When I think of cocktails, I usually think rum or vodka, and mojitos, martinis and cosmos. However, I recently attended a Sauza tequila party and found out that tequila is so much more than margaritas or shots! Special thanks to Chef Marcela Valladolid for showing me what tequila really is about! Try these tequila cocktails in your holiday party, and you will never think the same way of tequila again.
WARM WINTER MARGARITA * my favorite *
by Chef Marcela Valladolid
Serves 4
Perfect for a cold day. This drink is full of flavor and brings out the tequila’s smooth sweetness. I love this drink – they should serve this in every ski resort after a long day of skiing!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups dried fruit of your choice
2 tbs granulated sugar
4 shot glasses Sauza Tequila Gold
Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove cinnamon stick. Add tequila and mix well. Put a few spoonfuls of dried fruit into individual mugs, pour Warm Winter Margarita over it and serve immediately. (If you want, you can put the dried fruit on cocktail skewers so that your guests can easily enjoy the garnish.)
CRANBERRY MARGARITA
Festive and delicious, this cranberry cocktail makes a perfect holiday party drink.
Ingredients for Cranberry Puree
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 4 oranges
1 cup sugar
1 16 ounce package of fresh cranberries
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar in the orange juice. Add the cranberries and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside and let it cool. Blend cranberries in a blender, then strain to make the puree
Ingredients for 1 drink
1 ½ ounces of Sauza Tequila
½ ounce of Grand Marnier
2 ounces of cranberry puree
In a shaker add crushed ice, 1 1/2 ounces of tequila, 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier, 2 ounces of cranberry puree and shake to mix. Pour drink into a sugar rimmed martini glass. Add a cranberry swizzle stick for garnish.
Ingredients for Cranberry Swizzle Sticks
10 skewer sticks
1 16 ounce package of fresh cranberries
1 cup of light Karo syrup
1 cup of granulated sugar
Skewer several cranberries onto 10 skewer sticks but leave enough skewer exposed on one end. Lightly brush each cranberry skewer with Karo syrup and then sprinkle granulated sugar over the cranberry skewers. Place the cranberry swizzle sticks on wax paper and place in the freezer to set.
recipe and photo from Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack via her blog:
Muy Bueno Cookbook
GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA
Chef Marcela’s signature
1/2 cup Sauza Blanco Tequila
4 cups club soda
Juice of 4 grapefruits (approx. 3 cups juice)
Combine all ingredients. Serve cold or over ice in sugar rimmed glasses.
BANANA MARGARITAS
Use your blender for this one! Serves 6-8
1 can of frozen Pineapple-Orange-Banana Juice
1 Can Sauza Gold Tequila
3 Frozen Bananas
The juice of 3 limes
2 cans of light beer
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a pitcher, add beer and stir with a wooden spoon. Serve over ice.
FLYING WATERMELON COCKTAIL
You will need a blender for this one too.
2 oz Avion Tequila
Splash Simple Syrup
2 oz cup Watermelon Juice
1.5 oz Fresh Lime juice
5 Blueberries
5-6 Mint leaves
In a blender, puree the watermelon until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the watermelon juice, pressing gently on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. (Or Store bought Watermelon Juice) Discard the pulp. Combine the simple syrup with the lime juice, blueberries and mint leaves. Lightly muddle the blueberries and mint. Add the watermelon juice and Avion. Pour cocktail into tall ice-filled glass. Garnish with the mint sprigs and serve.
