There are so many Mexican drinks to try. A trip to Mexico will not be complete without trying some of its finest drinks. We are talking about iconic Mexican cocktails that are as colorful and varied as their terrain.
A cocktail is a mixed drink typically made with distilled liquor (such as brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey) or sweetened liqueurs, wine, or beer as its base ingredients. The base liquor is then mixed with other ingredients or garnishes like sugar, and bitter or citrus.
Related: Quench Your Thirst with the Different Types of Tequila
What are authentic Mexican cocktails that will help you appreciate the Mexican spirit whenever you get a drink of some?
Before we go to the details of the best Mexican cocktails you should be adding to your repertoire, learn the fun facts that make Mexican cocktails interesting.
8 Fun Facts About Mexican Cocktails
Here are some great Mexican cocktails facts you wouldn’t like to miss:
- Don Javier Delgado Corona, invented two of Mexico’s most popular cocktails, the Paloma and the Batanga. He was one of Mexico’s most prolific bartenders in a bar called La Capilla in the town of Tequila.
- The Paloma and the Batanga are variations on the same theme: the Paloma is tequila mixed with lime and grapefruit soda while the Batanga is tequila mixed with lime and Coke.
- Many of the other cocktails you will find in a Mexican bar are Caribbean imports like the piña colada, Cuba libre, daiquiri, and mojito.
- The most common mixed drink or cocktail in Mexico does not contain hard alcohol. It’s called the michelada, which can be as simple as beer and lime juice in a glass with a salted rim.
- The Americans have their own complex versions of the michelada Mexican cocktail that include clamato, hot sauce, lime juice, and a savory element like Worcestershire sauce, Maggi, or even soy sauce.
- The michelada Mexican cocktail has many variations especially at festivals and street fairs in Mexico. You can have either of these:
- Chamoyadas that have the sweet-sour-salty pickled plum sauce chamoy.
- Mangadas, a fruity mixture of mango purée and beer.
- Gomicheladas with spicy gummy candies as a garnish.
- Mexico’s oldest cocktail drink is the pulque. It is made with the fermented syrup of the maguey or agave plant, which is the same plant used to make tequila and mezcal.
- One native regional specialty cocktail of Mexico prepared by the toritos of Veracruz is prepared with a blend of sugarcane rum with fruits, nuts, and even coffee. It has the feel of mucus and the flavor of sour milk. Those used to its flavor hunch over a big gulp-sized mug of this white stuff. Teens mask the natural flavor by chugging it down with pulque flavored with guava, pine nut, tamarind, strawberry, or pineapple.
What Are Authentic Mexican Cocktails?
You should have heard about the margarita. Of course, the classic margarita is a thing of beauty with its endless variations.
Related: The History of Margarita
But, there is more to Mexican cocktails than just the margarita that you should try.
Here’s a list of favorite Mexican cocktails:
The Paloma is quite possibly the most popular cocktail. This classic Mexican cocktail is bubbly, super-refreshing, and as genuinely Mexican as it gets.
