Santa Carla Recipe

By
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a longtime food and drink expert whose recipes and cocktail-making tips can be found on her newsletters What to Drink and The Dinner Plan. She is the author of  The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails, both published by Ten Speed Press.
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Updated March 28, 2025
20110504santakarla.jpg

Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon, calls this easy-to-make and easy-to-sip drink a "silver tequila Collins." It's crisp and light—perfect for a scorching hot day (pool optional but recommended.) A healthy sprig of mint adds aroma, and you can decorate the glass with thinly cut lemon wheels if you want to get fancy.

In the original recipe, Morgenthaler recommends Corzo tequila, but any 100% agave silver tequila will do.

Recipe Details

Santa Carla Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 1 serving
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Ingredients

  • 2 ounces silver tequila

  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice

  • 3/4 ounce simple syrup

  • 3 dashes grapefruit bitters

  • Sparkling water

  • Garnish: lemon wheel and mint sprig

Directions

  1. Fill Collins glass with ice. Add tequila, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters directly into the glass, top with sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with lemon wheel and mint sprig.

Special equipment

14-ounce Collins glass

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
375 Calories
2g Fat
75g Carbs
7g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 375
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 17mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 75g 27%
Dietary Fiber 19g 68%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 368mg 1,840%
Calcium 210mg 16%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 960mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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