Toast to the Holidays With These 5 Festive Camarena Cocktails

This holiday season, be prepared for every event with the perfect taste to toast winter cheer. Whether you’re throwing a holiday party or just looking to make wrapping presents more fun, having a few seasonal cocktails in your arsenal that are both easy to make and impressive enough to wow your guests is an effortless way to spread some holiday spirit.

Camarena Tequila was inspired by celebrations. In 1766, the Camarena family co-founded the town of Arandas in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, now the heart of artisanal tequila making. In the center of town sits Mexico’s largest bell, La Reina de Silencio, which is used to call the community together to gather in celebration. To honor this symbol of joy and togetherness, the Camarena bottle is now in the shape of that bell, its image embossed on the glass.

The exceptional portfolio of Camarena tequila is made with 100 percent Blue Weber agave from the highlands of Jalisco, which tends to be sweeter, softer, and fruitier in flavor compared to the more mineral-driven agave tequilas of the lowlands. Silver is the brightest expression, with hints of toasted agave, green herbs, and a pop of citrus. The Reposado imparts more vanilla and caramel notes, gained from the time this tequila spent aging in a barrel. The Añejo, with generous vanilla and caramel characteristics that complement the tequila’s rich, roasted agave notes, is ideal for sipping but is also a great choice for robust, flavorful cocktails.

Have all three on hand? You can make the cocktails below with easy-to-find ingredients for both planned and impromptu holiday celebrations.

For a Holiday Party: Pomegranate Margaritas

Whether you’re just having a couple of friends over for drinks or hosting a large holiday fiesta, this seasonal take on a Margarita is easy to batch up ahead of time and then serve over ice when your guests arrive — just scale up based on the number of servings. Using bottled pomegranate juice is a timesaver, but a few pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the drink make a festive garnish.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Camarena Silver
• 1 ounce pomegranate juice
• ¾ ounce lime juice
• ¾ ounce orange liqueur
• Lime wedges and/or pomegranate seeds for garnish

Method

1. Combine tequila, the juices, and orange liqueur and shake with ice.
2. Pour into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish.

Serves: 1

Try an Interactive Gift Exchange Challenge: The Camarena Chaser

For a more intimate get-together or a White Elephant gift exchange, add another interactive element to your event: Pair traditional tequila “chasers” with pours of neat tequila to explore various flavor combinations that highlight the different tasting notes of each.

Ingredients

• Neat, 1-ounce pours of Camarena Silver, Reposado, and Añejo tequilas
• Grapefruit, sliced
• Orange, sliced
• Watermelon, sliced
• Pineapple, sliced or cubed
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Chili powder

Method

1. Give everyone small, neat pours of each tequila expression
2. Make the “chasers.” Slice the grapefruit and dip it in sugar and set the slices on one plate. On another plate, slice the orange and dip it in cinnamon. On a third plate, slice watermelon and pineapple and dip them in chili powder.
3. Sip the tequila and take a bite of each chaser to find your perfect pairing.

Instead of Dessert: Tequila Coquito

This riff on Coquito, a Puerto Rican nog-style drink, uses aged tequila instead of white rum to offer layers of caramel and vanilla richness. The subtle sweet potato notes of the Añejo tequila work well with the cocktail’s flavorful coconut and baking spices.

Ingredients 

• 1 15-ounce can of cream of coconut
• 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups Camarena Añejo
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg for garnish

Method

1. Combine all liquid ingredients and ground spices in a blender, blend until well mixed.
2. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
3. Stir before serving over ice.
4. Garnish with cinnamon sticks in the drinks and freshly grated nutmeg on top.

Serves: 16

For a Sparkling New Year’s Eve: Hibiscus Paloma

This spirit-infused holiday version of a Paloma gets its red hue from hibiscus, which is an ingredient in Sorel, a popular Jamaican drink during the holidays. Effervescent and lively bubbles from sparkling water give you the option to serve this over ice in a large wine glass to add a dash of celebratory elegance.

Ingredients 

• 2 ounces hibiscus infused Camarena Silver * (see below for instructions)
• 2 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
• Sparkling water for topping
• Squeeze of lime
• Hibiscus tea and salt to make a rim

Method

1. Put two hibiscus teabags in a cup of Camarena Silver and let infuse in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The more teabags you use and the longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavor will be, so start slowly and build up depending on your tastes.
2. Open a couple of the tea bags and put the loose tea and some salt on a small plate. Rim half of the outside of a glass by rubbing it with a lime wedge, and then rolling it in the tea and salt mixture.
3. Fill the rimmed glass with ice and add the infused tequila and grapefruit juice along with a squeeze of lime. Top with sparkling water.

Serves: 1

For Holiday Brunch: Bloody Maria

Still feeling the holiday cheer at post-party brunch? Enjoy our Bloody Marias. Using Camarena Silver gives the cocktail more depth, complexity, and flavor than making the drink with vodka.

Ingredients 

• 1 ½ ounces Camarena Silver
• 3 ounces Bloody Mary mix of choice or tomato juice
• 2 dashes of hot sauce (more if desired)
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Squeeze of a lime wedge

Method

1. Add ingredients into a Collins glass filled with ice.
2. Stir together to combine and chill. Garnish with celery, lime, and olive.

Serves: 1

This article is sponsored by Camarena.