The 4-Ingredient Tequila Cocktail I'm Drinking All Fall Long
Tequila is my spirit of choice, which is perfect for summers when a frosty margarita is ideal for cooling down. But once the calendar flips to fall, it’s time to serve a drink with the season’s favorite spice: cinnamon.
Think of this cocktail as a cousin in the sour family of classic cocktails. These drinks are made with a spirit, sweetener, and sour ingredient. The sidecar, Paloma, Hemingway daiquiri, and whiskey sour are cocktails that are all part of this family too. This cinnamon tequila sour is made with slightly aged reposado tequila, lemon juice, and cinnamon-infused simple syrup. It’s the perfect tequila drink to sip on this fall.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s the perfect cocktail for fall. This drink is slightly sweet, a tad tart, a bit boozy, and warmly spiced. It’s the ideal tequila cocktail to welcome crisp fall weather.
It’s easy to make, but impressive to serve. Egg whites may seem like an odd ingredient to add to a cocktail, but it adds a velvety texture to the cocktail and an airy layer of foam to the top. Even if you skip the egg white, this is a professional-grade cocktail you can be proud to shake up.
Key Ingredients in Cinnamon Tequila Sour
Tequila: Reposado tequila has been rested or aged in oak barrels for a short time — usually 2 months to 1 year. Aging gives it a golden hue and adds flavors of caramel and vanilla to the spirit that are nice for this autumnal cocktail. If you only have silver or blanco tequila on hand, that’s fine too.
Lemon juice: Squeeze 1 ounce juice from 1 lemon. (This is my favorite juicer.)
Cinnamon simple syrup: Simple syrup is just granulated sugar dissolved in water. For this recipe, add ground cinnamon to give the syrup a spiced flavor and golden, rusty hue. If you already have plain simple syrup on hand, use it and add a hefty pinch of ground cinnamon to the cocktail shaker instead.
Egg white (optional): Egg white adds a gorgeous layer of foam on the top of the cocktail and mellows the acidity of the lemon juice. If you’re nervous about using raw egg white, opt for pasteurized eggs or simply leave it out.
More of Our Favorite Fall Cocktails
Cinnamon Tequila Sour Recipe
Shake up cocktail hour with this drink made of tequila, lemon juice, cinnamon simple syrup, and egg white.
Prep time 5 minutes
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
For the cinnamon syrup (makes about 1/4 cup, enough for 4 drinks):
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For each cocktail:
2 ounces reposado tequila
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
1 ounce Cinnamon Syrup (recipe above)
1 large egg white (optional)
Ice
Ground cinnamon and cinnamon stick, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Make the cinnamon syrup:
Bring 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Pour into a heat-proof, airtight container. Let cool until warm, about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
For each cocktail:
Refrigerate or freeze a coupe or old-fashioned glass for at least 5 minutes.
Place 2 ounces reposado tequila, 1 ounce lemon juice, 1 ounce Cinnamon Syrup, and 1 large egg white if using in a cocktail shaker. Seal and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. (This is referred to as a “dry shake.” It’s good for incorporating the egg white before adding ice to the shaker.)
Fill the shaker halfway with ice, seal again, and shake until the outside of the shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.
Pour through a strainer into the glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and a cinnamon stick, if using.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The cinnamon syrup can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Ice Cream, and They All Said the Same Thing
Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original
