Okay, so, the other day, I was feeling adventurous in the kitchen and decided to try my hand at making this cocktail I’d heard about called a “Mexican Firing Squad.” Never made one before, but it sounded intriguing, you know? Sweet, tart, spicy – all in one drink.
First, I had to gather all the stuff I needed. Now, I’m no cocktail expert, but I do have a decent bar setup. I grabbed my tequila – a pretty standard blanco, nothing fancy. Then, I went for the lime juice. Fresh is always best, so I squeezed a couple of limes. Next up was the grenadine. I just used the regular store-bought stuff. And, of course, bitters. I always have a bottle of Angostura bitters on hand.
I looked up a few different recipes online, and they were all pretty similar. Basically, you take your shaker, fill it with some ice, and pour in a good amount of tequila. I did about two ounces, maybe a little more – I like mine with a kick. Then I added about three-quarters of an ounce of lime juice and the same amount of grenadine. Finally, a few dashes of bitters, around maybe five dashes, I added that too.
Once everything was in the shaker, I put on the lid and gave it a good, hard shake. I mean, really shook it, like I was trying to wake the dead. Probably shook it for a good 15-20 seconds to make sure it was nice and cold.
Then, I grabbed a chilled glass – a coupe glass, if you want to be fancy, but any old glass will do. I strained the mixture into the glass, leaving the ice behind. And there you have it – a Mexican Firing Squad.
Now, I’ve heard some folks like to garnish it with a lime wedge, but I skipped that this time.
Honestly, the drink is pretty good. It’s got that nice tequila bite, balanced out by the sweetness of the grenadine and the sourness of the lime. The bitters add a nice little layer of complexity too.
I’ve heard people talk about using mezcal instead of tequila, which I think I will try next time.
It’s definitely a fun one to try if you’re looking for something different from your usual Margarita or Paloma. It’s a simple cocktail, I think I will make it again.
