So you can't handle your agave neat, eh? Well, don't cower in the corner. Mix that grand tequila in some of these lusty libations instead.

The granddaddy of them all:

The Classic Margarita

2 ounces tequila

1 ounce Triple Sec

1/2 ounce Mexican lime juice

Clench a rose tight between your teeth, combine ingredients in a fluorescent-colored shaker and mix with wild abandon, preferably while Harry Belafonte's "Jump in the Lime" bellows in the background.

The Tequila Sunrise

Ingredient proportions for this second-most popular of the tequila drinks are all over the Mexican map, but every recipe agrees on the basic three: tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Here's our favorite.

1 1/2 ounces tequila

1 1/2 ounces orange juice

3/4 ounce grenadine

Combine tequila and orange juice over ice. Slowly pour grenadine over the top, but do not mix-you want it to trickle down the sides like the bleeding of a real sunrise. Finish with a splash of fresh lime juice and you'll be sinking into your own tequila sunset.

Here's a devilish version of that old standard, the Bloody Mary:

Vampiro

1-1/2 ounces tequila

One glass of tomato juice (or Clamato, if you prefer)

Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to taste

Garnish with a celery stalk and lemon slice.

If you're feeling especially parched, toss in a pinch of horseradish. Take one drink and then stand back and howl at the moon.

How about a funky take on the ubiquitous Cosmopolitan?

Cosmoquila

2 oz. Casa Noble Crystal or Gold

1 oz. Cointreau

½ oz. Fresh lime juice

Splash of cranberry juice

Mix with ice in a stainless steel martini shaker and pour gently.

And for something completely different:

The Paloma

2 oz. Casa Noble Reposado

Fresh grapefruit juice

½ oz. Lime juice

Combine all ingredients with a splash of soda or tonic water and watch the sparks fly.