Tequila (or Mezcal) Flight with Mexican Sangritas

A tequila flight (or Mezcal flight) can be made special by adding a Mexican Sangrita. Sangrita is a non-alcoholic accompaniment to a flight that highlights tequila’s crisp acidity and cleanses the palate between each sip. Below is a guide for putting together a tequila flight accompanied by an orange sangrita and a tomato-based sangrita.

Jump to: RECIPE | Tequila vs Mezcal | Carb Summary for Tequila | How to Assemble a Tequila Flight | More Tequila Drinks

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Mezcal vs Tequila

Basically, all Tequilas are Mezcals but not all Mezcals are Tequilas.  The difference was explained to my dinner party by the owner of Sazón restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico (a wonderful, wonderful restaurant that we had to visit several times).   

Mezcal is essentially an agave-based liquor, which might come from any of 30 different agave plants.  Tequila is made only with blue agave and only in specific regions of Mexico.

Mezcal traditionally has a very unique, smoky flavor that is distinguishable from tequila. It also tends to taste sweeter, or richer, than tequila.

Mezcal is traditionally cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots. 

Whereas Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots.

This roasting process caramelizes the agave plants, which gives Mezcal a rich, savory and smoky taste.

Tequila is categorized as blanco (aged 0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (1-3 years). 

Mezcal is also grouped into three categories by age, which is joven (blanco 0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (at least one year).

Basically Mezcal is artisanal, varied, and smoky, whereas Tequila is going to have brighter citrus notes, fruit characteristics, and a vegetal component. 

A Mezcal flight and a Tequila flight are sometimes terms that are used interchangeably.

Is Tequila Healthy or Low Carb?

OK, before you start the debate, I’m not saying Tequila is a health tonic with proven nutritional benefits.  I’m just saying…..it’s all relative. 

When you compare tequila to other spirits it does seem to have a few unique benefits.  It’s not going to beat red wine in the health benefits arena, but it’s a nice option at times, and it has zero carbs.

First, of all distilled spirits are allowed on a low carb or keto diet, as long as they are not flavored spirits and as long as you don’t add sugary mixers (like tonic) to them. 

Now, that doesn’t mean you can party-hearty every night without impact to your low carb lifestyle. 

Alcohol is primarily empty calories and it is processed first in the liver, similar to fructose, so you do need to be moderate. 

And then there is the idea of letting down all those inhibitions around the high carb foods prevalent when dining out.  So, be warned.  Those are the caveats.

This is a great chart summarizing the relative amounts of calories, etc. of different alcohols.

Secondly, to experience any of the purported benefits of tequila, only purchase tequila that is made from 100% agave.  

In Mexico, the law dictates that tequila may only be made with the blue Weber agave plant and only in certain regions.  In the U.S., however, tequila can be made with as little as 51 percent agave supplemented with other sugar sources.

Tequila is made up of indigestible sugars (agavins) that moves through your body without spiking blood sugar.  According to some studies, these agavins have also been found to stimulate your metabolism, unlike most alcohol, which slows down your metabolism.

Lastly, tequila is said to aid digestion after a meal, as it adds probiotics.

Just remember that a glass or two of red wine is going to be more nutritionally beneficial than a flight of tequila, but hey, having options is a good thing IMHO.

Of course you could always go with both red wine and then replace the brandy with tequila in this sangria recipe.

How to Assemble a Mezcal Flight (or Tequila Flight)

The Mezcal flight at Sazón’s in Santa Fe was delightful and impressive.  Not only was the Mezcal itself outstanding, with distinctive smoky variations, but they included two wonderful chasers called Sangritas. 

We learned that the orange Sangrita was to be sipped after the blanco and the reposado, while the tomato-based Sangrita was to be sipped after the smokier, more robust anejo.  Definitely something I wanted to try at home!

I first searched for the right Mezcals (Tequila is much easier to find in Minnesota than Mezcal by the way).  I then looked up a few different recipes for Sangritas. 

The most widespread version of Sangrita is a blend of tomato juice, orange juice, grenadine, and chili pepper, although there are many, many variations.  I chose to try and emulate the two that I had at Sazón’s. 

The tomato sangrita is in the ”notes” section of the recipe below.

The Sangritas are each poured into separate glasses (or caballito) and are alternately sipped, not chased, following a sip of either blanco, reposado or anejo.

More Tequila Cocktails

• This Mexican Christmas Punch (ponche navideño) is great with tequila
• Try this Spicy Cranberry Margarita with your own homemade simple syrup for the holidays;
• or enjoy one of these Mexican celebration food dishes with your tequila flight;
• or add a little tequila to one of these non-alcoholic Mexican drinks

If you enjoy all types of Mexican food, check out this category of ALL Mexican recipes, where you will find over 40 Mexican recipes, from casual, to low carb, to fancy.

Cheers!!