The Tequila Mixer Playbook: Beyond Margaritas

If your tequila only ever ends up in a margarita, you’re just not doing tequila right.

Not that we have anything against a marg. We do. Sometimes. But tequila has a much broader social circle than people give it credit for. It likes grapefruit. It gets along with lime. It responds well to salt. It can handle a bit of jalapeño. It absolutely loves bubbles.

In other words, tequila is not the problem. The problem is, you’ve just never found the right mixing partner. Until now. 

We consider ourselves professional ‘ At home drinkers ‘, so we know a good mixer and tequila partnership when we see one. Ihe right mixer will do all the hard work for you and you can continue to make watching MAF’s your entire personality.

StrangeLove Salted Grapefruit was made to round and smooth premium tequila with grapefruit and Murray River rock salt. Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda brings citrus, heat and enough structure to keep tequila or mezcal interesting. Spiced Pineapple goes tropical, but she still knows how to behave and when you want to keep things brutally simple, there is always the classic Soda Water.

Trust us, tequila can do a lot more than one party trick.

The 5 Tequila Mixer Rules

(So Every Drink Tastes Suspiciously Professional)

Good tequila doesn’t need much help.

But it does appreciate a little support. The same way a good outfit benefits from shoes, or a dinner party benefits from not inviting the guy who is super ‘into crypto’.

These five rules will take your tequila drinks from “meh home attempt” to a drink that makes you feel like a bartender wouldn’t spit in your face.

1. Salt makes tequila behave

Tequila and salt have a long history together.

Most people first encounter this relationship during the classic lick-sip-suck ritual, which is otherwise known as a teenager's introduction to the joys of projectile vomiting in a bush.

In drinks, salt plays a quieter role. A small amount softens the sharp edges of agave and makes everything feel smoother, rounder and flavourful..

That’s exactly why Salted Grapefruit works. Grapefruit gives you bitterness and lift. Murray River rock salt rounds it all out. Tequila suddenly feels smoother, brighter, and a lot more put together.

Same spirit grown up.

2. Citrus that lifts

Tequila and citrus belong together. If history has shown us anything, that much is true.

But there is a big difference between a drink that tastes bright and one where citrus went full British Empire and claimed the whole thing.

Good citrus should pull the tequila upward. It should make the agave feel fresher, cleaner, sharper. It should not erase it.

That might mean grapefruit. It might mean a wedge of lime. It might just mean the oil from a citrus peel. The point is balance.

3. Spice gives tequila a personality

A little heat fixes things quickly. It sharpens the agave, tightens the drink, and avoids the whole kind of sugary “spicy margarita” that starts strong and ends up a puddle of tears and syrup.

Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda gets it right. Zesty citrus, proper bubbles, and a touch of heat to get the job done.

Tequila doesn’t need saving. It just doesn’t need to be ruined.

4. Bubbles fix almost everything

Tequila has plenty to say. Bubbles simply help it say it more clearly.

Good bubbles do God's work. They lift aroma, clean up the finish, and give tequila room to dance. Suddenly the drink is longer, colder, brighter and much easier to drink while stuck in a one-sided conversation with your coworker about their cat.

(This is scientifically proven: Early field studies suggest highly carbonated drinks improve most conversations about cats by at least 12%.)

5. Long drinks make you look organised

If you pour something tall, clear and elegant into a highball glass, one may assume you are sophisticated and actually know what you are doing. Highballs are the lazy version of the cocktail you can’t actually be arsed making.

Tequila. Ice. A quality mixer. Garnish.

It takes about twelve seconds to build and produces a drink that could potentially* get you laid.  

Which means you get to spend the evening talking about yourself rather than anxiously trying to perfect the spicy margarita..

StrangeLove has been kind to the chronically single.

*It’s just a drink, it can’t perform miracles.

Beyond Margaritas: The StrangeLove Tequila Line-Up

Tequila is one of our all-time favourite spirits. We liked it so much we built an entire mixer business around it. Which, in hindsight, feels like a fairly strong endorsement.

The following recipes were built specifically by StrangeLove, for you to experiment with tequila with ease..

Salted Grapefruit (The Paloma shortcut)

This is the latter.

Everything tequila needs is already here. Salted Grapefruit  has the Citrus, the bitterness, & the salt all Pre-handled.

You don’t need to tweak it. You don’t need to “balance” it. You don’t need to bring your personality into it at all.

No intervention required.

Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda (The spicy one)

There was a dark period where “spicy margarita” meant sugar, way too much chilli, and a drink that was so unbalanced, it was almost painful.

Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda fixes that. Bright lime keeps things zesty, while jalapeño comes in quietly and sharpens the whole profile without dragging it into undrinkable territory.

If you’re still thinking of making spicy margaritas after this, just make sure it’s with Lime and Jalapeno Lo-Cal Soda.

Spiced Pineapple (The tropical one)

We spent a long time perfecting the Spiced Pineapple. Lo-Cal Soda so that it wouldn’t leave you with tastebuds assaulted by acidity. Ouch.

So we put our heads down, worked on balancing all the good parts of the pineapple with pimento, coffee bean and just the right amount of bubbles. The result?

A party animal mixer that works with tequila, mezcal, or rum. 

No fuzzy aftermath. No sugar spiral. No tropical identity crisis.

Just a more-ish pineapple that knows how to be in a healthy relationship with tequila.

Soda Water (The clean one)

Humans have a remarkable talent for overcomplicating simple things.
Tequila and soda water is not one of those things.

StrangeLove Soda Water is super-crisp, highly carbonated, and made with Victorian spring water, which is exactly what you want with tequila, to actually taste the tequila.

Tequila.
Ice.
& very good soda water.

Simple.

5 Tequila Serves That Aren’t Margaritas

You've got the mixers. Here’s exactly what to do with them.

.Below are six highballs you’ll actually make with minimal effort and you only need a little bit of confidence.  

The Easy Paloma (The One You Will Actually Repeat)

Glass: Highball
Build: Ice, tequila, grapefruit wedge & StrangeLove Salted Grapefruit Mixer.

Salt, grapefruit, tequila. That’s the whole story.

It pulls itself together into something crisp, balanced, and annoyingly competent,  like something you definitely didn’t overthink but will happily take credit for.

Pro tip: Run a grapefruit peel around the rim if you want to look like you’ve done this before.

Spicy Marg Highball (Taller, Fresher, Less Fuss)  

Glass: Highball
Build: Ice, tequila, lime wedge & StrangeLove Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda. 

If you’ve taken our advice and cut ties with spicy margaritas, this is your next step.

No sugar, no dilution, just perfectly balanced spice. Nice.

Lime does the work. Jalapeño keeps it interesting.

Pro tip: Salt rim if you want. Or don’t. 

Mezcal Heat Check (Smoky, Spicy, Crushable)

Glass: Highball
Build: Ice, mezcal, lime wheel & StrangeLove Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda. 

Mezcal is tequila’s smoky cousin. Slightly intense, a bit weird, and the one you definitely shouldn’t avoid at family functions.

Pro tip: Go easy on the mezcal and add plenty of mixer. 

Tropical Agave Highball (Pineapple With Backbone)

Glass: Highball
Build: Ice, tequila or mezcal, pineapple wedge & StrangeLove Spiced Pineapple Mixer.. 

Spiced Pineapple and tequila were simply made for each other. Stick these together in a glass and never look back. No more notes. Just do it and thank us later. 

You’re welcome.

Pro tip:  Adding a mixer complimented with spices may sound intimidating, but in reality does the job of balancing the overall drink to not come across as too acidic or sweet.

Tequila + Soda (The Clean One That Shows Your Spirit)

Glass: Highball
Build: Ice, tequila, lime wedge & StrangeLove Soda Water. 

A good premium tequila needs a good premium soda.

It’s clean, crisp, and makes all the difference when you invest in quality bubbles.

Pro tip: A small pinch of salt can really lift those flavours hiding in the spirit. Be brave and really taste the tequila.. 

Hosting With Tequila: The “One Ice Tub” Strategy

Thanks to us, hosting has been made easy.

You do not need a cocktail station, a muddler collection or to wear a fedora and call yourself a ‘’mixologist.’’

You just need the following:

• Blanco tequila
• Reposado tequila
• Salt
• Fresh citrus
• Ice
• Two or three excellent mixers

Find a large bucket, sink or even an unused bathtub & place everything in ice and allow your guests to assemble their own drinks.

It runs itself, looks organised, and means you can actually drink instead of playing bartender all night.

If you struggle from indecisiveness like us, a Mixed Pack covers it, citrus, spice, bubbles, everything your half assed makeshift bar needs.

The Final Pour: A Small Upgrade for Your Tequila

Tequila has spent decades trapped inside margaritas.

Not because it belongs there, but because humans are creatures of habit. We discover one thing that works and repeat it indefinitely. Same haircut. Same takeaway order. Same drink.

You, however, have now read this far, which suggests at least a mild interest in personal growth.

Fortunately, tequila is very easy to improve once you introduce it to the right company.

Salt softens the agave, Citrus lifts the whole situation, Spice adds a bit of tension & Bubbles tidy up the finish.

Once you stop treating tequila like a one-trick pony, it stops behaving like one.

If you’re ready to move on:
Paloma territory: Salted Grapefruit
• Spicy highball:  Lime and Jalapeño Lo-Cal Soda,
• Clean, crisp classic:  Soda Water
• Tropical detour: Spiced Pineapple.

No theatrics required.

Ice.
Tequila.
Something that works.

You’ll be fine.