Drinks

Drinks for the tamale table

Each recipe makes one drink. Mix them up one glass at a time while the tamales rest, or scale up for the table.

Preview of the printable folding guide: six numbered steps for folding a tamale, from preparing the husk to ready for the steamer.

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Bloody María

A savory tequila twist on the Bloody Mary. Makes 1 drink.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • 6 ounces tomato juice
  • ½ ounce fresh lime juice
  • 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Ice
  • Chile salt for the rim, optional
  • Celery stalk and lime wedge for garnish

Instructions

  1. Rub a lime wedge around the glass rim and dip into chile salt, if using.
  2. Stir together the tequila, tomato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and pepper.
  3. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the drink.
  4. Garnish with celery and lime. Adjust the hot sauce to your liking.
A Bloody María in a tall glass with a chile-salt rim, garnished with celery and a lime wedge, with tamales on a plate behind it.
Bloody María — chile-salt rim, celery and lime.

Classic Margarita

A simple combination of tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime. Makes 1 drink.

Ingredients

  • 50 milliliters blanco tequila
  • 20 milliliters triple sec
  • 15 milliliters fresh lime juice
  • Ice for shaking
  • Salt for the rim, optional
  • Lime wheel for garnish

Instructions

  1. Chill a stemmed cocktail glass.
  2. For a salted rim, moisten half the rim with lime and dip lightly into salt.
  3. Add the tequila, triple sec, and lime juice to a shaker filled with ice.
  4. Shake until thoroughly chilled.
  5. Strain into the glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
A Classic Margarita in a stemmed glass with a salt rim and lime wheel, with a plate of tamales behind it.
Classic Margarita — salt rim and a lime wheel.

Grapefruit Paloma

A sparkling tequila cocktail with grapefruit and a splash of lime. Makes 1 drink.

Ingredients

  • 50 milliliters blanco tequila
  • 5 milliliters fresh lime juice, approximately 1 teaspoon
  • 100 milliliters pink grapefruit soda
  • Small pinch of salt
  • Ice
  • Lime wheel for garnish

Instructions

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add the tequila, lime juice, and salt.
  3. Pour in the grapefruit soda and stir gently.
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel and serve immediately.
A Grapefruit Paloma in a tall salt-rimmed glass with ice and a lime wheel, a cut grapefruit beside it and tamales on a plate behind.
Grapefruit Paloma — grapefruit soda over ice.

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