There’s no denying the appeal of a good ole margarita. They are sweet, salty, zesty, and have one of our favorite liquors, tequila, in them. No one is here to discredit the age-old magic of going out and getting a giant fishbowl of margarita, but it gets a little redundant over time, and for those of us that love tequila, we can be left wondering… what else is out there that uses our favorite spirit? Well never fear because we have put together a list of fifteen cocktails using Tequila, and there isn’t a margarita to be found.

1. Tequila Sunrise

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As simple, and pretty, as it gets. The Tequila Sunrise is an easy little three-ingredient cocktail that offers a sweet and tart relief from the hard punch of Tequila that sinks down to the bottom of the glass with that sweet, sweet grenadine. To make one of your own simply add 4 oz of orange juice to your glass, throw in two ounces of tequila and add an ounce of grenadine and watch that gradient settle in!

2. Paloma

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In stark contrast to the Sunrise’s heavy sweetness, the Paloma is a light, citrus-filled, fizzy cocktail that is delicate and well balanced for those that are less interested in a drink filled with sugar. Typically made with a salted rim, Paloma’s are a quarter cup grapefruit, a tablespoon on lime juice, a quarter cup of tequila and a quarter cup of club soda.

3. Mexican Mule

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The Moscow Mule has become a real favorite in the last few years, there is something extra festive and fancy feeling about that copper cup in hand and the spice of ginger in your drink. Until now it’s been the only mule most people are ordering until the Mexican Mule stepped up its game! Made with tequila, ginger beer, ice and lime wedges (Or even some jalapenos if you are feeling extra bold!). This drink is coming for its traditional namesake.

4. Bloody Maria

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You might be seeing a theme through here, plays on traditional cocktails omitting the vodka and adding in the tequila. It’s always fun to see something that has been done the same way come alive in a new and unique way! The Bloody Maria kicks out the vodka (again) and adds in a healthy amount tequila in its place, mixed with bloody mary mix (or tomato juice and your choice of hot sauce) as well as some olive or pepper brine. As with all of the bloody family feel free to garnish it as you like, with meat, peppers, olives, or anything your heart sees fit.

5. Acapulco

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Named after Acapulco Bay there is a little bit of a split in whether people think that it is made with Rum, with Tequila, or with both! But personally, I think you can never go wrong with both. This drink a blast of tropical, fruity fun. Equal parts rum and tequila, two parts pineapple juice, one part coconut milk, and one part grapefruit juice. It’s the kind of drink you want to lay out on the beach and sip on while you watch the waves.

6. Mexican 75

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If you are feeling a little fancy, but you still need your tequila (and who can blame you, you work hard, you deserve it!), the Mexican 75 is perfect for you. It’s great for a higher class cocktail party, or just having something pretty and dainty in your hands. The Mexican 75 is made with 4 teaspoons agave nectar, 2 ounces fresh lime juice, 4 ounces tequila and 4 ounces of champagne. Often garnished with a lime flesh spiral and a salted rim. A perfect blend of rowdy drink and classy beverage.

7. Tequila Fizz

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A Tequila Fizz can come in a lot of different flavors ranging from very sweet to very simple. On the simple side is a clean tasting, easy to sip Blood Orange Tequila Fizz. Just mix 3 ounces blood orange juice, 2 ounces of tequila, 1 ounce simple lime syrup (really easy to make at home), and 2 ounces of ginger beer. If you feel extra fancy drop some blood orange wedges in there and you have yourself a beautiful, delicious drink!

8. Potion De Muerto

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It’s a little late in the season for a great Halloween themed drink, but frankly, who doesn’t like spooky things all year around? And even better, it looks genuinely delicious. In a shaker mix together 2 oz tequila, ¾ ounces orange juice, ¾ ounces lemon juice, ¾ ounces agave syrup, and 2 dashes of orange bitters. Pour it into a highball glass and gently pour ½ ounce of beet juice over it to give it that gorgeous color.

9. Mexican Hipster

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Not only does this drink have a super fun name, but it’s also incredibly delicious. This one of the few drinks on this list that require a little extra work. If you happen to have a muddler hanging around then grab it for this one, but if you don’t any hard end of a whisper or spatula will do in a pinch, anything to mash up those cukes a little. You can rim the call in sugar and lime zest if you’d like. The drink is made with ½ a cup of jalapeno tequila, 1 cup of crushed ice, a handful of muddled, peeled, and sliced cucumbers, 2 limes, and a tablespoon of light agave.

10. Desert Sour

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Tequila is always great with sugar and citrus, it’s a common theme and one that is easy to understand, it’s always delicious. So instead of using the typical ingredients of a sour, try inputting some tequila! For this cocktail, mix 2 ounces of tequila, 1 ounce limoncello, ¾ ounce lime juice, ¼ ounce simple syrup, several drops of chili bitters, 1 egg white, and several drops of lime bitters. Shake it all together to make that neat foam!

11. Caballo De Mayo

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This particular recipe comes in a full pitcher, it’s probably better that way because you are going to want to down a whole pitcher of this one. Make sure you care with your pals, otherwise you’re just being rude. Mix together one bunch of mint leaves, 1 cup of tequila, 3 cut up oranges, and 3 or 4 cans of ginger beer. The fresh mint and citrus make this drink something perfect for the summer months when you need something that is a little lighter and easier to drink without weighing you down.

12. Tequila Slammer

Instagram @tequilainsta

Finally something for those of us that like shoot our drinks instead of sipping them, but also for those of us that don’t want to drink straight liquor when they take their shots. This one is simple as can be. Get yourself two shot glasses and fill them half with tequila, half with champagne. Cover the glass with your palm and slam it onto the table to create those magical bubbles and then take the shot!

13. Mexican Mimosa

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I did it again, found a traditional drink that was turned on its head with the introduction of tequila. The mimosa, brunch food of champions! To make this the best kind of mimosa it can possibly be, add an ounce of tequila, ¾ ounce of simple syrup, 2 ounces of grapefruit juice or orange juice and then pour some sparkling champagne over it. Add to any brunch or Sunday funday event!

14. South Texas Twist

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For a savory, fizzy, delicious cocktail look no further than the South Texas Twist created by Don Chelada. The drink usually comes rimmed in salt and chili powder and to make it pour the following into a tall glass. 2 shots of tequila, add a squeeze of lime juice and fill the rest with any citrus soda. I recommend Sprite or Sierra Mist, personally.

15. Tequila Sundown

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At the opposite end of this list from the Sunrise is the Tequila Sundown. Also named for its beautiful gradient color, but filled with a different set of flavors. Just add 4 ounces of orange juice, 2 ounces of tequila, 2 ounces of pomegranate juice, ½ ounce of grenadine, and then garnish with an orange wedge and some pomegranate seeds. Less wildly sweet and more citrusy goodness to let that tequila shine, it’s every bit the cocktail that the well-known Sunrise is.

Read: I Know It’s Foolish But Sometimes I Feel Unnecessarily Territorial About Non-Latinos Speaking Spanish

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I was 29 years old when I first saw a therapist. At the time, I was in rehab for alcohol addiction and my wonderful therapist (who happened to be a Latina herself) helped me to recognize that I had anxiety. Not only that, but I was using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Basically, I was drinking to alleviate my anxiety. Facing up to all of that wasn’t easy but what I learned most of all is that talking about your issues is important.

When I was growing up, my family never really talked about our problems. In fact, we mostly still don’t.

My parents were very supportive during my early recovery from alcoholism, helping to push me into rehab and financially helping when I left. However, we still don’t acknowledge or talk about my alcoholism — or my subsequent discovery that I suffer from an anxiety disorder. I’ve never been able to fully explain to them why it is that I drank the way I drank nor the things that I have learned since. To them, they’re just happy that I am okay now.

But am I?

Mental health is still a really difficult topic in the Latinx community. My parents aren’t the only people that have difficulty talking about it. The statistics are pretty grim: Only 20 percent of Latinos with a mental disorder talk about it with their doctor and, even worse, only 10 percent pursue treatment, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s report. Many of us (myself included) would prefer to keep things bottled up rather than risk being called “loco”, or crazy.

“Mental health issues have a stigma in the Latino community,” said psychiatrist Diana Lorenzo, MD, of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Behavioral Health. “Many Latinos would prefer to ignore these conditions over talking about them openly.”

Not surprisingly, Latinxs aren’t any different when it comes to the prevalence of mental health conditions when our numbers are compared to the rest of the population.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, we often suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (what I have), major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcoholism (me, too). Even worse, Latina high school girls have high rates of suicide attempts, according to NAMI. This is all likely due to the stigma as well as having less access to quality treatment.

Not only are we afraid of being labeled “loco,” but many of us grew up in households where our mami and papi often said, “la ropa sucia se lava en casa.” The stigma of appearing like a perfect family to the outside world was emphasized, and nobody wanted to have a crazy family member.

Unfortunately, it’s attitudes such as this that lead to silence in our communities.

They led to my own silence, in fact.

When I was in high school, I suffered from depression and anxiety, but at the time, I didn’t know that these were the roots of my pain.

All I knew was that I felt an enormous amount of pressure to be the perfect student and the perfect daughter. Any sign of failure felt like the worst thing in the world and I couldn’t quiet my mind from freaking out over every assignment.

Even though I did very well in school, and even got into a top private university, I look back at those years now and wonder why I didn’t say anything to anyone. At the time, I dealt with my undiagnosed anxiety and depression by cutting myself. Although I no longer have the physical scars from that time of my life, the emotional scars remain. And, at the height of my depression and anxiety, I attempted to commit suicide.

To this day, my parents do not know. I’ve still never been able to talk to them about just how badly depressed I was, about how much anxiety I experienced at that time in my life, and about how it affected me so badly that I tried to take my own life one day shortly before turning 16 years old.

It was a dark time in my life and I am grateful that I got out of it, but the truth is that I am never truly “out of it.”

The depression I felt as a teen eventually faded, but my anxiety remained quietly affecting every aspect of my life in my early adulthood. All throughout my 20s, I continued to succeed in life — and my undiagnosed anxiety continued to grow, along with the amounts I was drinking every week.

Eventually, I sought help, but only because I had to because I had hit rock bottom.

Now, three years after entering rehab and being diagnosed with anxiety (which led to my alcoholism), I am doing much better but I wish that it didn’t have to get to the point that it did before I sought help. Whenever a high-profile suicide appears in the news (like Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, a hero of mine and of many immigrants, this past summer), my heart hurts. I wish that they had found the support that would have helped them seek the help they needed before it was too late.

For some Latinxs, getting help is difficult. Not only is there a language barrier for those Latinxs in the U.S. whose primary language is Spanish, but today’s political climate makes seeking help more difficult. Earlier this year, it was reported that suicide rates have doubled in Puerto Rico during the six months after Hurricane Maria tragically struck the island last year.

These tragedies have taught me that it is crucial that we educate our community about what it is that they can do when they suffer from mental illness.

For me, continued therapy has been the best way to deal with my ongoing anxiety. Not only do I love my personal therapist, but I also make an effort to read the stories of others who suffer from mental illness. I also spend time talking about my anxiety to others. Although it’s still difficult to talk about it with my parents, I talk about it with my partner, with my friends, with my brother. Anxiety is and will remain a big part of who I am but it is through talking about it that I can truly heal. And, hopefully, inspire other Latinxs to do the same.

Read: We Exist: On Resilience, Rainbow Babies, and La Raza

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