Tequila

Tequila is a distilled drink obtained from the blue agave plant, in the area surrounding the city of Tequila 65 km northwest of Guadalajara, the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco. Tequila is usually served neat in Mexico and as a shot with salt and lime throughout the world.

Also, many cocktails are made with tequila, including the margarita, a drink that helped make tequila famous in the United States.

The first versions of tequila date back to 1000 B.C. In its earliest variant, it was known as pulque and made from the fermented sap of the agave plant by the Aztec civilization in what is now northern Mexico.

There are some differences between tequila and vodka, though they are both distilled spirits: Tequila is made from the blue agave plant and vodka from starch or sugar-rich plant. Tequila is distilled into five different types, while vodka only has one form. Tequila has a varied taste and vodka doesn't.

Aside from its geographical distinction, tequila is distinguished from mezcal in that it is made only from blue agave and the beverages are prepared in various ways. Tequila must have between 35 and 55 percent alcohol content (70 and 110 U.S. proof).

Tequila is also great with

Tequila sunrise
3 minutes
Tequila sunrise

The tequila sunrise is a cocktail made of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup. It's served unmixed in a tall glass. The cocktail is named for its appearance when served—with gradations of color resembling a sunrise. The original tequila sunrise contained tequila, creme de cassis, lime juice, and soda water, and was served at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel where it was created by Gene Sulit in the 1930s or 1940s.

Adios Motherfucker
3 minutes
Adios Motherfucker

The Adios Motherfucker, abbreviated AMF, is new, and its principal feature is the blue color, a beautiful blue like the Caribbean Sea. The taste is less exciting than the color, as it is a careless combination made more to get high than to appreciate a fine cocktail. The idea behind it is to take four of the major spirits (gin, tequila, rum, and vodka), mix them, and eventually mask the taste of this cocktail with the citrus flavor of the blue curacao since the color of it. The AMF is similar to the invisible and the Long Island Iced Tea cocktail, its cousin. The drink is bold, boozy, and blue. Featuring five alcoholic components, it’s very similar to the Long Island Iced Tea. But where the LIIT calls for triple sec and cola, this cocktail needs a slug of blue curaçao and a topper of Sprite or 7UP. That curaçao swap adds vibrant color, while the soda switch gives the drink a lighter, more citrusy flavor. The recipe specifically calls for the sweet-and-sour mix. You can find bottled sweet-and-sour on store shelves, but it’s always a good practice to stay away from those, as they're full of sugar and additives.

Paloma
4 minutes
Paloma

The paloma is a tequila-based cocktail. This drink is most commonly prepared by mixing tequila, lime juice, and a grapefruit-flavored soda such as Fresca, Mamma di Giuliano, or Jarritos and served on the rocks with a lime wedge. Adding salt to the rim of the glass is also an option. Its origin story is nebulous, but most reports peg its creation to the 1950s.

Colorado Prairie Fire
hot
2 minutes
Colorado Prairie Fire

The prairie fire is a hot shot! This shooter of tequila and Tabasco is for the most adventurous of drinkers. You can make it as spicy as you like, just sure to have some water as back up. The recipe is beyond simple: add Tabasco to a shot of tequila. How much Tabasco Sauce is going to depend on your mood.

Long Island iced tea
4 minutes
Long Island iced tea

A Long Island iced tea or Long Island ice tea is a type of alcoholic mixed drink typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola, which gives the drink the same amber hue as iced tea. The Long Island Iced Tea was popularized in the 1970s and remains a beloved drink. There are two competing origin stories for the Long Island iced tea, one from Long Island, Tennessee and one from Long Island, New York.

Salty Chihuahua
1 minute
Salty Chihuahua

A salty dog is a cocktail of gin, or vodka, and grapefruit juice, served in a highball glass with a salted rim. The salt is the only difference between a salty dog and a greyhound. The Greyhound dates to at least 1930, when it appeared in Harry Craddock’s "Savoy Cocktail Book" as a simple cocktail combining gin, grapefruit and ice.

Margarita
3 minutes
Margarita

A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice, blended with ice, or without ice. Some say the cocktail was invented in 1948 in Acapulco, Mexico, when a Dallas socialite combined blanco tequila with Cointreau and lime juice for her guests.

Blood Test
4 minutes
Blood Test

This recipe version is made with these ingredients: tequila and grenadine syrup.