Tequila Shot
A measure of tequila, a lick of salt and a bite of lime. The 'training wheels' shot that made tequila famous in the United States — and how not to drink a good one.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Pour the tequila into a shot glass.
Lick the back of your hand between thumb and forefinger and sprinkle salt on it.
Lick the salt, drink the tequila in one, and bite the lime wedge.
Or, with a good tequila, skip the salt and lime and sip it from a tall caballito glass.
A thoughtful finish
- A 100% agave tequila needs no salt or lime; a mixto needs both.
- Chilling a good tequila dulls it; room temperature is right for sipping.
- Sangrita — orange, tomato, lime and chilli — is the Mexican chaser.
Common mistakes
- Shooting a tequila worth sipping.
- A mixto labelled 'gold', which is caramel colouring on a cheap spirit.
- Salt and lime with a reposado or añejo.
A few good questions.
Why salt and lime?
To mask harsh tequila; the ritual dates to mid-century border bars or a 1930s folk remedy, depending on the story.
Is this how Mexicans drink tequila?
No; tequila is sipped in Mexico, often with sangrita on the side.
Blanco, reposado or añejo for a shot?
Blanco for a shot; reposado and añejo are for sipping.
What is a caballito?
The tall, narrow Mexican tequila glass.
Variations
- Tequila Slammer — Tequila and lemon-lime soda, slammed and shot.
- Pickleback — Whiskey shot with a pickle-brine chaser.
- Margarita — Tequila, orange liqueur and lime.
- Batanga — Tequila and cola with a salt rim.
Where it comes from
c. 1930s · Mexico / United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Salt, tequila, lime — lick, shoot, suck — is the American way with tequila, and nobody knows where it came from. One story blames a 1930s Mexican doctor who prescribed the salt and lime for a flu; another credits American border-town bars of the 1940s where the salt and lime masked rough mixto tequila. In Mexico, tequila is sipped, often with a sangrita chaser, and the salt-and-lime ritual is for tourists. The shot survives because it is a ritual, and because with a harsh tequila the salt and lime genuinely help. With a 100% agave blanco or reposado, skip the salt and lime and sip it — or drink it the Mexican way, alternating with sangrita.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Tequila Shot, 2010 (reference)
- Ian Chadwick, In Search of the Blue Agave, 2004 (reference)
- Liquor.com, How to Take a Tequila Shot, 2020 (reference)
Strength. About 1 US standard drinks at an estimated 40% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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