Mexican Firing Squad

Weigh equal parts pure pomegranate juice and white sugar, stir cold until the sugar dissolves, and stop there. No heat, which is what kills the fresh fruit note. A teaspoon of vodka per cup keeps it for about a month in the fridge. Orange flower water is optional and traditional.

Drier and darker. There's no orange liqueur, so the only sweetness is pomegranate, which brings tannin along with sugar instead of citrus candy. The bitters add a clove-and-cinnamon undertone a Margarita never has. Same spirit, same lime, completely different mood.

Two is right for 60 ml of tequila, three if your grenadine is sweet. Past that the bitters start reading as medicine against the pomegranate, and the two flavors fight instead of stacking. Add them to the tin before you shake, not on top of the finished drink.

Over one big cube in a rocks glass, which is how it's usually written. Served up it hits harder and goes warm quickly, since 60 ml of tequila against 22 ml of lime is a strong ratio. The cube also keeps the grenadine from settling into the bottom.

A classic Mexican Firing Squad calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Tequila, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lime juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Grenadine, 2 dashes Angostura Angostura bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Mexican Firing Squad is roughly 25% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Mexican Firing Squad is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.