Cantaritos is a Mexican drink made with aged tequila, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and grapefruit soda, this drink will please everyone.
Traditionally, Cantaritos are made in bars and roadside stalls in Jalisco, Mexico, and clay pots are often used as a disposable takeaway container.
The cantarito is a complex cousin of the paloma that adds lemon and orange juice to the popular highball. The extra citrus makes the drink into a refreshing tequila cocktail that’s perfect for summer and is super easy to mix up.
Make a Pitcher
Need to make multiple drinks? Here’s a chart to help you out with the correct measurements. Remember, a standard pitcher can hold 6 total drinks.
| 2 Drinks | 4 Drinks | 6 Drinks | 12 Drinks | 24 Drinks | |
| Tequila | 4 oz | 8 oz | 12 oz | 24 oz | 48 oz |
| Orange Juice | 3 oz | 6 oz | 9 oz | 18 oz | 36 oz |
| Lemon Juice | 1.5 oz | 3 oz | 4.5 oz | 9 oz | 18 oz |
| Lime Juice | 1 oz | 2 oz | 4 oz | 8 oz | 16 oz |
| Grapefruit Soda | 4 oz | 8 oz | 12 oz | 24 oz | 48 oz |
The Clay Pot
Cantaritos is actually the name of the clay cup this drink is served in and is essential for a truly authentic drink. It not only looks cool, but it also keeps your drink colder.
Soak your clay pot beforehand in water and the water will evaporate from the outside in, insulating and keeping your drink cold. If you don’t have a clay pot, a collins glass will work just fine.
Lime & Salt or Chamoy & Tajin
Rim your glass with lime and salt or chamoy and tajin in order to give it some extra flavor and balance out the tequila. You don’t need much!
If you don’t rim your glass with salt, I suggest adding a pinch directly into your drink to give it that needed balance.
Tequila
Choosing the right tequila can make or break a good drink. You can choose from blanco, reposado, and anejo. Anejo has been aged for at least a year, reposado is 6 months, and for blanco they bottle it up right away.
If your looking for a lighter-tasting tequila, go for a blanco. I always go for a reposado as anejo can be a little overwhelming.
Also, make sure you get tequila that says it’s made with “100% blue agave”.
The last thing I look at is where it was distilled, I’m looking for something bottled in the Jalisco, Mexico area.
Orange, Lemon, & Lime Juice
The citrus is where this drink gets its distinguished flavor from. Use store-bought juice if you’d like but I prefer to use freshly squeezed to give my drinks a top-shelf taste.
Grapefruit Soda
Top your drink with some grapefruit soda. Fresca, Squirt, or Jarritos works great!
Garnish
Finish off your drink with a garnish of orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit slices.
Tips & Tricks
- No grapefruit soda? Use 1/2 ounce of grapefruit juice, then top the drink with club soda or Sprite.
Cantaritos Drink Recipe
Equipment
- Cantaritos Cup
- Collins Glass
- Juicer
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Tequiila Reposado
- 1.5 ounces Orange Juice
- .75 ounces Lemon Juice
- .5 ounce Lime Juice
- 2 ounces Grapefruit Soda
- Crushed Ice
- Slice of Citrus optional
Instructions
- Add crushed ice to your glass or clay pot
- Add the tequila
- Add the orange, lemon, and lime juice
- Top with grapefruit soda
Notes
If using clay pots, soak in ice-cold water beforehand.
If you don’t have grapefruit soda, use juice instead and top with club soda.
