The Cosme Cocktail.
Photo: Courtesy of Casa Dragones
These Inventive Tequila Cocktails Will Be Your New Summer Favorites
Three recipes from Casa Dragones will enliven your mixology game through Labor Day and beyond
Has the orange glow of Aperol Spritz begun to fade? Is every glass of rosé starting to taste more and more like water? After a long summer of outdoor, socially distanced cocktail hours, mixing up a fresh take on a margarita is just the upgrade your home-mixology menu needs.
But the range of a tequila cocktail doesn’t begin and end with margaritas. There’s an ever-growing variety of things to shake and stir with the agave-based alcohol to create a wondrous escape in a glass.
Maestra tequilera Bertha Gonzalez Nieves, cofounder of Casa Dragones tequila, is certainly on board with this proposition. The tequilas she creates are handcrafted, and each bottle is numbered. A favorite is its Blanco, perfect for mixing. Plus, Casa Dragones just released an añejo tequila called Barrel Blend, which is incredible as a sipping tequila on its own but also already a hit with cocktail connoisseurs for extremely elevated mixed drinks.
Outdoor dining with tequila and a wine tote by Ralph Lauren. Photo: Casa Dragones
When it comes to cocktails at home, Gonzalez Nieves recognizes there’s a hurdle. “Most everyone knows how to cook, but very few know how to make cocktails at home,” she explains while sipping a glass of añejo over Zoom.
Here, Casa Dragones makes it easier to take that leap with tequila cocktails as inventive as they are delicious. Created by PDT, Cosme, and Atla, all New York restaurants known for their impressive cocktail programs, they’re well worth savoring while enjoying the season. And for the aspiring tequila connoisseur, Gonzalez Nieves offers sipping notes for savoring her new Casa Dragones añejo neat.
El Grito cocktail. Photo: Courtesy of Casa Dragones
El Grito
Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned? This modern take was created by award-winning mixologist Jeff Bell, who helms New York’s beloved cocktail haven PDT.
2 oz Casa Dragones Barrel Blend
0.25 oz vanilla agave syrup
2 dashes Bitterman’s Mole Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with a long mandarin orange twist.
Carlota's Margarita Photo: Courtesy of Casa Dragones
Carlota’s Margarita
Created by mixologist Yann Volfson at New York City’s Atla restaurant, this inventive spin on the classic margarita captures the richness of Mexican cuisine.
1.5 oz Casa Dragones Blanco
0.5 oz lime juice
0.75 oz Dolin Blanc or Cocchi Americano
0.5 lime Juice
Egg whites/yolk
Barspoon Lime Curd
Shake all ingredients together, then add 4 or 5 ice cubes and hard shake. Strain over fresh ice cubes in a glass. Garnish with lime cachete.
The Cosme Cocktail. Photo: Courtesy of Casa Dragones
The Cosme Cockail
A signature drink at the award-wining New York restaurant Cosme, this refreshing tequila cocktail gets its hint of grapefruit from Giffard triple sec.
1 1/4 oz Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco
3/4 oz Giffard triple sec
1/2 oz lime juice
Two bar spoons of cranberry tincture
Shake all ingredients together and double strain into a coupe glass.
A glass of añejo for sipping. Photo: Casa Dragones
Añejo Neat
For the añejo tequila, the founders discovered a special cooperage in Bordeaux to create the barrels for aging. “It’s a barrel blend, so a journey of wood brings forth the sweet and pepper notes,” says Gonzalez Nieves. “The aroma has notes of figs, pears, and almonds without that alcohol kick. It’s a long warm finish that isn’t arresting.”
The recipe for enjoying is easy. Simply pour into a whiskey snifter or tulip glass and enjoy.
Cover: The Cosme Cocktail.
Photo: Courtesy of Casa Dragones
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