A luxury hotel and some tequila may be the best way to enjoy this day.

By Cari Jorgensen

You can’t spend National Tequila Day without having some tequila. You can have it straight or in a cocktail or you can have a tequila infusion, courtesy of three luxury hotels and resorts that are at the forefront of adding fresh fruits and herbs to tequila to give it a flavor most often seen in vodkas and wines.

Where: Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
What: The Anasazi Restaurant and Bar has a ‘Tequila Table’ where visitors have their choice of tequilas infused with strawberry and lime, pineapple and vanilla, citrus and lemongrass, blood orange and jalapeno and hatch chile. The infusions are created by soaking 1800 black tequila for days. It is tested for flavor balance, then served on the rocks with a side of sangrita.

Infusion #1: Blood Orange & Jalapeno
Ingredients: 1800 Black (100 Proof) tequila, Blood Oranges, Jalapeno
Instructions: Slice the blood orange. Place the slices and jalapenos in a large glass jar (must have a tight lid). Pour in the tequila. Close the jar and let sit for seven hours. Remove the jalapenos. Let the blood oranges soak for an additional seven days (this reduces the heat of the jalapeno). Once the tequila has the right taste balance, strain it to remove the orange slices. Serve in a sipping or shot glass with a side of sangrita, which is a non-alcoholic tomato juice-based drink.

Infusion #2: Strawberry & Lime
Ingredients: 1800 Black (100 Proof) tequila, Strawberries, Limes
Instructions: Cut the limes and strawberries into slices. Place the slices in a large glass jar that has a tight lid. Add the tequila. Secure the lid and let it sit for seven days. After the initial seven days, add more fresh limes and strawberries. Once the tequila has the desired taste, remove the fruit by straining it. Serve in a shot or sipping glass with a side of sangrita.

Where: Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort (Los Cabos, Mexico)
What: The Ceviche & Tequila Bar at this resort has an extensive selection of premium tequilas. The tequila master team infuses the tequila with prickly pears, then serves it on the rocks or in cocktails.

Cocktail: El Chamuco
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Casa Dragones tequila, 0.5 oz tequila infused with anise and dried chile, 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz natural syrup, 0.75 oz tamarind muddled, ice, grasshopper salt
Instructions: Stir all ingredients in a tin cup. Take a slice of lime and run it around the rim of a margarita glass, then flip it into the grasshopper salt so the salt is around the rim. Add ice to the glass and strain the cocktail into it.

Infusion: Tequila Infused with Dried Ancho Chile
Ingredients: 12 oz Casa Dragones tequila, 2 pieces dried ancho chile without seeds, 1 pc anise
Instructions: In a glass jar that has a tight lid, place the ancho chile and anise. Add the tequila. Close the jar and let it sit for two days. If desired, check the taste on the first day. Once the infusion is at the desired taste, strain it to remove the chile. Serve in a sipping or shot glass.

Where: Rosewood San Miguel de Allende (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)
What: The Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar and 1826 Tequila Bar calls the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende home. A resident tequilier is available, broadening the horizons of tequila drinkers.

Cocktail: Golden Smoke Margarita
Ingredients: 1.5 oz of White Tequila infused with Chile seeds, 0.5 oz of Mesquite smoked Agave honey, 0.75 oz of clear lime juice, 1 gold flake
Instructions: Using a mixing glass, stir all the ingredients carefully. Make sure the cocktail stays as clear as possible. Serve with semi-broken ice in a flute glass.