Mexican Firing Squad

The Mexican Firing Squad takes the Classic Margarita, throws out the Triple Sec and adds Grenadine and Bitters. So it's Tequila, Lime, Grenadine, and Angostura Bitters.

Although the Mexican Firing Squad has been around since the 1930's, it's not quite as famous as other Tequila based cocktails. It is pretty close to a Margarita, but the addition of the Grenadine over the Triple Sec make it a little bit sweeter and therefore a little easier to drink, which could be a good thing for those with a bit of a sweet tooth!

Which do you prefer? The famous Margarita or the spin of the Mexican Firing Squad? Find out!

Total Time 4

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

60 mL Tequila Blanco
20 mL Lime Juice
20 mL Grenadine
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge

Instructions

Throw everything into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake it until it's nice and cold.
Strain into a Rocks glass with fresh ice.
Garnish, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

As with so many older cocktails, the Mexican Firing Squad has changed a bit over the years. We say that the cocktail came to us in the 1930's, but that's simply when it was discovered by an American man when visiting Mexico. So who knows how long it was around before that.

The original version sounds like it had a bit less Grenadine so was likely less sweet, which is surprising considering most modern versions of cocktails have become less sweet over time. However, without the additional sweetness, it's doubtful drinkers could tell much difference between a Mexican Firing Squad and a Margarita, so it's good that the distinction can be made.

Enjoy and have fun.

What More Can We Say About the Mexican Firing Squad?

This is an extremely fun cocktail. We like that they’ve added a different kind of sweetness (Grenadine) to the standard Lime Juice and Tequila combination. Grenadine is made with pomegranate and, although there’s other flavours in there, you could say there are pomegranate flavours in there. Although pomegranates are originally from the Mediterranean, they were introduced and are grown in Latin America and California. So pomegranate is a great flavour to combine with flavours such as Tequila and Lime Juice. It’s definitely not out of place! The Angostura Bitters seems a little out of place, but it actually works really well in the cocktail. It just adds that little something that only bitters can.

Is it possible to increase this recipe to make multiple cocktails at once?

Yes, that’s easy. Just add the extra ingredients to your cocktail shaker. Don’t over do it though! If you have to much in your shaker, things will become difficult to shake, mix, and chill. Keep it to two or three cocktails at once.

Is this cocktail good to make early and store for later?

Making a Mexican Firing Squad in advance and storing it for later is fine. Just shake everything up and put it in your refrigerator. Just don’t forget to remove the ice while it’s in the fridge, otherwise you’ll dilute the drink.

Is there a good time or opportunity to try a Mexican Firing Squad?

We’re calling the Mexican Firing Squad a variation or a riff on the Margarita. It may sound like we’re being lazy by just classifying anything with Tequila and Lime Juice as a Margarita variation, and maybe this recipe came about in its own right, but the similarities are clear. If you’ve taken a look at our Margarita recipe, you will have noted that we like to have one on either side of a wonderful Mexican meal. Sometimes we also like to have one mid-way through a Mexican meal as well.

Although having a Mexican Firing Squad would mean fewer Margaritas, we think this would go well as a kind of “Dessert Margarita.” It’s a little bit sweeter thanks to the Grenadine, but still falls into the general category while complimenting Mexican food quite well. So, instead of having that second (or third) Margarita as your after dinner treat, why not try a Mexican Firing Squad? Sit back and let your food settle while enjoying a few more minutes with friends while you have one of these in your hand.

Is the Mexican Firing Squad a strong cocktail?

The Mexican Firing Squad is average in strength, as cocktails go at least. In fact, there’s actually less alcohol in the Mexican Firing Squad than there is a Margarita. Both recipes use 60 mL of Tequila, while the Margarita has an additional 30 mL of Triple Sec (which of course has alcohol in it). This also means that the Mexican Firing Squad is going to dilute the alcohol more than its cousin, as there’s a total of 40 mL of non-alcoholic liquid in there.

But just because the Mexican Firing Squad is of average strength for cocktails, do take note that it will be quite a bit stronger than a post dinner glass of wine. This cocktail may be on the slightly sweeter side, but take your time with it!

What music goes best with a Mexican Firing Squad?

As we mentioned at the beginning of this recipe, the Mexican Firing Squad was likely discovered by an American tourist visiting Mexico. They say that the American was looking for a bar to relax in and made his way to one that had seen better days. There wasn’t much good about this bar, except for their signature cocktail. From there, the tourist brought the recipe back to the U.S. and it grew from there.

While that story sounds a little too romantic to be true, we like the images it conjures up. Because of that, we suggest listening to whatever music they listen to in Mexican dive bars. Maybe it’s Mariachi music, but we would think it’s a little rougher than that. Some somewhat heavy Mexican Rock or Blues would be in order. It’s well made by good musicians of course, but the stereo it’s playing out of isn’t too good though. The volume is either too quiet or too loud, never quite right. But somehow, it works!