Mexican Firing Squad
A fresh, fiery tequila cocktail with tart lime, sweet pomegranate and a hint of spiced bitters.
Ingredients
- Reposado tequila60 ml
- Lime juice, freshly squeezed22.5 ml
- Grenadine22.5 ml
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura)e.g. Angostura4 dashes
- Lime, to garnish (optional)1 wheel
Method
- Add the tequila, lime juice, grenadine and bitters to a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake hard for 10–15 seconds, until well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Credit After Charles H. Baker Jr., The Gentleman's Companion (1939)
About this drink
Charles H. Baker wrote the drink into cocktail history after a visit to the La Cucaracha bar in Mexico City in the late 1930s. The name and the no-nonsense style suited the well-travelled, adventurous bar culture of the day, when bold flavours and good stories went hand in hand. Today it stands as one of the early tequila classics, long before the Margarita took over.
Questions and answers
What kind of drink is a Mexican Firing Squad?
A tequila sour with grenadine and a generous dose of Angostura bitters, which gives it a spiced, almost cinnamon-like depth beyond the expected sweetness and acidity.
Why reposado rather than blanco tequila in a Mexican Firing Squad?
Reposado's short spell in the barrel gives a rounder base with a hint of vanilla spice, which plays well with the grenadine and bitters. Blanco works too, but turns out a touch sharper.
