These Dallas bartenders have the recipes if you’ve got the shaker and the Casa Dragones tequila.
You’ve got tequila. You’ve got limes. You’re practically already there. But you can also get to Margaritaville — that destination we all need right now more than ever — by taking a slightly different route.
Here are some new twists on the much-loved cocktail, made with Casa Dragones, a small-batch, award-winning tequila producer based in San Miguel de Allende and New York City. It’s an Oprah and Martha Stewart favorite, for the smooth-sipping taste we’re guessing, but maybe also because founder Bertha Gonzalez Nieves was the first woman to be certified as “Maestra Tequilera” by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila.
Blood Orange Bliss
Courtesy bartender Trevor Robson, Park House in Dallas
Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Dragones Blanco
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce blood orange purée
½ ounce agave
2 drops vanilla extract
Champagne
Lime or blood orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
Combine the Casa Dragones, lime, blood orange purée, agave, and vanilla in a shaker. Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass. Add fresh ice. Top with champagne and garnish with a lime or blood orange wheel.
Smash Daisy
Courtesy bartender James Smith, Las Palmas in Dallas
Ingredients
Red bell pepper slices
Mint leaves
1½ ounces Casa Dragones Blanco
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce Cointreau
Instructions
Combine muddling ingredients (red bell pepper and mint), lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker. Muddle. Add Cointreau and Casa Dragones after muddling. Top with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a generous mint sprig and bell pepper and enjoy!
Dragones For My Homies
Courtesy bartender Amy Hampton, Mexican Sugar in Las Colinas
Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Dragones Blanco
1 ounce fresh lime juice
¾ ounce agave
¼ ounce Cointreau
Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients, shake, and strain over ice. Rim glass with salt and garnish with a lime wheel.
Como Fresas
Courtesy bartender Carlos Marquez (popsicles by bartender Diana Zamora), José in Dallas
Ingredients
4 fresh strawberries
Mint leaves
1½ ounces Casa Dragones Blanco
¾ ounce agave
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce Fraise des Bois liqueur
Mini popsicle for garnish: frozen cucumber juice, lime juice, and Casa Dragones Joven
House-made “Miguelito” for rim
Instructions
Muddle 3 strawberries with 3 mint leaves. Rim a glass with the “Miguelito.” Add remaining ingredients and shake, strain, and pour on the rocks. Garnish with mint, the remaining strawberry, and the cucumber, lime, and Casa Dragones Joven popsicle.
Cantaloupe Margarita
Courtesy bartender John Jones, Enrique Tomas in Dallas
Ingredients
1½ ounces Casa Dragones Blanco
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce cantaloupe syrup
½ ounce brandy
Lime wedge for garnish
Mint leaves for garnish
Cantaloupe melon ball for garnish
Instructions
Combine and shake all ingredients and pour over ice. Garnish with lime, a mint spring, and a cantaloupe melon ball.
For more margarita recipes, click here. For more on Casa Dragones tequila, visit their website.
Photography: All images courtesy Kevin Marple
