Sips & Synopsis

• This Weeks Makings

• Trivia Question

• Drink of the Week - The Cantarito

• Behind the Bar - The Tequila Class

• Bonus Cocktails

• Mocktail or Zero Proof Option

This Weeks Makings.

National Tequila Day is next Friday.

Which means this week, we're stepping past the margarita.

Not because there's anything wrong with a good margarita. There isn't. But there's a whole world of Mexican cocktails that most home bartenders never think to make, and most of them are just as easy to build.

The Cantarito is the one I keep coming back to. Fresh grapefruit, orange, lime, blanco tequila, and a splash of grapefruit soda over ice. Traditionally served in a salt-rimmed clay cup from Jalisco. Bright, festive, and deeply refreshing.

If you've only ever had tequila in a margarita or a shot glass, this one is going to feel like meeting the spirit for the first time.

In this week's newsletter:

• The Cantarito recipe and why it works so well in summer

• A quick class on the four categories of tequila (and which to reach for when)

• Two bonus cocktails that skip tequila entirely, so every guest has something they love

• A trivia question about the one plant that makes tequila legally tequila

• A mocktail that mirrors the Cantarito for guests who aren't drinking

Trivia Question❓

Fill in the blank: To be legally called tequila, the spirit must be made from the ______ agave plant, grown primarily in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

The Cantarito

A Jalisco bar staple. Bright, festive, and built for hot afternoons.

Ingredients

• 2 oz blanco tequila

• 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice

• 1 oz fresh orange juice

• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice

• Pinch of sea salt

• Grapefruit soda (Squirt or Jarritos) to top

• Tajín or chili salt for the rim

• Lime wheel to garnish

Directions

1. Rim a rocks glass or clay cup with Tajín using a lime wedge

2. Fill the glass with ice

3. Add tequila, grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, and salt

4. Stir gently to combine

5. Top with grapefruit soda

6. Garnish with a lime wheel

Why It Works
The three fresh citruses give the drink layers of brightness that plain lime juice can't match. The pinch of salt lifts every flavor. Grapefruit soda adds a soft sweetness and fizz without overpowering the tequila. It tastes like Jalisco.

Behind the Bar - The Tequila Class You Never Took

If you've stood in front of a tequila shelf and felt overwhelmed, you're not alone.

There are hundreds of bottles, several categories, and prices that range from $12 to $12,000. It helps to know what the words on the label actually mean.

Tequila is aged in oak barrels, and how long it sits there determines the category:

• Blanco (or Silver): unaged, or aged less than two months. Clear, bright, peppery, with the pure taste of agave. This is the tequila you want for cocktails.

• Reposado: aged 2 to 12 months. Softer, with a hint of oak and vanilla. Great for cocktails when you want a little richness, still smooth enough to sip.

• Añejo: aged 1 to 3 years. Amber colored, complex, with caramel and spice notes. Save this for sipping neat or on the rocks.

• Extra Añejo: aged 3+ years. Rich and deep, comparable to a fine whiskey. Sipping only.

The other label phrase that matters is "100% agave."

If a bottle says 100% agave, every drop of sugar in that tequila came from the blue Weber agave plant. If it doesn't, the bottle is a "mixto," meaning up to 49% of the sugars came from cheaper sources like corn syrup. Mixtos are often behind the worst tequila hangovers. Skip them.

A few tools that make tequila cocktails better at home

• Clay cups for the right vessel

• Tajín seasoning for that classic chili-salt rim

• Handheld citrus juicer because bottled juice will never match fresh

Buy the 100% agave bottle. Your morning will thank you.

Bonus Cocktails

Two more for the crowd, each with a different spirit doing the heavy lifting so every guest has something they love.

Frozen Watermelon Cooler

Peak summer in a blender.

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka

• 1 cup fresh watermelon cubes

• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice

• 0.5 oz simple syrup

• 1 cup ice

• Fresh mint to garnish

Directions

Blend everything except the mint until smooth and slushy. Pour into a chilled rocks glass or coupe. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.

Why it works
Watermelon at peak season needs almost nothing to shine. The vodka lets the fruit do the talking, and the lime keeps it from getting cloying.

Coconut Ginger Highball

Clean, tropical, not too sweet.

Ingredients

• 2 oz light rum

• 2 oz coconut water

• 3 oz ginger beer

• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice

• Lime wedge to garnish

Directions

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add rum, coconut water, and lime juice. Top with ginger beer. Stir once and garnish with a lime wedge.

Why it works
Coconut water and ginger beer are a criminally underused pairing. The coconut softens the ginger's bite, and the rum brings warmth without weight.

Mocktail or Zero Proof Option

Sparkling Citrus Cooler

The Cantarito's zero-proof twin.

Ingredients

• 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice

• 1 oz fresh orange juice

• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice

• Pinch of sea salt

• Grapefruit soda to top

• Tajín rim

• Lime wheel to garnish

Directions

Rim a rocks glass with Tajín. Fill with ice. Add all three juices and the salt. Top with grapefruit soda. Garnish with a lime wheel.