5 Easy Breezy Tequila Cocktails To Mix Right In Your Glass

For home bartenders, it's important to have all the necessary accouterments to mix up a proper cocktail. If you're just starting out, however, you might not have a lot of tools and gadgets to work with. There are plenty of options to mix delightful drinks that you can easily stir up right in your glass, many of which use tequila as the base liquor. This notable Mexican spirit is made from the heart of the blue agave plant called the piña and is characterized by a smooth finish with a fruity and sweet flavor. "If you want something easy that you can mix right in the glass, I'd try a paloma, Mexican mule, tequila and tonic, Batanga, or a Tommy's margarita," said Katie Stryjewski, former scientist, cocktail writer, and author of "Cocktails, Mocktails and Garnishes from the Garden," to Tasting Table.

This selection of cocktails is unique since they don't require a shaker and include ingredients like sodas and citrus juice. Also, because they are all tequila-forward cocktails, you wouldn't want to disrupt the flavor of the spirit or dilute it too much by shaking them. Similarly, for any drinks using soda, shaking would risk flattening the drink. Either served neat or on the rocks, these stirred tequila cocktails are the perfect refreshment to enjoy responsibly.

The simple yet tangy ingredients in a classic Mexican paloma cocktail are what make it so simple to stir up in a cup and even more refreshing to sip. This mixture of tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda is an ideal balance of sweet and tart flavors with just the right amount of kicky citrus punch and light bubbles. While some recipes will call for a mixture of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and sparkling or soda water, there are plenty of options for the ideal grapefruit soda to mix with your tequila to make a "no muss, no fuss" cocktail right in your cup.

Whereas Squirt is a classic choice, if you want a stronger grapefruit flavor to counter the natural sweetness of your tequila, choose Fever Tree's grapefruit soda. For a brand of soda founded in Mexico that brings an authentic taste and is made with real sugar, use the grapefruit-flavored Jarritos. The beauty of all of these choices is the ease of popping open a bottle or can, combining roughly 4 ounces of the soda with 2 ounces of tequila and about half an ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice. Gently stir that to mix. You can also cut up your leftover lime into a wedge to garnish the side of your mixing glass to dress up your drink.

Taking a twist on the classic Moscow mule cocktail, the Mexican mule swaps in tequila for the traditional vodka. This drink then mixes in lime juice and ginger beer for a cohesive blend of spicy, sour, and sweet flavors all in one. What's more, you get to make it in a cool copper cup, which is the perfect vessel in which to mix this simple cocktail. Because of the ginger beer component, you wouldn't want to disturb the drink by shaking it, so an easy stir is all you need.

For the ultimate Mexican mule, opt for either a silver or blanco tequila, which tastes more earthy and sweet, making it ideal to combine with the ginger beer of your choosing. Choose an extra spicy ginger beer, such as Reed's, Bundaberg, or Fever Tree, to amp up the ginger flavor. Depending on the size of your copper mug, a ratio of about 2 ounces of tequila to 3 ounces of ginger beer to half an ounce of lime juice should suffice. Stir everything gently and serve with cubed or crushed ice and a sprig of mint or a slice of ginger to garnish.

An inspired riff on the classic G&T cocktail, a tequila and tonic is straightforward, simple to make, and incredibly refreshing. Using a mix of tequila and tonic water, finished off with a squeeze from a wedge of lime, this stirred drink is ideal to make right in your glass for its simplicity and sparkling clear appearance. It's best served chilled using a highball glass filled with ice will keep your drink cold. Stirring it rather than shaking will keep all the citrusy sweet flavors and bubbly effervescence intact.

Because you'll be mixing everything up in one glass, you can start by salting the rim for extra flair and taste before filling it up with ice. To this, you'll add a squeeze of lime, about two ounces of blanco tequila, and 4 ounces of tonic water before giving your beverage an easy stir. You can also try changing up the flavor profile by swapping in a lemon instead of a lime.

Like many mixed drinks that require minimal effort, the Batanga cocktail starts with a bottle of Coca-Cola. This drink is ideal for mixing right in your glass because it uses only a few simple ingredients, among which is a bubbly and widely accessible soda. A traditional Batanga begins with a salt-rimmed glass. Much like a tequila and tonic, this should be done first and ideally using a wedge of lime to help adhere the salt to the rim.

After adding ice to your salt-rimmed cocktail mixing cup, give a hearty squeeze of lime before adding the cola and tequila and stirring it up. Although any cola soft drink will do, for the most authentic flavor, use a bottled Mexican Coca-Cola, which is made with real cane sugar, similar to using a Jarritos grapefruit soda for a paloma. Plan to use approximately 2 ounces of tequila per one standard bottle of Mexican cola.

Indulge in the ultimate 1990s throwback with a cocktail hailing from San Francisco that has, by this point, achieved the status of a classic. Conceived of by Julio Bermejo for his family's restaurant, Tommy's Mexican, the Tommy's margarita recipe is simple, simple, tasty, and a perfect choice for making in a single cup. Unlike traditional margaritas, the Tommy's version skips the triple sec in favor of using agave nectar to sweeten the mixture of lime juice and tequila. Rather than blending, this drink is typically shaken, though the recipe can be easily adapted as a stirred cocktail.

Start by rimming a chilled glass with salt. From there, all you need is a mix of 2 ounces of blanco tequila, 1 ounce of lime juice, and 1/2 ounce of agave nectar. Be sure to thoroughly combine your ingredients together. You can dilute your agave nectar into a syrup by mixing equal parts agave and distilled water to make it easier to mix into your cocktail.