It’s no secret that Mexican food is some of the tastiest food in the world. From enchiladas to tacos to tamales to burritos, it’s really hard to go wrong with Mexican food.
While Mexican food tastes great on its own, if you want to take it to the next level, you need to pair it with the right drink. What drinks go best with Mexican food?
Check out Rancho La Gloria’s guide to find out the best alcoholic drinks to pair with your Mexican dishes!
Related: The Best Refreshing Alcoholic Drinks for Hot Weather
1. Classic Margarita
There’s perhaps no better drink to go with Mexican food than a classic Margarita. While margaritas can be made in various ways, the classic margarita contains three primary ingredients:
- Tequila: Silver or reposado tequila is considered the top choice for margaritas, but any kind of tequila will do
- Orange Liqueur: Many people go with Cointreau, but you can use any brand of orange liqueur
- Lime Juice: We always recommend using freshly squeezed lime for your margaritas
Many people also like to add:
- Agave Syrup: This can help sweeten up your margarita
- Kosher Salt: This is perfect for salting the rim of your glass. You just need to run a lime wedge around the glass rim and then dip it in a plate of Kosher salt.
- Garnishes: The classic margarita is always garnished with a lime wedge
To make a classic margarita, you need to:
- Prep your glass by salting the rim.
- Combine 1.5 ounces of tequila, 1 ounce of orange liqueur, and ¾ ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice in an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake the mixture for about ten seconds, and then pour over your salt-rimmed glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making your own margarita to pair with your Mexican food, we suggest investing in some premade margarita mix.
Check out Rancho La Gloria’s bottled original margarita wine cocktail! It’s the perfect alcoholic beverage to pair with your Mexican food!
2. Margarita Variations
While you can’t go wrong with the classic margarita, there are some other margarita variations we recommend you try.
Some of the best choices include:
- Mango margarita
- Watermelon margarita
- Peach margarita
- Strawberry margarita
You can make any of these margarita flavors homemade, or you can purchase some premade versions. Rancho La Gloria offers flavored margaritas that come as bottled wine cocktails, canned cocktails, and even popsicles.
Flavored margaritas go great with all kinds of Mexican dishes. You can pair a flavored margarita with chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, or tostadas.
Related: 10 Second Spicy Mango Gummy Margarita
3. Michelada
If you’re a fan of the beer and bloody Mary combo, then you need to get your hands on a Michelada. The Michelada is a spicy Mexican cocktail that combines tomato juice, beer, lime juice, and hot sauce.
Here’s what you need to make your own version at home:
- 12 ounces of Mexican lager beer
- 1.5 ounces of lime juice
- 1.5 ounces of salsa juice strained from a salsa jar
- 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of celery salt for the rim
- Ice
To make the Michelada, start by mixing the celery salt, Old Bay seasoning, and chili powder on a plate. Run a lime around the rim of the glass, and dip the rim in the seasoning mixture.
Add ice to the glass, and then add in the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, strained salsa juice, and lime juice. Mix the ingredients, and then top with beer and stir gently.
Because a Michelada is similar to a bloody Mary, we recommend serving it with your favorite Mexican breakfast dish, such as huevos rancheros, huevos divorciados, or chilaquiles.
4. Horchata
Horchata is an authentic Mexican beverage that combines blended white rice and almonds. The drink is thick and creamy with the perfect touch of sweetness. Here are the ingredients you need to make a horchata:
- 1 ¼ cup of long-grain white rice, dry and uncooked
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ cup of sliced almonds
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of whole milk
Here are the steps to making horchata:
- Add the rice, almonds, and cinnamon sticks to a high-speed blender.
- Blend the ingredients for about 60 seconds on high-speed until the ingredients are finely pulverized. If the mixture sticks to the bottom, stop to shake the blender.
- Pour in the sugar, vanilla, cold water, and milk.
- Cover and chill the mixture for 8 to 12 hours.
- Use a mesh sieve to strain the mixture into a pitcher.
- Serve the horchata over ice and garnish with cinnamon sticks or some ground cinnamon.
Because horchata is a heavy drink, we recommend pairing with some lighter Mexican food, such as chips and guacamole, chips and salsa, or elote.
Related: The Best Alcoholic Drinks to Bring to a Bachelorette Party
Pairing the Right Drinks With Your Mexican Food
As you can see, there are many great drinks that you can pair with your Mexican food. Now, you just need to decide which drink on this list that you’re doing to make!
If you’re looking to purchase some Rancho La Gloria drinks to pair with your favorite Mexican dishes, then click here to learn where to buy our products!