Bloody Maria

• A bloody Maria is a cocktail that gives the classic bloody Mary a punch of spice, Mexican style. In a cocktail shaker, combine two shots of tequila, the juice from half of a lime, 6 oz. of tomato juice and 1/2 tsp. of hot sauce. Shake the mixture until well blended and pour it into a cocktail glass. If you'd like, add black pepper, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce or olive juice as your taste prefers. Garnish the drink with a slice of jicama or a pickled jalapeño for extra Mexican flair.

Spiked Michelada

• Micheladas are Mexican drinks made by pouring beer over ice and adding hot sauce, salt and lime to punch up the flavor. Perfect for a day under the sweltering Mexican sun, a michelada can also be spiked to include a kick of tequila. To make a spiked michelada cocktail, combine 8 oz. of Mexican beer with 1 oz. of tequila, the juice from half of a lime and four dashes of hot sauce. Stir the combo together and serve the drink in a salt-rimmed glass, over ice or not, your choice.

Tequila With Sangrita

• In Mexico, drinkers often follow their shots of tequila with sangrita chasers, as opposed to straight salt and lime. Sangrita is a tangy, spicy drink that can be made in a variety ways. For one easy recipe, perfect for sipping alongside a shot of top-shelf tequila, combine 1 cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice with 1 oz. of fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1 tsp. of grenadine and 12 dashes of your favorite hot sauce. Serve the sangrita chilled in a shot glass alongside a shot of tequila.

Hibiscus Cocktail

• Chef Jacques Pépin came up with a cocktail recipe that combines tequila and hot sauce with hibiscus flowers, which are called jicama and are used in many beverages in the Yucatan Peninsula. To try Pépin's recipe, boil 2 1/2 cups of water in a small saucepan along with 1/2 cup of dried hibiscus flowers for one minute. Let the mixture steep covered for 15 minutes and remove it from the heat. Strain the flowers, stir in 1/4 cup of sugar and let the mixture chill completely. When chilled, stir in 1/2 cup of tequila, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice and four dashes of hot sauce, preferably one made with habanero peppers, and serve the drinks in tall glasses over ice.