This tequila and ginger ale cocktail is surprisingly delicious, especially with lime and salt. Think of it as an easy ginger-lover's margarita.
Even with my deep, deep love for all things ginger, I'm pretty sure that I would never have added it to tequila and called it a day. But these Cocktail Dice demanded it!
Tequila and Ginger Ale Cocktail, Courtesy of Cocktail Dice
My friend Jeanee Ledoux is a crafty renaissance woman. She wrote a craft book in 2005, sold her vintage-style handmade jewelry for years, and she now creates beautiful collaborative pieces with other superstars from the crafty community.
If you love Mid Century Modern, I can't recommend her site enough.
In between all of those things, Jeanee had a sweet little store here in Atlanta - and online - where she sold a curated collection of other crafter's work. That last venture is where I discovered Cocktail Dice by Leafcutter Designs.
When I had my first book signing at ICE Weekly here in Atlanta, Jeanee had a table next to mine, and we got to gabbing about sales, cooking, and (of course) about cocktails. She sent me home that evening with my very own set of cocktail dice, and today's tequila and ginger ale is thanks to my first roll.
Here's how these babies work.
There are six ingredient dice, and you roll those first. Of the six, you can eliminate two. Thank goodness, because all six of these would have been pretty disgusting:
I actually think that grapefruit instead of lime would have been lovely, but I had limes in the fridge and no grapefruits. Plus, I totally already have a grapefruit margarita in my archives.
Those dice really get me!
Once you've got your four ingredients, you roll the prep dice. They tell you how to prepare your cocktail and what glass to serve it in. Mine was stirred in a collins glass.
I will tell you a secret: I don't own a collins glass. They're tall, so I used a tall glass from my pantry. We keep it fancy around here.
Grab your tall glass of choice, and let's make some tequila and gingies, y'all!
Choose a Great Ginger Ale
Y'all, this cocktail is really all about that spicy ginger ale power, so don't skimp on the gingies. Your cocktail will certainly still be delicious with cheap ginger ale, but choosing a good, spicy ginger ale takes this over the top.
If you can, look for ginger ale that has actual pieces of ginger at the bottom of the bottle. That's a good, quick way to know that you are in for some spicy goodness.
Salt that Glass
The salted rim is the other element that makes this drink extra special. If you're never salted a glass before, don't worry - it is super easy!
All you need are a small plate, some coarse salt, and something to wet the rim of your glass with. You can just rinse the glass with water to moisten the rim, but in this recipe, you're going to rub the top of the glass with your lime.
Once the rim is moistened, just turn the glass upside down, and place it on a small plate of coarse salt. Twist it back and forth a bit, to get even coverage, and you're good to go.
Of course, if a salted rim isn't your thing, you can just skip that step. Do what appeals to you!
Tequila and Ginger Ale Cocktail
Ingredients
- salt
- 1 ounce of gold tequila
- ½ of a fresh lime - cut in half, so you have two quarters
- ice
- ginger ale
- extra small slice of lime - for garnish
Instructions
- Moisten the rim of your glass by rubbing it with one of your lime pieces. Set the lime aside. Pour some salt onto a flat plate, then dip the top of the glass into the salt. The moisture will stick the salt to the rim.
- Squeeze the juice from your lime pieces (except the garnish piece) into your glass, and drop them right in there. Add the tequila.
- Fill the glass the rest of the way with ice, being careful not to mess up the lovely salted rim. Top off with ginger ale, stir, and serve.
Frank
I pretty much love everything with tequila but it's mostly any fruit juice. I guess any soda will also work. The sugars help mellow it out a bit.
Becky Striepe
Glad you enjoyed it, Frank! Cheers.
Lula Porter
I actually found you after I created a similar recipe. I bought a bottle of ginger ale with lemonaide. Added ice and tequila. I liked it.
Becky Striepe
Oh very cool! Ginger ale with lemonade sounds like it would be lovely on its own, even!
Anonymous
Add cherry grenadine and thank me later
Becky Striepe
YOU ARE A GENIUS, THANK YOU!
Eric
Ya'll ain't right...but I like your direction. I go that way sometimes myself...
Jeanee @ Finely Crafted
Please confess to how many times you rolled before getting ginger ale, you ginger maniac! Just kidding, hee hee. Thanks for writing about my shop, sweet lady!
Becky Striepe
Those dice just knew me! Haha