Tequila is easier to mix than its shot-glass reputation suggests. It's distilled from blue agave in Mexico, and that agave gives it an earthy, slightly peppery taste that works with sharp, salty, and bitter flavors: lime, grapefruit, salt, tomato, and orange. Get those partners right and you can make a good tequila drink with two ingredients and a glass of ice. This guide covers what to mix tequila with when you don't want a recipe, then ten cocktails worth learning, all from our tequila cocktails collection.
Tequila Drinks at a Glance
Strength and calories are per serving, from the recipe data behind each drink's recipe card. All ten are rated easy, so the list runs from the fewest bottles to the most.
| Drink | What goes in with the tequila | ABV | Calories | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paloma | Grapefruit soda, lime, salt | 12% | 158 kcal | Easy |
| Tequila Sunrise | Orange juice, grenadine | 11% | 268 kcal | Easy |
| Margarita | Triple sec, lime, salt rim | 24% | 250 kcal | Easy |
| Tommy's Margarita | Lime, agave syrup | 16% | 180 kcal | Easy |
| Tequila Sour | Lemon, powdered sugar | 19.5% | 185 kcal | Easy |
| Bloody Maria | Tomato juice, hot sauce, lemon, celery salt | 10% | 125 kcal | Easy |
| Vampiro | Tomato, orange and lime juice, salt rim | 14.5% | 150 kcal | Easy |
| Grand Margarita | Grand Marnier, lime | 26.5% | 178 kcal | Easy |
| Long Island Iced Tea | Vodka, gin, rum, Cointreau, lemon, cola | 16% | 260 kcal | Easy |
| Naked and Famous | Mezcal instead of tequila, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime | 18% | 179 kcal | Easy |
What to Mix with Tequila (No Recipe Needed)
The simplest tequila drink is one part tequila to three parts mixer over plenty of ice, with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. For a standard highball that's 50 ml (1.7 oz) of tequila topped with 150 ml (5 oz) of mixer. The mixers that work best:
- Grapefruit soda is the best match. Add lime and salt and you have a Paloma.
- Soda water with lots of fresh lime makes the lightest, driest tequila drink.
- Orange juice makes a tequila screwdriver; add grenadine and it's a Tequila Sunrise.
- Lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7 Up) gives a sweeter, easy cooler.
- Ginger beer adds spice. Use lime, since ginger and agave both need the acid.
- Pineapple juice turns tequila tropical and softens its pepperiness.
- Cola works with a squeeze of lime and a salted rim; in Mexico this is called a Batanga.
Blanco or reposado? Use blanco for mixing. It's unaged or rested for under two months, so it tastes of fresh agave and stays bright next to citrus and soda. Reposado has spent two months to a year in oak, which adds vanilla and caramel. That suits orange juice, ginger beer, and cola, but can muddy a Paloma. Look for "100% agave" on the label: cheaper "mixto" tequilas only need 51% agave and taste harsher.
The 10 Best Cocktails with Tequila
1. Paloma
The easiest tequila cocktail and the one Mexicans drink most. The Paloma is 50 ml (1.7 oz) of tequila, a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt, and 100 ml (3.4 oz) of pink grapefruit soda, built in a tall glass over ice and stirred once. The salt is the step people skip, and it's what makes the grapefruit taste juicier and less bitter. At 12% ABV and 158 kcal, it's lighter and more refreshing than a Margarita.
2. Tequila Sunrise
Tequila and orange juice over ice, with grenadine poured in last so it sinks and leaves a red-to-orange gradient. The Tequila Sunrise uses 45 ml (1.5 oz) of tequila, 90 ml (3 oz) of orange juice, and 15 ml (0.5 oz) of grenadine. Don't stir: the layers are the point. It's mild at 11% ABV but the highest in calories on the list at 268 kcal, because of the juice and grenadine.
3. Margarita
The best-known tequila cocktail: 50 ml (1.7 oz) of tequila, 20 ml (0.7 oz) of triple sec, and 15 ml (0.5 oz) of fresh lime juice, shaken with ice and poured into a salt-rimmed glass. Salt only the outside of the rim, so it reaches your lips without falling into the drink. The Margarita is strong at 24% ABV. Our margarita guide covers the ratio, the salt rim, and frozen and fruit versions.
4. Tommy's Margarita
A Margarita with the orange liqueur taken out and agave syrup put in. The Tommy's Margarita is 60 ml (2 oz) of tequila with 30 ml (1 oz) each of lime juice and agave syrup, shaken and strained over ice in a rocks glass. It was created at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco in the early 1990s, and it's the best way to taste a good 100% agave tequila in a cocktail. Lighter than the original at 16% ABV.
5. Tequila Sour
The classic sour formula with tequila in place of whiskey: 60 ml (2 oz) of tequila, the juice of half a lemon, and a teaspoon of powdered sugar, shaken with ice and strained into a sour glass. The Tequila Sour is garnished with a half slice of lemon and a cherry. Powdered sugar dissolves faster than granulated in a cold shaker. This is the drink where a reposado works well, since its oak notes play the role whiskey would.
Got tequila but no idea what else you need?
Pocket Bartender shows every drink you can make with the bottles you already have.
6. Bloody Maria
The Bloody Mary made with tequila. The Bloody Maria shakes 30 ml (1 oz) of tequila with 60 ml (2 oz) of tomato juice, a dash each of hot sauce, lemon juice, and celery salt, then strains it over ice with a lemon slice. Agave's pepperiness suits tomato better than vodka's neutral taste does. At 10% ABV and 125 kcal, it's the lightest and lowest-calorie drink here, and a good brunch choice.
7. Vampiro
Mexico's savory-sweet answer to the Bloody Mary. The Vampiro mixes 60 ml (2 oz) of tequila with 30 ml (1 oz) each of tomato and orange juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) of lime, and a dash of simple syrup over ice, in a glass rimmed with salt. The orange juice is what separates it from a Bloody Maria: it's fruitier, less spicy, and easier to drink. 14.5% ABV.
8. Grand Margarita
A Margarita that swaps triple sec for Grand Marnier, an orange liqueur made with cognac. The Grand Margarita uses 45 ml (1.5 oz) of tequila, 30 ml (1 oz) of Grand Marnier, and 15 ml (0.5 oz) of lime, shaken hard for ten seconds and strained over ice into a rocks glass with a sea-salt rim. The orange flavor is richer and rounder. At 26.5% ABV it's the strongest drink on the list, so one is enough.
9. Long Island Iced Tea
Tequila is one of five spirits here, alongside vodka, gin, white rum, and Cointreau, at 15 ml (0.5 oz) each. The Long Island Iced Tea adds lemon juice and simple syrup, then cola on top, in a tall glass of ice. The cola makes it look like iced tea; there's no tea in it. It's the drink for using up a mixed bar. Our Long Island Iced Tea guide explains how to keep it balanced.
10. Naked and Famous
The pick for tequila drinkers ready to branch out, since it uses mezcal, not tequila. Mezcal is also an agave spirit, but its agave hearts are roasted in earth pits, which gives it a smoky taste; tequila is a type of mezcal made only from blue agave in specific regions. The Naked and Famous is equal parts, 22.5 ml (0.75 oz) each, of mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and lime juice, shaken and strained into a chilled glass. Smoky, herbal, and bitter-orange at 18% ABV.
Which Tequila Drink Should You Start With?
If you have a bottle of tequila and a fridge, make a Paloma with grapefruit soda, or a Tequila Sunrise if you have orange juice. If you have fresh limes and triple sec, make a Margarita; with agave syrup instead, a Tommy's Margarita. For brunch, make a Bloody Maria. Once you know you like agave, try the smoky Naked and Famous.
For more ideas, browse the full tequila cocktails collection.