The Unexpectedly Boozy Way To Amp Up Your Salad

A homemade salad dressing can turn even the most boring salad into a treat. And the best homemade dressings perfectly complement every crispy, crunchy, salty, or sweet bite of salad. If you're always on the lookout for ways to take your salad to the next level, a delightfully boozy vinaigrette dressing addition is exactly what you need.

One of the most genius ways to use tequila in your cooking is to add it to your salad dressing. A tequila vinaigrette combines your favorite tequila (whether a luxury tequila brand or a more affordable one) with tangy citrus juice and a sweetener. The tequila adds a slight spiciness to the dressing as well as a warm, smoky aroma. Plus, it's one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to use up that bottle of cheap tequila you've had in your bar cart for ages.

To make a vinaigrette salad dressing with tequila, combine oil (either olive, avocado, or canola can work) with the tequila of your choice. You don't need a lot — just a tablespoon or so of the spirit for every quarter cup of oil. Add a few spoons of a sweetener like honey or agave syrup to the mix, as well as lemon or lime juice, some apple cider or red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. To give the vinaigrette an even tangier flavor, add another source of citrus of your choice — limeade, orange juice, or even lemonade. You can further customize the dressing to your taste by adding some hot sauce, swapping the honey or agave with brown sugar, or whisking in a dash of spicy, Dijon, or honey mustard.

The way tequila is made and the length of the aging process affect its overall flavor. Tequila is distilled from the blue agave plant, which is steamed and mashed, then fermented in vats. The liquid is distilled at least twice, then bottled or aged further in oak barrels. There are five different types of tequila: blanco, which is unaged; joven, which is a blend of blanco and reposado or añejo; reposado, which is aged for at least two months; añejo, which is aged for at least one year; and extra añejo, which is aged for at least three years. To determine which type of tequila you should use for your salad dressing, you should consider the primary notes or flavors that are prominent in each type and determine if they will pair well with the salad you're making.

Because blanco tequila isn't aged in oak barrels, it has a more botanical taste. It retains much of the natural flavor of the blue agave plant. You can taste notes of the agave as well as citrus, grass, and a slightly spicy or peppery flavor. These bright, lively flavors pair well with citrus fruit, shrimp, chicken, leafy greens, and crisp vegetables. A vinaigrette made with blanco tequila can brighten up citrus and mixed greens salads like our citrusy arugula salad and our mandarin and rainbow radish salad. Reposado and añejo tequilas have notes of vanilla, fruit, caramel, and warm spices. These pair best with basil or herby vinaigrettes used on steak salads.