When you think of Mexico, you think of white sand beaches, lovely warm weather, hearty cuisine, and Mexican drinks. Mexican people do know how to throw a party, and their cocktail repertoire is much more varied than you think!
From the classic Margarita to the lesser-known drinks only locals enjoy, this is the ultimate Mexican drink list; the best Mexican drinks for all occasions — plus recipes!
Get ready to mix some colorful cocktails of Mexican inspiration, from wine-based drinks to the spiciest Tequila chaser ever. If you think you knew Mexican drinks, get ready to be swooned off your feet! We hope you’re thirsty because this will be quite a ride!
Margarita
The Margarita is the quintessential Tequila cocktail and the most famous Mexican drink. There’s no Mexican restaurant in the world not serving these, and it’s easy to see why. The strong spirit merges beautifully with the sweet and sour lime juice and the most heart-warming flavors of orange liqueur or triple sec. Served on the rocks or blended, there’s nothing like a good Margarita to celebrate boozy Mexican traditions.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz simple syrup
- sugar
Instructions
Blend the Tequila, lime juice, simple syrup with ice and pour into a sombrero or martini glass filled with ice and crusted with a salted rim. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Michelada
The most popular beer cocktail in Mexico, and perhaps the world, the Michelada shows beer is also cocktail material. Lime juice livens the already refreshing beer, turning it into a fabulous summer drink for outdoor dinners and grilling parties. When made with a Mexican lager beer, you get the real thing — everyone, and we mean everyone in Mexico, enjoys a Michelada from time to time. It’s just too tasty, and it’s effortless to prepare as well!
Ingredients
- 1 Mexican lager beer
- 1 oz lime juice
- Salt
Instructions
Create a salt rim in a beer mug and fill it with ice, pour the lime juice and top it with the beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Cuban Michelada
Despite the name, there’s nothing Cuban in this Mexican drink, but that’s how locals call this spicy Michelada since forever. What makes this beer cocktail unique is the dark and hot sauces that spice up the drink. If you thought Maggi and Worcestershire were only soup and steak sauces, think again, they make of any lager beer a hearty and spicy drink you just can’t put down.
Ingredients
- 1 Mexican lager beer
- 1 oz lime juice
- 2 dashes Maggi seasoning
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 drops Tabasco hot sauce
- salt
Instructions
Create a salt rim in a beer mug and fill it with ice, pour the lime juice, sauces and top it with the beer. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.
Calimocho (Kalimotxo)
This famous red wine and cola drink is top-rated in Spain, where it was created, but it has gained immense popularity in Mexico; it’s now considered part of the national repertoire. Equal parts young red wine and coke, and a hint of lime juice, make this refreshing ruby-hued drink a popular drink for grilling parties, and it’s great for making use of inexpensive red wine. Making a large pitcher of Calimocho is not uncommon.
Ingredients
- 3 oz red wine
- .5 oz lime juice
- Top with coke
Instructions
In a highball glass filled with ice, pour the red wine and lime juice. Top with coke and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Strawberry Margarita
Margaritas come in all colors and flavors, especially when Tequila is blended with fresh fruit, or more commonly, fruit concentrate. Perhaps the most popular fruit-flavored Margarita is the Strawberry Margarita, which is more popular with tourists than locals. The sweet summer fruit masks Tequila’s fiery personality, becoming a fruity and easy-to-drink cocktail that screams for warm weather. Use strawberry concentrate, frozen or fresh strawberries for similar results.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 2 oz strawberry concentrate
- sugar
Instructions
In a highball glass filled with ice, pour the red wine and lime juice. Top with coke and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Mango Margarita
And just like the Strawberry Margarita, the second most popular Margarita variation calls for ripe, juicy mangoes. The tropical combination is a match made in heaven, as the sweet orange liqueur merges with either fresh fruit or mango concentrate. The blender does the rest, as the drink becomes an icy slushy with immense popularity on the sunny Mexican coast. You surely imagine you can substitute strawberries and mangoes for any seasonal fruit for unique Margarita variations.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 2 oz mango concentrate
- sugar
Instructions
Blend the Tequila, orange liqueur and mango concentrate with ice and pour into a sombrero or martini glass with a sugar rim. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Mezcal – Tamarind Margarita
Mezcal is not just a Tequila lookalike; it’s a unique agave spirit with an earthy and smoky personality. If you like Tequila, you’ll love Mezcal. Even if you’re not a Tequila fan, you’ll fall for Mezcal. The best cocktail with the alternative agave spirit? The Tamarind Margarita. Earthy, tangy and beautifully balanced, this drink takes the Margarita drink family to the next level. You’ll find tamarind concentrate in any Mexican supermarket.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Mezcal Joven
- 2 oz orange juice
- 1 oz tamarind concentrate
Instructions
Add the Mezcal, orange juice and tamarind concentrate into a blender with ice. Blend and pour it into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Paloma
When fizzy drinks are in order, there’s no drink like the Paloma. It means dove, and it really gives you wings! This is not just another Tequila drink; it’s impressive how Mexican grapefruit soda can give it a whole new feel. Any regular grapefruit soda will do, but the Mexican kind provides the drink with authenticity. Lime and salt add the final touch. Get ready for Mexico’s finest thirst-quencher.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 1 oz lime juice
- Top with grapefruit soda
- salt
Instructions
Crust a highball glass with a salt rim, fill with ice and pour the Tequila and lime juice. Top with grapefruit soda and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Tequila Tonic
This one is easy, and as you might have guessed it, it’s not really a traditional Mexican drink but a modern concoction often enjoyed by the young crowd. Think of a gin or vodka tonic, but better — it’a made with Tequila! You already know the recipe for this one; what you still don’t know is how amazing the drink is. Use your favorite tonic water, but make sure you use a white or Blanco Tequila; you don’t want the barrel-aged stuff; you want a clear spirit just like Gin.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila Blanco
- Top with tonic water
Instructions
Fill a highball with ice and pour the Tequila. Top with tonic water and garnish with a lime twist.
Sangría
This drink is based on red wine, but it has the brightest citrus flavors to turn your favorite inexpensive red wine into a colorful drink that’s not too boozy; it’s just right! Red wine, orange juice, a splash of simple syrup and a dash of sparkling water to liven things up is all you need to make this crimson-hued drink. Mexico’s homage to red wine cocktails.
Ingredients
- 5 oz red wine
- 2 oz orange juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz sparkling water
Instructions
In a shaker filled with ice, pour the red wine, orange juice and simple syrup. Shake and pour into a 10-oz hurricane glass, top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Sangrita
Ok, this one is not properly a cocktail, but it is a very traditional Mexican drink and means little blood. This is a famous tomato-based chaser for straight Tequila. There are many sangrita brands in the market, especially in the Mexican liqueur shelf, but they’re too artificial. Homemade sangrita, though — that’s on another level. This Mexican drink is supposed to be spicy and acidic; it wakes up your taste buds after every sip of Tequila.
Ingredients
- 4 oz tomato juice
- 3 oz orange juice
- 1 oz lime juice
- 6-8 dashes of Tabasco hot sauce
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients and store the sangrita in a container with a lid or bottle. Pour the sangrita in 2-oz shot glasses as a chaser for Tequila.
Vampiro
The Vampire, that’s right. This drink is prevalent in many circles in Mexico. It’s also one of the most popular Tequila cocktails, and it’s made with sangrita, the tomato drink described above. If sangrita means blood, it’s only natural for vampires to drink it, right? Of course, it’s balanced out with a few ounces of lemon-lime soda and a spicy rim of chili pepper powder.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 1.5 oz sangrita (see recipe above)
- Top with lemon-lime soda
- Lime as needed
- Powdered chili pepper
Instructions
In a chili powder crusted highball glass filled with ice, pour the Tequila, sangrita and top with the soda, stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel.
Charro Negro
Not all Mexican drinks are complicated, some are as easy to make as a Rum & Coke, and that’s precisely what you get with the Charro Negro. Tequila and coke become a crowd-pleasing drink ideal for large parties when long, simple drinks are in order. Tequila tastes nothing like rum, so you get that agave feel in every sip for quite a unique bubbly drink. Be careful with these; they’re just too good, so don’t have too many of them!
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- Top with coke
- .5 lime juice
Instructions
Fill a highball glass with ice and pour the Tequila and lime juice. Top with cola soda and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Mexican Coffee Cocktail
Inspired in the Irish coffee, in which Irish whiskey is the star of the show, Mexicans have their own ultimate after-dinner drink, and it’s based on Tequila and coffee liqueur. This is the type of drink that’ll keep you warm on chilly nights, and it’s compatible with the winter holidays, especially if enjoyed around the fire. The secret to the perfect Mexican coffee is the coffee itself, so make sure you use a nice-quality freshly brewed espresso.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Tequila
- 2 oz freshly brewed espresso
- 1 oz coffee liqueur
- Whipped cream
Instructions
Brew the espresso, pour it into a cappuccino glass, pour the Tequila, coffee liqueur and stir. Top with whipped cream.
Carajillo
This drink of Spanish inspiration has taken Mexico by storm in the last decade, as it has become the trendiest after-dinner drink in restaurants around the country. The honey and vanilla flavors in the famous Licor 43, a Spanish liqueur, really shines when combined with coffee and served over ice. You’d never imagine this is a two-ingredient drink; it’s immensely uplifting and satisfying! The best part? You can make it at home, too, and a bottle of Licor 43 is always an excellent addition to any home bar.
Ingredients
- 1 2-oz espresso
- 1 oz Licor 43
Instructions
Brew the espresso and chill it to room temperature in an ice bath. Fill a rocks glass with ice, pour the espresso and the Licor 43. Stir gently.
And We’re Just Getting Started!
Just like Mexican people know how plenty about boisterous merrymaking, they know a thing or two about drinks, and their drink collection is made of excellent thirst-quenchers. From refreshing aperitifs to delicious after-dinner drinks, the Mexican drink repertoire has it all — for all palates and occasions!
Call some friends over and put together a Mexican-themed cocktail party. Sure, have margaritas for everyone, but show off your newfound library of Mexican drinks as well! You’ll surely agree you need not be a professional bartender to mix the drinks above, so have fun!
While you’re at it, put together an authentic Mexican feast. Mexican food is the perfect partner for the country’s colorful drinks. That’s what we call a party!
About the Author
Twigs cafe staff is comprised of editors, writers, food & drink experts, nutritionists, and researchers to create informative and helpful content for health-conscious people.
