14 Refreshing Tequila Cocktails to Try
We’re all about a classic margarita. But if you’ve only ever had tequila with lime juice and a salt rim, it’s time to expand your horizons. From the grapefruit-based Paloma to innovations with kombucha and wildflower honey, here are 14 summer drinks you can make with the agave spirit. The only decision left to make? Which tequila cocktail to pour.
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1. Paloma Fizz
Shake up this sparkling grapefruit and tequila fizz in mere minutes. (Plus, we’re a sucker for coupe glasses and edible flower garnishes on our tipples.)
2. Rhubarb Mint Margarita with Jalapeno Tequila
Unleash your inner mixologist and craft this elevated cocktail. It combines jalapeño-infused tequila with a homemade rhubarb and mint syrup in a crystal glass and is topped with sliced fruit.
3. Tequila Sunrise Mimosa
We won’t judge if you drink tequila with brunch. There is orange juice involved, after all.
4. Skinny Jalapeno Watermelon Margarita
The skinny marg is here to stay, so let's put a new spin on it, shall we? Try Coterie member Monique Volz’s recipe with muddled jalapeño and fresh watermelon juice.
5. Papaya Mango Frozen Margarita Cocktail
You don’t have to journey to a Caribbean island resort to whip up a tropical frozen cocktail. Coterie member Aida Mollenkamp has a papaya-mango drink recipe for you—with tequila, of course.
6. Spring Garden Margarita
Tequila may love fruit, but it also pairs well in an herbal cocktail. Case in point: This cucumber-mint cocktail with snap peas, wildflower honey, black pepper and an edible flower garnish.
7. Summertime Rosé Tequila Sangria
If two summer beverages were ever meant to marry, it’s tequila and rosé wine. Their union produces this fantastic sangria with strawberries and peaches, plus the sweet herbal notes of basil.
8. Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Cooler
Making your own watermelon kombucha takes about an hour (we’re serious). And while Coterie member Phoebe Lapine says the tequila is “optional,” we beg to differ.
9. Blood-Orange Thyme Paloma Cocktail
We’ll sip the classic Paloma any time of year, but this blood orange twist on the tipple is a welcome summer sipper.
10. Frozen Margarita Ice Pops
Nothing says summer quite like an ice pop. And if you’re over 21, we suggest you make it a boozy one.
11. Skinny Blackberry Margarita
The secret to the sweet-and-savory aspect of this blackberry margarita? A rim that combines sugar and salt.
12. Passionfruit Margarita
Keep the bartending simple and easy with this passionfruit-based margarita. It’s a foolproof, four-ingredient take on the classic cocktail.
13. Pineapple Sparkling Punch
Lemongrass and pineapple make this punch a total porch pounder. Trust us.
14. Watermelon Basil Colada
Hello, fancy summer cocktail. Sub tequila for the rum in a piña colada, then add watermelon and basil like Coterie member Jodi Moreno.