Chicago Loves TequilaChicago Knows Tequila

Recipes

What Chicago's Drinking

Simple builds, fresh citrus, no sour mix. If a drink needs a great tequila to taste good, we'd rather tell you that than hide it.

The recipes

Maxwell Park Margarita

A clean, premium margarita with nothing hiding the agave.

Rocks glass, half salt rim · 3 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Maxwell Park Platinum Blanco
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 0.75 oz orange liqueur
  • 0.25 oz agave nectar (optional, to taste)
  • Kosher salt for the rim
  • Lime wheel

Method

  1. 1Salt half the rim of a rocks glass so you can choose salt or no salt with each sip.
  2. 2Combine tequila, lime, orange liqueur and agave in a shaker with ice.
  3. 3Shake hard for 10–12 seconds — you want dilution and texture, not just cold.
  4. 4Strain over one large cube and garnish with a lime wheel.

Note: Start with no agave nectar and add only if your limes are sharp. A premium blanco doesn't need sweetening to taste good.

La Villita Paloma

Grapefruit, lime, salt and mineral water — the long drink done properly.

Tall glass · 3 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blanco tequila
  • 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
  • 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Mineral water to top
  • Grapefruit peel

Method

  1. 1Add tequila, grapefruit, lime and salt to a tall glass.
  2. 2Fill with ice and stir briefly to combine.
  3. 3Top with mineral water and stir once more.
  4. 4Express a grapefruit peel over the top and drop it in.

Note: A Chicago Loves Tequila original inspired by the neighborhood — not a traditional Little Village recipe.

Chicago Spicy Margarita

Jalapeño heat kept in balance by agave and lime.

Rocks glass · 4 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blanco tequila
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 0.5 oz agave nectar
  • 2–3 jalapeño slices
  • Lime wheel and one jalapeño slice to garnish

Method

  1. 1Muddle jalapeño slices gently in the shaker — bruise, don't pulverize.
  2. 2Add tequila, lime and agave with ice and shake hard.
  3. 3Double strain over fresh ice so you don't get pepper shards.
  4. 4Garnish with a lime wheel and a single jalapeño slice.

Note: Heat should arrive at the finish, not the first sip. Taste after two slices before adding a third.

Chicago Ranch Water

Three ingredients, nowhere for a bad tequila to hide.

Tall glass or the bottle it came in · 2 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blanco tequila
  • 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
  • Mineral water to top
  • Lime wedge

Method

  1. 1Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. 2Add tequila and lime juice.
  3. 3Top with mineral water, stir once, garnish with lime.

Note: Use a terroir-driven blanco here if you have one open — this build is the clearest way to taste the difference between bottles.

Mexican Coffee & Tequila

An elevated coffee cocktail for a cold Chicago night.

Heatproof glass mug · 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz blanco or reposado tequila
  • 4 oz hot strong coffee
  • 0.5 oz piloncillo or demerara syrup
  • Small cinnamon stick
  • Orange peel
  • Lightly whipped cream (optional)

Method

  1. 1Warm the mug with hot water, then discard.
  2. 2Add tequila and syrup, then pour in hot coffee.
  3. 3Stir with the cinnamon stick and express an orange peel over the surface.
  4. 4Float lightly whipped cream if you want it richer.

Note: A Chicago Loves Tequila original inspired by the city's Mexican food and coffee culture — not presented as a traditional recipe.