Fall is here, according to the calendar, but it still feels like summer outside. So light drinks made with vodka, rum, and tequila, are still at the top of our list. And if all you know about tequila is it comes with a margarita, here're are some facts (and drinks) to expand your horizons.
Tequila is distilled from the blue agave plant in Mexico. Usually un-aged—and even when it is, it’s nothing like the aging other spirits are renowned for. Reposado, for example, is aged at least two months, but less than a year. Anejo? One to three years.
Perhaps it’s the fresh nature of tequila that makes it such a great mixer with fresh fruit juices and other light mixers. Here are a couple of easy summery drinks to mix up your party a bit.
Tequila Sunrise
However, we don’t recommend actually drinking this at sunrise…
Fill glass with ice. Add 2 oz gold tequila.
Fill glass with orange juice. Stir.
Pour ½ oz grenadine syrup down the back of a spoon to the bottom of the glass.
Stir once. Garnish with orange slice.
A variation on the Tequila Sunrise is called a Hammer—skip the grenadine for a Screwdriver with a bit of a kick.
Tequila Collins
A bit more intense than the traditional Tom Collins.
Fill glass with ice. Add 2 oz gold or silver tequila.
Fill glass with sour mix. Pour into shaker. Shake. Strain into glass (over ice if you wish). Add a splash of club soda to fill glass. Garnish with orange and cherry (optional).