Skip to main content

How To Make Sangrita That Will Make You Fall in Love With Tequila Again

sangrita tequila shot
Flickr/chrisjara

We’ve all made mistakes. Many of those mistakes were accompanied by shots of cheap tequila. We don’t have to talk about it.

But tequila doesn’t deserve all the blame for those things you did on the dance floor, and it’s time you made up. In recent years, people have begun to realize that agave spirits (tequila and mezcal) are too good to be gulped in the dark and chased down by table salt and brown-edged limes. This is a good thing, because tequila and mezcal are as worthy of appreciation as more austere spirits like Scotch and whiskey. But even high-quality spirits can be aggressive if you’re sipping them straight, and nobody knows that better than the people who made them.

In Mexico, fine tequila and mezcal are typically served with a side of sangrita, a flavorful little beverage that translates to “little blood.” Traditional sangrita packs a punch, made with sweet pomegranate, sour Seville orange, and spicy Mexican chili powder. This flavor combination is meant as an accompaniment, not a chaser, meant to harmonize with the earthy heat of the spirit and curb a little of its bite.

But you don’t have to go all the way to Jalisco to enjoy your agave like a grownup. If you’ve already exhausted your repertoire of tequila cocktails, whip up a batch of homemade sangrita and sip the rest of that bottle with sweet, spicy satisfaction. This cocktail recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about juicing your own pomegranates or scouring the store for Seville oranges.

Homemade Sangrita Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 orange
  • 2 limes
  • .5 oz. pomegranate juice
  • .5 oz agave nectar (or honey)
  • dash of cayenne pepper
  • pinch of salt

Method:

  1. Juice orange and limes into a bowl with pomegranate, agave, cayenne, and salt
  2. Whisk together until agave nectar and salt are fully dissolved (heating the nectar in the microwave for 5-10 seconds beforehand will speed this process)
  3. Adjust seasoning to taste, then strain through a fine mesh strainer and store in refrigerator

Tomato, or Not Tomato?

Many tequila bars and Mexican restaurants north of the border offer sangrita, and it often drinks like a tiny little Bloody Mary. This is because American sangrita often contains tomato, adding a savory quality to the sweet/sour/spicy combination in the traditional recipe. Rather than getting mired in the “right” way of doing things, let’s focus on the mission here: to make a decent dancing partner for your favorite mezcal or tequila. There’s plenty to love about a sangrita with tomato, and if that’s your thing, go wild. You can add a touch of tomato juice, or go full farmer’s market and incorporate fresh seasonal tomatoes into your mix. Feel free to get creative with different fruits and veggie combinations to achieve the sweet/sour/spicy flavor profile. There’s no reason you can’t substitute mango for pomegranate, or go green and make it a kiwi. This recipe uses cayenne for simplicity, but you can hit your local Mexican market to find a more authentic and varied selection of peppers.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ryan Polhemus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Polhemus is a freelance drinker with a writing problem. He believes firmly in the power of short stories, long hikes…
This is the only quiche recipe you’ll ever need
Don't settle for soggy crust
A slice of quiche on a white plate

The first time I saw quiche on a menu, I was with my mom and best friend at a particularly posh restaurant in Carmel, California. At 11 years old, I’d never seen the word written down before, and I asked my mom what a “qweechy” was. I’m now nearly 40 and have yet to live that one down. As it turned out, qweechy would become one of my very favorite things to eat. I love how versatile it is, that it’s an acceptable meal any time of the day, how simple it is to make, and most importantly, how delicious it can be, served hot or cold.

This easy quiche recipe is hearty and rich and filling enough to be an entire meal by itself, but we love to serve it with a fresh mixed greens salad. It's also casual enough to serve on a regular Tuesday night, but special enough for holiday gatherings.

Read more
10 smoky scotch whisky options to make those fall campfires magical
Our favorite smoky scotch whisky brands for late-summer drinking
Campfire whisky

The end of summer is barreling toward us like a pumpkin spice-fueled locomotive. Depending on where you live, you’re likely already seeing some signs of fall. The leaves are beginning to change color, the days are getting shorter, and Halloween candy is already on grocery store shelves. Fear not, even with the eventuality that is the end of summer, we still have until September 23 to enjoy all that the season has to offer. For us, it means as many backyard campfires as possible before the weather grows colder. It also means we only have weeks left to pair our fires with a glass of warming Scotch whisky.

Nobody will blame you for complimenting the smoky fire by drinking a complex, non-peated single malt Scotch whisky. For those confused about the spelling, most of the world omits the 'e' when referring to whisky. You also might be wondering the difference between Scotch and whiskey. Well, in the simplest terms, Scotch is a kind of whisky (Americans and the Irish still use the 'e'). So that should put an end to the Scotch vs. whiskey debate once and for all.

Read more
Apple cider donuts are a fall tradition – this is the only recipe you need
You'll love this tasty, simple apple cider donut recipe
Apple cider donuts with sugar

This time of year, the sweet treats are out to play, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Pair all the deliciously spicy fall flavors with chilly days that make you want to snuggle up with something cozy and sugary, and we're happy campers. Perhaps slightly chubbier ones, but that's what the cable-knit sweaters are for. If you've never made (or even tried!) piping hot, cinnamon-sugary, crisp and spicy, fresh apple cider donuts, what are you even doing with your life? This chilly weather treat is a must for autumn days, and it's about time you learn to make these spicy little love cakes.

Why are apple cider donuts so good?
We all love our local corner donut shops for a quick sugar fix and a cheap cup of coffee. Nothing says "it's going to be a good Saturday morning" more than one of those cheerful pink boxes. Now imagine that instead of your usual maple bar or classic glazed, the donut in your hand is fresh and warm, infused with crisp, autumnal apple cider and fall spices, warm cinnamon and sugar crystals dusting your fingertips. And instead of a fluorescently lit shop in a strip mall with chipped laminate flooring, you're enjoying that donut at a stunningly fragrant, gorgeously picturesque apple orchard, owned and run by kind and jovial local farmers.

Read more