Tequila Cocktails: The Classic Recipes Every Drinker Should Know

Tequila's cocktail reputation has been shaped for decades by one drink — the Margarita — but the category runs far deeper than that. Here are the essential tequila cocktails, made properly, and which tequila style each one calls for.

Margarita

The Margarita is almost certainly the best-known tequila cocktail in the world, and one of the most frequently made incorrectly.

Recipe:

1. Combine 2 oz Blanco tequila, 1 oz fresh lime juice, and 1 oz orange liqueur (triple sec or Cointreau) in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake hard for 10–15 seconds.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice (salt the rim first, if desired — run a lime wedge around the rim, then dip in coarse salt).

The most common mistake is using bottled "margarita mix" instead of fresh lime juice — it flattens the drink into pure sweetness and hides the tequila entirely. Fresh lime is essential.

Tommy's Margarita

A leaner, more tequila-forward variation created at San Francisco's Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, dropping the orange liqueur in favour of agave syrup.

Recipe:

1. Combine 2 oz Blanco tequila, 1 oz fresh lime juice, and 1/2 oz agave syrup in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake hard and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Because there's no orange liqueur to hide behind, Tommy's Margarita puts the tequila itself front and centre — a good test of whether a Blanco is worth sipping on its own.

Paloma

Arguably more popular than the Margarita within Mexico itself, the Paloma is tequila's answer to a refreshing, low-effort highball.

Recipe:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add 2 oz Blanco tequila and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
3. Top with grapefruit soda (or fresh grapefruit juice plus a splash of soda water and a pinch of salt).
4. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel.

Tequila Old Fashioned

A modern riff applying the Old Fashioned format to aged tequila — proof that tequila's oak-aged styles hold up perfectly well in a spirit-forward, stirred format.

Recipe:

1. Add a sugar cube (or 1/4 oz agave syrup) and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to a rocks glass.
2. Add a splash of water and muddle until dissolved.
3. Add 2 oz Reposado or Añejo tequila and one large ice cube.
4. Stir until well chilled and express an orange peel over the top.

Mexican Mule

A tequila-based riff on the Moscow Mule, swapping vodka for Blanco tequila and adding lime for extra brightness.

Recipe:

1. Fill a copper mug (or highball glass) with ice.
2. Add 2 oz Blanco tequila and the juice of half a lime.
3. Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel and a mint sprig.

Choosing the Right Tequila for Each Cocktail

• Margarita, Tommy's Margarita, Paloma, Mexican Mule: Blanco — its bright, unaged character is designed to cut through citrus and carbonation.
• Tequila Old Fashioned: Reposado or Añejo — the oak-driven sweetness and spice hold up in a stirred, spirit-forward format the same way bourbon or rye does.
• Sipping neat, no mixer required: Añejo or Extra Añejo.

As with whiskey, save the ultra-premium, extensively aged bottles for sipping. A well-made Blanco in the $30–$50 range is exactly what a proper Margarita or Paloma calls for — the citrus and other ingredients are meant to be genuine partners to the tequila, not a way to disguise it.