Tequila Fruit Cup
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 12.9% ABV ∙
The Tequila Fruit Cup is a long, built mix of reposado tequila, orange curaçao and sweet vermouth with ginger ale, cola and a fresh fruit garnish. Fizzy and mellow at once, with a slow bittersweet undertow and a cooling herbal lift from bruised mint threading through each fruity sip.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the glass: Tequila reposado 25 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 25 mlRosso vermouth 25 mlLavender bitters 2 dashesGinger ale 50 mlCola 50 ml
- Half fill the glass with ice
- Add a citrus slice and a couple of mint leaves from garnish
- Fill to the brim with ice
- Garnish with lemon slices, orange slices, strawberries and mint sprigs
- Note: Can be scaled up and served from a punch bowl or a large pitcher
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass so the ice doesn't melt fast once the ginger ale and cola go in.
- Add the citrus slice and mint leaves before the second layer of ice, so their oils infuse as the drink dilutes.
- Scale the recipe up in a punch bowl or pitcher for a party and float the fruit garnish on top just before serving.
History
Tequila Fruit Cup is a modern, single-spirit take on the British fruit cup style, created in June 2017 as part of a set of riffs that reworked the format across more than a dozen different base spirits, tequila among them. Rather than relying on a pre-bottled cup liqueur, the recipe builds the effect from scratch with a tequila base, orange curaçao, and bittered, fruit-forward mixers lengthened with ginger ale and cola.
The fruit cup itself is a longstanding English category of low-alcohol, bottled punches meant to be lengthened with a soft drink such as lemonade or ginger ale and garnished with fruit and herbs; it is traditionally gin-based, though other spirits have been used over the years. Its best-known example, Pimm's, is said to have been created sometime after 1823 by James Pimm at his London oyster bar, with the branded liqueur trademarked and commercially sold from 1912; the Pimm's range later spun off other spirit-based versions, including brandy, rum, rye, vodka, and even a tequila-based No.7 Cup in the mid-20th century. Tequila Fruit Cup takes that same fruit-cup structure and difference of base spirit, built specifically around tequila rather than gin.
FAQ
What are the ingredients in the fruit cup?
Reposado tequila, orange curaçao, and sweet (rosso) vermouth, topped with ginger ale and cola and a dash of lavender bitters. It is built over ice in a Collins glass and finished with lemon, orange, strawberry, and mint sprig garnish.
How do you make a Mexican-style fruit cup with tequila?
Pour the tequila, orange curaçao, vermouth, and bitters into a chilled glass, half-fill with ice, tuck in a citrus slice and mint leaves, then top with ice and pour in the ginger ale and cola. Finish with lemon and orange slices, a strawberry, and a mint sprig; the recipe scales easily into a punch bowl or pitcher for a group.
What is a simple fruity drink with tequila?
This tequila fruit cup is one example: a low-proof, long drink simply built over ice in a Collins glass and topped with citrus slices, strawberries, and mint. At about 12.9% ABV it drinks easier than a straight spirit cocktail, making it suited to casual, sociable serving, and it can even be scaled up in a punch bowl.
What fruit works best with tequila?
Citrus and berries are the classic match, which is why this build leans on lemon and orange slices plus a whole strawberry alongside mint. The citrus oils cut through the sweetness of the curaçao and vermouth, while the strawberry and mint add aroma without overpowering the tequila.
