Super quick PSA: Tequila is the superior liquor. Why yes, I *am* here to ruffle feathers! Please keep your vodka, whiskey and your precious chilled rosé!!! Truly nothing compares to a classic margarita or a fresh paloma on a sunny literally any day of the week.
But I'm not here to talk about just margaritas and palomas—I'm talking super easy and creative tequila co*cktails you've never even dreamed about. And when I say easy, I mean easy! I promise there is no ".5 oz. of truffle unicorn hair that you already have in your pantry" bullsh*t on this list. Honestly, you might as well just order a "Kiss Me I'm a Bartender" apron on Etsy right now because everyone's going to be fawning over your skills. It won't just be the tequila talking.
So, this sunny szn, put the dark liquor down. Here are pleeeenty (read: 27) truly delicious tequila co*cktail options you can easily whip up for your crew.
1. Sparkling Pomegranate Margaritas
Shake together 1 oz. lime juice, 2 oz. tequila, and 2 oz. pomegranate juice with ice. Pour it into a glass a top it off with 2 oz. of sparkling white wine.
Recipe from Minimalist Baker.
2. Mexican Mule
Shake 2 oz. tequila, 1 oz. lime juice, and 1 tsp. simple syrup with ice and strain the shaken ingredients into a separate cup of ice. Top it off with 3 oz. of ginger ale.
Recipe from Homemade Food Junkie.
3. Pineapple Paloma
Stir together 4 oz. tequila, 4 oz. grapefruit juice, 1 oz. lime juice, and 8 oz. pineapple soda with ice. Garnish with fresh pineapple.
Recipe from Miss in the Kitchen.
4. Mimosa Margarita
Mix 10 oz. frozen concentrated orange juice, 3.5 oz. tequila, .5 oz orange liquor, and ice in a blender. Pour the mix into the glasses and garnish with orange wedges.
Recipe from My co*cktail Recipes.
5. Riazul Rita
Shake 2 oz. Riazul Tequila Plata, 1 oz. Cointreau, and ½ oz. fresh lime juice in a mixing glass with ice, then strain into a co*cktail r0cks with ice.
Recipe from Riazul Tequila.
6. Off to the Races
Add 1 oz. Cointreau, 2 oz. blanco tequila, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, ½ oz. honey water, and 2 dashes rose water to a co*cktail shaker. Shake all ingredients, then strain into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with petals.
Recipe from Cointreau.
7. Chocolate Margarita
Blend 1½ oz. blanco tequila, 1 oz. triple sec, chocolate ice cream, white and dark chocolate ganache, and crushed ice until smooth. Pour into a margarita glass, then garnish with a dark chocolate orange slice.
Recipe from Max Brenner.
8. Watermelon Margarita
Combine 2 oz. blanco tequila, 1 oz. freshly-pureed watermelon, ¾ oz. honey, ¾ oz. lime juice, and 2 or 3 drops rose water in shaker with ice. Shake, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel and mint sprig.
Recipe from Casa Bocado.
9. Internal Affair
Mix 2 oz. silver tequila of choice, 1 oz. housemade jalapeño syrup (fresh jalapeños, sugar and water), 1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ oz. agave nectar, and ½ oz. pineapple juice. Pour into a rocks glass with ice, and add three torn fresh basil leaves.
Recipe from Doc B's Restaurant + Bar.
10. Merida
Combine 1 oz. silver tequila, 1 oz. ginger syrup, ½ oz. lemon juice, 2 oz. ginger ale, and 2 oz. tonic water in a shaker. Shake, strain over ice, and garnish with mango.
Recipe from Rosewood Mayakoba.
11. Jungle Booby
Combine ½ oz. lime juice, ½ oz. grapefruit juice, 1 oz. pineapple juice, ½ oz. orgeat syrup, ½ oz. Campari, 4 dashes absinthe, ½ oz. Del Maguey Vida mezcal, and 1½ oz. Siete Leguas blanco tequila in a blender with ice. Pour into a roly poly glass, and top with crushed ice. Garnish with three pineapple fronds and a pink flamingo pick.
Recipe from The Polynesian at the Pod Hotel.
12. Llamarita
Combine 1½ oz. pepper-infused reposado tequila, ¾ oz. orgeat syrup, ¾ oz. lime juice, ½ oz. mezcal, and ¾ oz. avocado purée in a shaker, and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass with a sea salt and cinnamon rim.
Recipe from Llama Inn.
13. Queen Anne's Lace
Combine 2 oz. tequila, 1 oz. fresh carrot juice, ¾ oz. fresh ginger juice, ¾ oz. fresh lime juice, and ½ oz. light agave in a shaker. Shake, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a chile and sea salt rim and lime wheel.
Recipe from Whiskey Thief at The Edwin Hotel.
14. Grapefruit Margarita
Salt the rim of a margarita glass, and fill with ice. Squeeze and drop 2 lime wedges into a mixing tin. Add ice, 1 oz. tequila, ½ oz. orange liqueur, and a splash of grapefruit juice. Shake until frosted, then strain into a salted margarita glass filled with ice. Top with 4 oz. grapefruit-flavored Bubly, and stir and garnish with a lime wedge.
Recipe from Bubly sparkling water.
15. First National
Combine ½ oz. lime juice, ½ oz. simple syrup, ½ oz. Domaine de Canton, ½ oz. Espolon blanco tequila, and ¼ oz. Vida Mezcal in a shaker tin. Add ice halfway up, shake hard for seven seconds, then strain into an ice-filled collins glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Recipe by RoofTop at Exchange Place.
16. Añejo Honey
Combine 1½ oz. añejo tequila, ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice, and ¾ oz. honey syrup at a 2:1 ratio. Shake, strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, and garnish with a flamed grapefruit peel.
Recipe from Belcampo Oakland.
17. Hibiscus Paloma
Combine ½ oz. lime juice, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, 1 oz. hibiscus tea syrup*, 2 oz. silver tequila, and a pinch of sea salt into a shaker. Shake, and strain into a highball glass with ice. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
*To make hibiscus tea syrup: Steep hibiscus flowers with orange peel and a bit of African rooibos tea. Strain, then add two parts sugar and one part water.
Recipe from Walkers Maine.
18. La Fresa
Combine ⅓ oz. Tequila Don Julio Reposado, ¾ oz. white zinfandel, ½ oz. strawberry puree, and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice in a co*cktail shaker over ice. Shake well, then strain into a coupe glass and garnish with dehydrated strawberries.
Recipe by Mica Rousseau of Mexico City.
19. Grande-Terre
Combine 1¼ oz. blanco tequila, 1½ oz. freshly juiced yellow tomato juice, ½ oz. simple syrup, and ¼ oz. pineapple juice in a shaker. Shake vigorously until foamy, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a sprig of fresh tarragon.
Recipe from Marcel.
20. Kosho Margarita
Add 2 oz. Gran Centenario Reposado Tequila, 1 oz. yuzu juice, 1 oz. orange curaçao, and 3 drops chili tincture to a shaker, and shake until frosty. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass with a chili and citrus-salt rim.
Recipe from Alley Cat Amateur Theatre.
21. Desert Flower
In a mixing glass, muddle three raspberries and a sprig of lemon thyme. Add 1½ oz. silver tequila, ½ oz. Massenez Crème de Framboise, ½ oz. Combier Pamplemousse, 1 oz. lime juice, and ice. Shake, strain into a co*cktail glass, and garnish with a raspberry skewered with a thyme sprig.
Recipe from The Smith.
22. Cinco De Mayo
Combine 3 oz. Don Julio Blanco, 3 oz. triple sec, 3 oz. fresh passionfruit juice, and 1 ½ oz. lemon juice in a shaker. Shake vigorously, fill a shaker with ice, and shake again. Strain over a roly poly glass with crushed ice, and garnish with 1 oz. candied and crushed pecans.
Recipe from Esperanto Bar by Carlton Tel Aviv.
23. Skinny Paloma
Mix 1½ oz. Olmeca Altos blanco tequila, ½ oz. lime juice, 2 oz. grapefruit juice, and cubed ice. Add to a highball glass, stir in Fresca, and garnish with long grapefruit ribbon.
Recipe from The Skylark.
24. Sex Panther
Add 2 oz. Mezcal El Silencio Espadin, ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice, ½ oz. simple syrup, ½ oz. passionfruit syrup, and 3 dashes Angostura bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass with crushed ice. Top with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, and garnish with a lemon peel and a sprig of mint.
Recipe from Justin Elliot at Kitty Cohens.
25. Borracho Amigo
Muddle 2 grilled pineapple chunks. Add 1 oz. Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila, ½ oz. agave, ½ oz. pineapple juice, ½ oz. lime juice, and 1½ oz. Del Maguey Vida Mezcal to ice. Shake and strain into a Tampico salted rocks glass with ice. Garnish with grilled pineapple and jalapeño.
Recipe from The Skylark.
26. White Widow
To infuse tequila: Add 1 to 2 grams of kaffir lime leaves to 750 mL tequila. Store at room temperature for at least 24 hours, then strain through a chinois or strainer and chill.
To make co*cktail: Combine 3 oz. mate, 1¾ oz. kaffir lime-infused tequila, ¼ oz. L'Orgeat, 1 ½ oz. freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice, and ¼ oz. lime juice. Shake, and strain into an empty mate bottle. Serve immediately.
Recipe from Gallow Green at The McKittrick Hotel.
27. 24 Carrot Gold
Add 1½ oz. Mezcal El Silencio Espadin, 2 oz. fresh carrot juice, 1 oz. fresh pineapple juice, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, and ½ oz. agave syrup to an ice-filled shaker. Shake, strain into a Collins glass with ice, and garnish with a pineapple wedge and orchid flower.
Recipe from William Perbellini at Waldorf Pool.
Juliana Kaplan
Juliana Kaplan is a freelance writer in New York City. She’s fascinated by the intersection of popular culture and politics, and also $1 pizza slices. You can follow her on Twitter @julianamkaplan.
Annabel Iwegbue
Annabel Iwegbue is an assistant editor at Cosmopolitan where she primarily covers lifestyle and fashion. Before joining Cosmo, she covered entertainment at Harper's Bazaar, The Knockturnal, and Black Film. She's originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Cinema Studies from New York University. You can check out some of Annabel’s work here and also find her on Instagram and Twitter.
