I’ve got lots of extra tequila right now. My liquor cabinet is full of the stuff. I had a big party, got too excited, bought too much tequila, and then had 7 bottles leftover. Adding to that, whenever I have people over they bring tequila, and maybe that’s because tequila is awesome. I love when friends bring tequila. Always a good time. You ever had a bad time on tequila? Me neither.

Point is, I’ve got all these bottles, many of ‘em three-quarters empty, and until this drink, didn’t know what to do with it all. I could do some shots, but that’s bad policy and pretty pathetic when you’re alone on a Tuesday night. There’s always the margarita, but you can’t live on margaritas alone. And yes, you can (and should) sip tequila neat or on the rocks to appreciate its complexities. But what else?

I dug into my trusted PDT Cocktail Book and found this drink, La Rosita. It’s in the same spirit of the negroni, which we’ve talked about before, meaning it’s really balanced and bright. All the ingredients are found at pretty much every store, and if you don’t already have them, you should stock up because they should be in your bar anyways. Thanks to La Rosita, my tequila stockpiles have dwindled the pre-party lows, which is a good thing.

• 1 1/2 ounces Tequila (blanco or reposado work best)
• 1 ounce Campari
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir all these with ice and then strain into a chilled coup (or martini glass). You could also drink this on the rocks, which is great too. Garnish with a lemon twist to up the springtime points.

The campari and tequila play well with each other. Where the tequila has those agave flavors, the campari is bitter and really complex. The end result is crisp and clean—the perfect springtime drink, and probably better than tequila shots. –Paul Brewer