Make Tequila Day memorable – start early with some classic cocktails

KAH Blanco Paloma cocktail

FOR reasons lost to history, the internationally recognised date of ‘Tequila Day’ is July 24 – and this year, that means that it falls on a Monday.

Thus Amber Beverage, distributor of premium agave-based brands KAH Tequila and Rooster Rojo Tequila, has advised anyone wishing to mark the occasion to consider doing so a few days early by shaking up some cocktails on the preceding weekend.

The message from Amber Bev., and indeed the wider industry concerned with agave spirits, is that the UK has to get past its bad student-days memories of tequila shots, and start appreciating the sophistication that is available from this burgeoning category.

By way of encouragement, Amber proposes two ‘exceptional’ cocktails to enjoy on Tequila Day. First up is the KAH Blanco Paloma cocktail, offering ‘a harmonious balance of zesty grapefruit, tangy lime, and a hint of sweetness, making it a special choice for summer celebrations’.

This requires 50ml of KAH Blanco Tequila, 10ml agave syrup, 10ml lime juice, and 60ml pink grapefruit juice, shaken with ice in a cocktail maker, then poured into a highball glass filled with ice and topped with soda, followed by a garnish of pink grapefruit.

A classic Margarita

Its other suggestion is the perennial favourite, a Margarita, made with Rooster Rojo for ‘a perfectly blended combination of tangy lime and smooth tequila’.

This needs 45ml of Rooster Rojo Reposado Tequila, 30ml freshly squeezed lime juice, and 5ml agave syrup, combine in a shaker with ice, then strained into a fine glass pre-rimmed with salt, then garnish with a lime wheel or wedge and edible flowers.