Tequila Cocktails for Your Holiday Party

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

POMEGRANATE MARGARITAS

This a great party drink and easy to mix in a pitcher! Serves 6-8 In a pitcher combine: 3 cups Pomegranate Juice 1 cup Coconut Water 1 cup simple syrup 8 ounces Sauza Silver Tequila 3 ounces DeKuyper Pomegranate Liqueur Juice of 2 Limes (about 3-4 ounces) Stir until completely blended and add ice to chill. Serve over ice in sugar rimmed margarita or martini glasses garnished with a lime or lemon wedge. Enjoy!

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.

POINSETTA

2 oz. Tequila Avión Añejo 1/2 oz Sherry 5 cranberries 2 wedges of lemon 1/2 oz. of all spice infused simple syrup Method: Muddle cranberries, lemon and simple syrup in a shaker. Pack with ice. Add Tequila Avión Añejo and Sherry. Shake until frothy. Serve over fresh ice and garnish with a few fresh cranberries and cinnamon stick.

AVIÓN STRAWBERRY FIZZ

This is a great cocktail for New Year’s party!  Ingredients: 2 Sweet Strawberries Muddled 3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice 1 oz Agave Nectar 2 oz Avión Silver 2 oz Dry Champagne Muddle strawberries in a shaker and add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT champagne). Shake vigorously and fine strain into champagne flute or coupe. Float dry champagne on top. Garnish with strawberry slice.

AVIÓN EXPRESS

Recipe courtesy The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. And I’ve made this with vodka – but tequila gives it nice deeper taste! Ingredients: 1 oz of Avión Silver 1 oz of Tia Maria Liqueur 1 oz of Strong, Iced Black Coffee Mix all ingredients with ice and shake vigorously to create a foam. Pour all contents into a glass coffee cup. Garnish with an orange slice.