Eat In / It's Fare

5 Texas Cocktails You Have to Try

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Looking for your next go-to drink to bring to your next tailgate, pregame, or DWTS watch party? Lucky for you, #ItsNotHou has been taste testing (for science, of course) some of the latest and greatest cocktails using some of Texas made liquor. Here’s what we made, how we made ’em, and what we thought. Spolier: they’re all fabulous.

Don Chelada

The first brand is Don Chelada which specializes in making micheladas and related cocktails. They offer bottled michelada mix and these fabulous Styrofoam to-go cups rimmed with flavored salt and a packet of corresponding mix. If you’re not too familiar with micheladas, Don Chelada provides a bunch of recipes online for how to use their mixes! They were really helpful for figuring out what to do. We enjoyed the following cocktails:

FullSizeRender (90)Don Chelada Regular

  • How to Make: 1 Don Chelada cup + beer
  • Thoughts: Their Styrofoam cups are super fun because they are easy to transport, perfect for a day at the beach, the pool (no glass allowed). These cups would also be great for tailgating because they make mediocre beer (BugLight, etc.) something exciting to drink! Over the past few weekends, I drank mine with Tecate, PBR, and Lonestar. I had to laugh at the instructions on the side of the cup because it says first pour in two beers and then it says “if you want you can add two more!” Sounds like the perfect recipe for a tailgate no? My favorite was the spicy salted cup, but it also comes in regular and lime flavors.

FullSizeRender (89)The Don Chelada Driver

  • How to Make: Lime flavored Don Chelada cup, 2 Shots Vodka, Equal parts Orange Juice & Mineral Water
  • Thoughts: This cocktail is such a pleasant surprise. You look at the ingredients and you think hm this is kinda weird/concerning, but after one sip you’re sold! It’s fruity and vibrant, and not weird at all! Plus the salted rim is ah-mazing! Some of my friends didn’t like it, but I was a big fan. But I feel like that’s personal preference. I also love that the cup mix ingredients don’t have clam juice (I’m a vegetarian).

Tekeen

The next liquor that we enjoyed trying was a local brand of premium wine cocktails called Tekeen. Tekeen is extremely versatile as a drink because although it’s labeled as pour and serve, there are plenty of other crafty ideas you can do with it.  It’s served best over ice, however since it is orange wine based you can add other spirits to it such as vodka, tequila, gin, and even beer. Plus, Tekeen is a family owned product, made in Dripping Springs and only sold in Texas. You can find it at HEB, Spec’s, and Total Wine. I threw a party and had a make-your-own-cocktail bar featuring Tekeen. After gaining inspiration from the Tekeen recipe catalog, I provided guests a bunch of fruits and veggies to stir in, mixers like ginger beer and sparkling water, and agave. Here were some of our favorite combos:
Cucumber Lime Tekeen Cocktail
  • Ingredients: Cucumber Lime Tekeen + lime juice + agave nectar + sparkling water + fruit
  • Thoughts: This one was inspired by the Cucumber Refresher and was definitely a fan fav! I was afraid the taste would be too cucumber-y and remind me too much of spa water, but it’s really crisp and refreshing with the lime and made for a great drink! We loved adding in green fruits and veggies like cucumber, kiwi, green apple and limes.

FullSizeRender (91)

Grapefruit Tekeen Cocktail
  • Ingredients: Grapefruit Tekeen + lime juice + ginger beer + fresh fruit
  • Thoughts: This cocktail was inspired by the Grapefruit Aperol Spritzer. We of course made it our own and mixed and matched fruits and mixers. Next time I try it, I’d love to drink it straight over frozen grapefruit pieces or watermelon.

Tekeen Cocktail

Mostess Box VIP Dore Rosanna Nesting Dishes

Mostess

Alright you got me. This isn’t technically a Texas based liquor, BUT it is a Houston based subscription service, so we got to represent. In case you don’t know, Mostess delivers a hand curated box to your doorstep filled with goodies that make hosting a party a breeze. (If you want to be the hostess with the mostess and get 20% of your first box click here!)I used items from the VIP Box to plan out the Tekeen cocktail bar above and loved the follow cocktail recipe that came in my first box:

The Mostes Original Cocktail Jack Rudy CherriesThe Mostess Original

  • Ingredients: Champagne + 2 bourbon soaked cherries + dash of bitters + agave nectar
  • Thoughts: FACT: I will never look at champagne the same way again. But actually the bourbon soaked cherries and bitters that came in the VIP box made a simple glass of champagne really over the top! It was amazing. If you’ve never played with bitters before, this was a fun and tasty way to use them. I still have some leftover cherries in my fridge and they’re certainly a treat (with a buzz) to snack on their own.

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