El Mayor Tequila Master Distiller Grace Gonzalez shares some of her favorite recipes.

ST LOUIS (April 24, 2025) – Tick tock. Cinco de Mayo – the unofficial start of tequila season – is fast approaching. Although tequila’s versatility lends itself to moments big and small year-round, the agave-based spirit especially shines during the warm-weather months. Grace Gonzalez, fourth-generation master distiller of award-winning premium El Mayor Tequila, shares three of her favorite cocktail recipes that showcase this beloved Mexican spirit and are sure to impress at this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations and beyond.

“The beauty of tequila is its impressive versatility, and today many mixologists are using high-quality tequila, like El Mayor, as a spirit base for a variety of cocktails,” said Gonzalez. “While Margaritas are delicious, consumers continue to look for new ways to enjoy and celebrate tequila, which is why I’m sharing a few of my favorite recipes for inspiration.”

Desert Mirage – A refreshing fruit-kissed oasis
Ingredients
2 oz. El Mayor Blanco Tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. white cranberry juice
3-6 frozen blueberries for garnish

Instructions
Place frozen blueberries in a chilled martini glass.
Build cocktail in a shaker tin with ice.
Shake and strain into chilled and garnished martini glass.

Golden Derby – A smooth citrus-forward sipper
Ingredients
2 oz. El Mayor Reposado Tequila
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. honey syrup

Instructions
Build in a shaker tin with ice and shake.
Fine-strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with a grapefruit peel twist.

Grapefruit twists for garnish

Sherry Old Fashioned – A delicious take on a classic
Ingredients
1.5 oz. El Mayor Extra Añejo Tequila
1 oz. Fino Sherry
1 oz. Amaro
2 dashes walnut bitters
Orange twist and cherry for garnish                                                                    

Instructions
Combine ingredients into a shaker tin with ice.
Stir and strain into a lowball glass with a large ice cube
Garnish with an orange twist and cherry.

Distilled and produced at Destiladora Gonzalez Lux in Arandas, Mexico, award-winning premium El Mayor Tequila is made with 100% estate-grown Blue Weber Agave from the valley area of Jalisco, Mexico. The El Mayor Tequila portfolio is crafted with the tradition, methodology and passion of the Gonzalez family’s more than 150-year heritage and includes:

  • El Mayor Tequila Blanco – this unaged clear tequila offers a crisp, light body, with a hint of floral and pepper.
  • El Mayor Tequila Reposado – rested in white oak barrels for a minimum of nine months, this golden tequila delivers hints of fruit flavors with vanilla and spice.
  • El Mayor Tequila Rosado Reposado – this premium reposado tequila is finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks for nine months to create a rich, smooth-tasting tequila with a hint of spiced-berry flavor.
  • El Mayor Tequila Añejo – designed for slow, contemplative sipping, this tequila is aged in white oak barrels for 18 to 36 months to provide a sophisticatedly smooth product with notes of caramel, grilled fruits and brown spices.
  • EL Mayor Tequila Extra Añejo – meticulously aged in American white oak barrels for a minimum of three-and-a-half years for a rich, complex flavor profile, this tequila offers notes of wood, caramel, dark chocolate and hazelnut.
  • El Mayor Tequila Cristalino – this Añejo tequila has been aged for a minimum of 12 months and filtered using ultra fine charcoal to create a tequila with the complexity and character of an Añejo and the crisp, bright notes and color of a Blanco.

El Mayor’s expressions have earned prestigious industry acclaim including gold at the 2024 SIP Awards, double gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and recognition as one of the top 10 tequilas in the world at the 2025 International Wines and Spirits Competition for El Mayor Reposado. For additional recipes and information about El Mayor Tequila, or to find a retailer, visit ElMayor.com or follow the brands @elmayortequila on Facebook and Instagram.

About El Mayor Tequila

Distilled and produced at Destiladora Gonzalez Lux in Arandas, Mexico, award-winning premium El Mayor Tequila is made with 100% estate-grown Blue Weber Agave from the valley area of Jalisco, Mexico. Led by fourth-generation Master Distiller Graciela Gonzalez, the El Mayor Tequila portfolio is crafted with the tradition, methodology and passion of the Gonzalez family’s more than 150-year heritage and includes Blanco, Reposado, Rosado Reposado, Añejo, Extra Añejo and Cristalino. Our expressions have earned prestigious industry acclaim including gold at the 2024 SIP Awards, double gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and recognition as one of the top 10 tequilas in the world at the 2025 International Wines and Spirits Competition for El Mayor Reposado. To learn more, visit ElMayor.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

About Luxco

Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products with a mission to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Luxco operates as MGP Ingredients Inc. (Nasdaq: MGPI) Branded Spirits division since its acquisition in 2021. The company’s extensive and award-winning premium portfolio includes brands from four distilleries: Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Penelope and Remus bourbon are produced; Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Rebel, Ezra Brooks, and Blood Oath bourbons; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Bourbon; and Arandas, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas including El Mayor and Exotico. For more information, visit Luxco.com.