly. The recipe comes from Cenote and Stoli and is fruity, easy, and declicious.
Bingo, Mango
Ingredients
- 1-ounce Stoli Chamoy
- 1-ounce Cenote Reposado
- 75-ounce Real Mango Puree
- 75-ounce Lime Juice
Method: Shake until chilled. Pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with Tamarind/Chamoy powder Straw
And if you’re looking to make a boozy popsicle, here is a delicious recipe to try out:
Cenote Palomita Boozy Pop
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups Ruby Red Pulp-Free 100% Grapefruit Juice
- 1⁄2 cup water
- 1⁄2 cup Cenote Blanco tequila
- 1⁄2 cup Stoli Chamoy vodka
- 1⁄4 cup lime juice
- 1⁄4 cup Pure Cane Granulated Sugar
- Flaked sea salt or Mexican chili-lime seasoning
Method: Pour into Popsicle mold and freeze as needed
For our next batch of cocktails, we have some delicious offerings from Centenario Tequila. What makes these cocktails special is that Centenario Tequila has developed some of these recipes with James Beard Award winning chef, Pati Jinich.
Tangerine Chile Gran Paloma
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Gran Centenario® Añejo Tequila
- 2 oz Fresh Tangerine Juice
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 oz Chile de Árbol Agave Syrup
- Seltzer Water
- Garnish: Salt Rim
Method: Rim double rocks glass with salt. Add ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into glass over fresh ice. Top with seltzer water and garnish with a tangerine slice.
Gran Centenario Grapefruit Mimosa
Ingredients
- “Piquetito” of Gran Centenario Plata Tequila
- 4 oz Prosecco
- 2 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 0.5 oz Honey
- Garnish: Grapefruit Wedge
Method: Pour chilled prosecco into a wine glass. Dissolve honey into chilled grapefruit juice and then slowly pour over prosecco. Top it off with a “Piquetito” (about .5 oz) of Gran Centenario Plata tequila and apply garnish.
Gran Centenario Mango Margarita
Ingredients
- 8 oz Gran Centenario® Plata Tequila
- 2.5 oz Orange Liqueur
- 2 Mangos (peeled, diced, & blended)
- 2 Oranges (juiced)
- 2 Limes (juiced)
- Garnish: Lime Wedge
Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice into a salt-rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with lime wedge.
Flecha Azul Frozen Watermelon Flecharita
Ingredients
- 2 oz Flecha Azul Tequila Blanco
- 1/2 oz Agave syrup
- 1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
- 2 Dashes of Angostura bitters
- 1-2 handfuls of watermelon cubes
Method: Add two handfuls of ice and watermelon cubes into a blender and blend until it’s a chunky texture – do not over blend.
Add remaining ingredients and give one or 2 quick blends. Pour into a rocks glass and garnish with a watermelon wedge.
And if you’re like us, sometimes making a great cocktail takes a lot of time and energy which we don’t have. That’s why we wanted to feature our little cheat drink from Dulce Vida Tequila. They have created three infused tequilas that make cocktail making easy. All three vibrant flavors are crafted with real fruit and infused in organic, 100% Blue Weber agave Blanco tequila, clocking in at under 100 calories per serving.
MARGARITA IN BLOOM
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Dulce Vida Lime Tequila
- 4 oz Sparkling Water
- Squeeze of Fresh Lime
- Lime Wedge
Method: Pour over ice in a tall glass, stir and garnish with a lime.
TWO BY TWO
Ingredients
- 2oz Dulce Vida Grapefruit Infused Tequila
- 1oz Lime Juice
- 1oz Rosemary Infused Simple Syrup
- .5oz Grapefruit Juice
- Rosemary Sprig
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass with ice. Garnish and enjoy.
SWEET HEAT
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Dulce Vida Pineapple Jalapeño Tequila
- 4 oz Sparkling Water
- Pineapple Wedge
Method: Pour all ingredients over ice in a tall glass and squeeze fresh lime to taste. Stir, garnish and enjoy.
If you have been following on the latest hot tequila brands, the name DeLeon might ring a bell. This tequila has been made famous by a number of celebs and is worth all the hype.
DELEON TEQUILA SUNSET
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz- DeLeón Reposado Tequila
- 1 Orange Wedge Muddled or Splash of Fresh OJ
- 4 oz- Lemonade
Method: Shake with ice and garnish with Orange Slice
DELEÓN BLANCO PALOMA TRADICIONAL
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz DeLeón Blanco Tequila
- 1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 3 oz Mexican Grapefruit Soda
Method: Shake with ice and garnish with Lime Wheel and Salt Ri
DELEON REPOSADO PEACH MANGO MARGARITA
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 oz- DeLeon Blanco Tequila
- 1 1⁄2 oz- Peach Puree
- 1 oz- Mango Nectar
- 3⁄4 oz- Fresh Lime Juice
- 3⁄4 oz- Agave Nectar Syrup
Method: Rim with Tajin & Salt and garnish with a lime wheel and a peach slice
Cocktail kits have been all the rage and they are worth every penny. Having every single ingredient needed to make a delicious cocktail available in one package has saved us plenty of time walking to the store and navigating the isles for the right ingredient to compliment the spirit. And this Cinco de Mayo, Casamigos has partnered with TheBar.Com to curate a custom, limited edition cocktail kit just in time for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The kit, which makes approximately 16 cocktails, comes with a bottle of Casamigos, fresh ingredients batched together for easy pouring, a jigger for measuring out your cocktails and four Casamigos branded shot glasses. It is the ultimate party in a box, perfect for celebrating or gifting!
The Cocktail Kit box contains:
- One bottle of Casamigos Blanco
- One bottle of Prickly Pear Margarita cocktail mix
- One bottle of Spicy Margarita cocktail mix
- One jigger
- Four Casamigos shot glasses
- Directions on how to mix your cocktailsThis kit makes 16 cocktails
Cocktail Kits Available on:
https://us.thebar.com/products/casamigos-margarita-bundle/
Price: $99
Up next is Teremana Tequila. Made from 100% mature blue weber agave from the Highlands of Jalisco, Teremana Tequila is a small-batch tequila, with three expressions, a Blanco, a Reposado, and an Añejo. Their tequila is made in the traditional method where the fully mature agave is slow-roasted in small brick ovens and distilled in handmade copper pot stills in the brand’s own distillery.
Since its launch in March 2020, Teremana has become the fastest-growing spirits brand in history and has been awarded high accolades for its unrivaled taste from some of the most respected spirits competitions in the country, including the Best of Category in the 2022 New Orleans Spirits Competition and the Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The People’s Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Teremana Blanco
- .75 oz. Lime Juice
- .5 oz. Agave Nectar
- 1 oz. Pineapple Juice (to taste)
Glassware: Rocks
Garnish: Lime wheel, pineapple leaves & sea salt
Method: Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel, pineapple leaves & sea salt (as desired).
Last up is a feature from El Tequileño. Founded in 1959, El Tequileño is an iconic tequila producer created by the legendary tequila industry pioneer, Don Jorge Salles Cuervo, and is now overseen by Jorge Antonio Salles, third-generation Master Distiller and Don Jorge’s grandson. Named to honor the people of Tequila, Mexico, El Tequileño quickly became a favorite amongst the locals and has gained a reputation for creating exquisite tequilas through their dedication to craft and quality. Its portfolio includes a Blanco, Reposado, Platinum, Reposado Gran Reserva, Añejo Gran Reserva, Cristalino, The Sassenach Select, and the world’s first Reposado Rare.
La Batanga
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz El Tequileño Blanco
- 0.25 oz Lime Juice
- Top with Mexican Coca Cola
- Margarita Salt (or coarse salt)
- Glassware: Highball glass
- Garnish: Lime wheel
Method: Salt the rim of a highball glass and fill it with ice. Add El Tequileño Blanco and Lime juice. Top with Cola. Stir with a knife to keep it authentic to Don Javier’s recipe. Garnish, and enjoy!