We’re all for a classic margarita (and we have the *perfect* recipe for one, but more on that later). But if the only tequila libations you’ve ever tried starred lime juice and a salt rim, it’s high time you expanded your repertoire. For the uninitiated, tequila is a blue agave-based spirit from Mexico. Silver tequila is famous for its earthy, semisweet flavor, while aged reposado and añejo tequilas are beloved for their oaky, mellow notes. From tart palomas to spicy jalapeño margs to sweet rosé sangria, we rounded up the 40 best tequila cocktail recipes to try at home.
40 Tequila Cocktail Recipes to Sip All Year Long
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Published Mar 6, 2023
1. The Original Margarita with Cointreau
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Let's get the O.G. out of the way, shall we? Cointreau, a French liqueur made from sweet and bitter orange peels, is a margarita essential for many bartenders, but you can substitute Grand Marnier or triple sec if you'd prefer.
3. Brazilian Breezer Tiki Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus infusion time)
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
The key to this sipper is the pineapple-infused tequila and rum, which you'll need to prepare a week ahead of serving. (It's worth the wait, trust.)
4. Beer Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Choose your favorite Pilsner, spike it with margarita ingredients and you're good to go. (Mexican lagers will work, too.)
5. Cranberry Margarita
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
This tart-sweet stunner has Christmas cocktail hour written all over it. Roll the rosemary in granulated sugar for a snowy effect.
6. Paloma Fizz
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
Shake up this sparkling grapefruit and tequila bev in mere minutes. (We’re total suckers for coupe glasses and edible flower garnishes, BTW.)
7. Rhubarb Mint Margarita with Jalapeño Tequila
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus infusing time)
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Unleash your inner mixologist with this elevated cocktail. It combines jalapeño-infused tequila with homemade rhubarb-mint simple syrup.
8. Tequila Sunrise Mimosa
- Time Commitment: 1 minute
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
We won’t judge if you drink tequila at brunch. There is orange juice involved, after all (and Champagne).
9. Jalapeño Watermelon Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
The lightened-up marg is here to stay, so why not put a new spin on it? Try Coterie member Monique Volz’s recipe with muddled jalapeño and fresh watermelon juice.
10. Papaya Mango Frozen Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
You don’t have to journey to a Caribbean resort for a killer frozen cocktail. Coterie member Aida Mollenkamp's tropical recipe is proof.
11. Spring Garden Margarita
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Tequila may love fruit, but it also pairs beautifully with fresh herbs and vegetables. Case in point: This cucumber-mint cocktail with snap peas, wildflower honey-black pepper syrup and an edible flower garnish.
12. Summertime Rosé Tequila Sangria
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
If two summer beverages were ever meant to marry, it’s tequila and rosé. Their union produces this next-level sangria bursting with strawberries and peaches, plus the sweet herbal notes of basil.
13. Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Cooler
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Making your own watermelon kombucha takes a bit of patience—but it's totally worth it. Coterie member Phoebe Lapine says the tequila is optional, but we beg to differ.
14. Blood Orange-Thyme Paloma
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
We’ll sip a classic paloma any time of year, but this one (made with bubbly blood orange soda) is particularly refreshing when the weather's warm.
15. Frozen Margarita Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes (plus freezing time)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Nothing puts us in a summer mood quite like an ice pop. And if you’re over 21, we suggest you make it a boozy one.
16. Light Blackberry Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
The secret to the sweet-and-savory aspect of this blackberry margarita? Coating the rim in sugar and salt.
17. Passionfruit Margarita
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Keep the mixology to a minimum with this three-ingredient cocktail. Make the lime simple syrup in advance so you won't have to wait for it to chill come happy hour.
18. Salted Watermelon Paloma
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Aka summer in a glass. The key is blending fresh watermelon until smooth, then straining the juice. (P.S.: If you don't know how to cut a watermelon, we've got you covered.)
19. Watermelon Basil Colada
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Hi there, summer crush. It's sort of like an herbaceous, watermelon-infused piña colada that calls for tequila instead of rum and from-scratch coconut cream. Thanks, Coterie member Jodi Moreno.
20. Tequila Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Replacing traditional rye or bourbon whiskey with reposado tequila gives this classic sipper an oaky, caramelly twist.
21. Tequila Rosé Spritz
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
This beauty is destined for your Mother's Day table, from the Himalayan pink salt rim to the chopped strawberries. Top with seltzer, prosecco or even Sprite for a bubbly finish.
22. 5-Calorie Raspberry Lime Margarita Fizz
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: low sugar, beginner-friendly
The key to this virgin recipe is combining raspberry-lime sparkling water with sugar-free margarita mix. All that's missing is two fingers of tequila (which, yes, will take it over the five-calorie mark, but...worth it).
23. Ginger Beer Mexican Mule
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Make the trip from Moscow to Jalisco by trading vodka for blanco tequila. Its earthy notes pair gorgeously with spicy ginger beer and jalapeño pepper.
24. Peach Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Go above and beyond by blending your own peach purée from scratch...or save time by using store-bought. It'll be our little secret.
25. Raspberry Rose Tequila Kombucha
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
Oh, you fancy, huh? Lace this drink with the floral notes it deserves by making your own rose water at home (it's easier than you'd think).
26. Classic Cantarito Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, low sugar
Also called the cazuela cocktail, this drink is sort of a mashup between a margarita and a paloma. It's less boozy than the former and less sweet than the latter, thanks to using three different types of citrus juice and grapefruit soda.
27. Blackberry Tequila Lemon Cooler
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Not a fan of blackberries? Feel free to swap in raspberries, blueberries, cherries or even peaches—the five-ingredient recipe is beyond flexible and forgiving.
28. Tequila Sunrise
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
A little grenadine goes a long, long way. Your Instagram followers truly won't be able to keep themselves from double-tapping this classic.
29. Sparkling Strawberry Basil Limeade with Tequila
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
If you're pulling out all the stops, look no further than tequila-lime ice cubes. They're as simple as chopping strawberries and limes, placing the pieces in an ice tray, filling the holes with lime juice and tequila and freezing.
30. Orange Turmeric Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
You only need to work with turmeric once to figure out how easily it can stain your clothes and kitchen surfaces. Mix the cocktails on a baking sheet to save yourself the mess.
31. Aperol Paloma
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
A splash of Aperol turns the citrus factor up a few dozen notches, giving the cocktail a pleasantly robust, bitter orange flavor.
32. Frozen Mango Mojito-Rita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Bust out the blender for this one: Things are about to get frosty. Sweet frozen mango and acidic lime juice enhance the flavor of the fresh mint, while also curbing its intensity.
33. Pineapple-Lime Beer Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Fresh pineapple juice + silver tequila + Mexican lager = the most refreshing sweet-and-sour summer bev of all time. It's prime for washing down crispy fish tacos.
34. Fresh Fig Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead
Fair warning: You'll want to drink the three-ingredient fig simple syrup straight from the bottle. All it takes is water, sugar, fresh figs and lavender buds.
35. Mezcal Aperol Spritz
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Sure, this recipe calls for mezcal—an agave-based Mexican spirit known for its smokiness—but tequila is an excellent substitute for this cocktail, if that's what you have on hand or prefer.
36. Pineapple Mint Julep Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
We know what you'll be sipping during the Kentucky Derby. (P.S.: See this expert mixologist's tips for keeping your mint garnish looking as fresh as possible.)
37. Tequila-Spiked Horchata
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
You know and love the iconic spiced rice milk drink. One sip of this grown-up rendition and you'll be transported straight to a Mexican beach.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Yes, margaritas can be just as delicious in the wintertime as they are in the summer. The key to this one is jalapeño-infused simple syrup.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
This classic sipper was overdue for a spicy twist. If you can't find a pink grapefruit spritzer to finish it off, use grapefruit seltzer or soda instead.
40. Candied Jalapeño Margarita Salt
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus drying time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Sometimes all a tequila drink needs is a fun rim to be totally reinvented. For instance, you can make a traditional marg way more exciting by adorning it with swicy candied jalapeño salt.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
