With tequila, it's not always neat

Bartender Lu Yao from Union Trading Company, Shanghai is doing margarita.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Tips on how to mix your own cocktails from the masters

Mexicans drink tequila straight or in cocktails, or pair it with food, but Chinese mostly use it in cocktails.

Maxime Lu, a wine and spirits consultant from Beijing, says: "Tequila is getting more attention among Chinese people because of the popularity of cocktail culture in China. Not many people would be aware of drinking it neat.

"In fact, for beginners, blanco or reposado is also good to start with. You could experience the original flavor of raw agave, and even floral and citrus notes. A well-made blanco can be very, very, pure.

"Anejo and extra anejo will go deeper and have a more complex, oaky flavor due to barrel aging. They can go with richer dishes and can go really well with caramel or chocolate desserts."

Lu was one of a Chinese industry professional delegation that visited Jalisco, Mexico, the spiritual home of the drink, to learn more about tequila last year after China lifted the ban of importing 100 percent blue agave tequila.

Marcus Medina, chef and co-founder of Q Mex Bar and Grill in Beijing, says that the thing about tequila is that there are many kinds, and many ways to drink it. And the difference among categories and classes of tequila can vary widely.

"My preference depends on what I'm doing. If you want to give me a glass of expensive tequila, I prefer anejo. If I am doing a margarita, maybe a silver (blanco) is OK. And at meal times, the silver one can be a start. And reposado helps clean the palate and with digestion."

It should be noted that apart from tequila there are more mescals, which are the liquors distilled from different agaves other than blue agaves, he says.

Here are the tequila cocktails made by some of the most celebrated bartenders and bars in China. These are popular, and the ingredients are easy to find on the market if you want to try mixing them at home.

1 The lagerita by Michael Chen, Starling, Shanghai

"This is a twist on one of tequila's most famous cocktails, the margarita. With the lagerita, I've swapped the orange liqueur for honey (or, if you can find it, agave nectar) and lengthened the whole drink with lager."

INGREDIENTS

45ml reposado tequila

30ml lime juice

25ml clear honey chilled lager

Directions: Shake all ingredients except the lager and strain into a tall beer glass. Top with lager and serve with the rest of the bottle of lager.

2 My Paloma by Lu Yao, Union Trading Company, Shanghai

"This is a twist on the classic Paloma, Mexico's most popular tequila cocktail. My Paloma uses fresh pink grapefruit juice instead of the grapefruit soda used in Mexico, and adds a little rosemary flavor to match the herbal notes of tequila."

INGREDIENTS

60ml blanco tequila

60ml fresh pink grapefruit juice

15ml lime juice

15ml rosemary-infused agave nectar soda water

Directions: Shake all the ingredients apart from soda with ice, and then pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda water. (Infuse a small bottle of agave nectar with two sprigs of rosemary for three days. If you cannot find agave nectar, you can use honey or sugar syrup instead.)

3 PocoPocho, by Jake Pena, Pocho Social Club, Shanghai

"The PocoPocho is a common man's cocktail that is meant to be made anywhere and by anyone - someone's garage, backyard barbecue, moving train. But even though it's extremely easy to drink, it's not for the faint-hearted. The preparation of the lemon is important: By accordion and diagonal cutting the lemon first, the pith's typical soapy bitterness is lessened."

INGREDIENTS

50ml reposado Tequila

22ml bourbon

20ml soda water

30ml tonic water

1/3 lemon

2 tsps brown sugar

Directions: Cut the ends off a washed lemon. Slice in half lengthwise. Trim a half down to about a third. Accordion-cut the third very thinly without cutting all the way through, then diagonal-cut the lemon across the accordion cuts four times. Gently bend the lemon from the bottom to open the cuts and drop skin-up into a highball glass. Add sugar, then with a muddler, gently press the lemon and rotate until juice is expressed, allowing the sugar to grind into the peel. Add tequila and bourbon, and then agitate the mixture to dissolve sugar and allow the lemon to fall apart. Add ice, soda and tonic, gently stir and serve with a straw.

4 Q Mex margarita by Mexican restaurant Q Mex Bar & Grill in Beijing

INGREDIENTS

45ml tequila

10ml jalapeno juice

20ml lime juice

15ml cinnamon-vanilla syrup

Directions: Shake, then garnish with red chili.