The vampiro is a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

that includes fruit juice, spices, fruit soda, fresh lime juice, and

tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the Agave tequilana, blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ...

. The vampiro has a fruity, lightly carbonated, and spicy taste. The vampiro can be made with Mexican

sangrita Sangrita (meaning "little blood"), is a Mexican non-alcoholic drink often served with tequila – customarily a shot of tequila blanco. Its origin dates back to the 1920s. It serves to complement the flavor of agave tequila, which is similarly ...

, a prepared drink mixer containing orange juice and chili peppers. One recipe lists the ingredients as tequila, limes, Kosher salt, Squirt brand citrus-flavoured soda and Viuda de Sanchez, an orange juice-based Mexican

beverage. Viuda de Sanchez is sold in Mexico and in areas of the southern US with large Latino populations. If Viuda de Sanchez is not available, good quality fresh-squeezed orange juice, lime juice and spicy

pico de gallo ''Pico de gallo'' (, ), also called ''salsa fresca'' ('fresh sauce'), ''salsa bandera'' ('flag sauce'), and ''salsa cruda'' ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It is traditionally made from chopped tomato, onio ...

seasoning can be used as a substitute. The vampiro is popular in Mexico and is the national drink. Mexicans named the cocktail vampiro ("

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

") because the Viuda de Sanchez juice mixer's red colour is reminiscent of blood.

Preparation

Vampiros may be made in a tall glass or an

old fashioned glass The old fashioned glass, otherwise known as the rocks glass and lowball glass (or simply lowball), is a short tumbler used for serving spirits, such as whisky, neat or with ice cubes ("on the rocks"). It is also normally used to serve certain ...

. Bartenders may first "rim" the glass with Kosher Salt, which is done by placing a layer of Kosher Salt on a chopping board, moistening the glass' rim with lime juice or water, and then placing the upside down glass rim onto the Kosher Salt, so that the salt sticks to the moistened rim. The second step is to fill half the glass with ice and add one or two shooter glasses full of high quality Tequila. The next stage is to add the flavouring elements. This is done by squeezing a fresh lime into the glass, adding a few grains of salt, adding citrus-flavoured soda pop, until the glass is 4/5 full, and then adding spicy Viuda de Sanchez (or orange juice, lime juice and pico de gallo). The final step is to stir the ingredients so that the flavours are properly blended. The vampiro is claimed to have originated in San Luis Soyatlán, Mexico, created by fruit stand vendor Oscar Hernández and traditionally sold in clear plastic bags with a straw. Hernández originally prepared the drink for his own consumption, but was quickly asked to make them by his customers and the drink has spread by word of mouth.

Variants

Some bartending guides suggest adding a shot of tomato juice, fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice,

grenadine syrup Grenadine is a commonly used nonalcoholic bar syrup characterized by its deep red color. It is a popular cocktail ingredient renowned for its flavor as well as its ability to give a reddish or pink tint to mixed drinks. Grenadine is traditiona ...

, hot pepper sauce and freshly-ground black pepper to the glass, and omitting the Mexican sangrita. As well, some guides suggest that the ingredients be shaken and strained, not stirred. In 2017, David Hammond from the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' described a variant called the ''doce vampiro'' cocktail, which is served at La Sirena Clandestina in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The blood-red drink is a blend of "...pisco, tequila, lemon, pineapple, Ramazzotti amaro and chicha morada, a sweet, tart, nonalcoholic Peruvian drink made from purple corn". Hammond states that the "...pisco, pineapple and lemon, bright and acidic, are the high notes", with the "...tequila, bitter herbaceousness of the Ramazzotti and baking-spice qualities of the chicha morada" providing the " ss notes".

References

{{Reflist Mixed drinks Alcoholic drinks Cold drinks Mexican cuisine Cocktails with tequila Cocktails with lime juice Cocktails with orange juice Spicy cocktails Bubbly cocktails Cocktails with tomato juice