Aggie-Rita launches as NMSU's branded raspberry margarita cocktail

New Mexico State University officially has another offering when it comes to Aggie-branded beverages.

The Aggie-Rita — a raspberry-flavored margarita — officially made its debut on Aug. 23 at a launch event held at Little Toad Creek Brewery’s downtown Las Cruces location. The drink is part of NMSU’s collaboration with Little Toad Creek and Mixed-Up Cocktail Company.

“The athletic department was looking for a new licensed product. They’ve already got an Aggie beer and an Aggie whiskey. I think the next thing that made sense was an Aggie cocktail,” said Little Toad Creek and Mixed-Up Cocktail Co. co-owner Teresa Dahl-Bredine.

“We decided to start looking at a possible formula that could match the crimson color, which the Aggies are known for. The raspberry-rita just seemed like a natural choice. We did some formula testing and everybody loved it.”

The cocktail contains blue agave sourced directly from Jalisco, Mexico, which is fermented and distilled before steeping in a touch of orange peel and blending in lemon juice, lime juice and raspberry puree. Agave nectar is added as a sweetener.

“You end up with a very pure, just very simple margarita recipe that’s got all the citrus going on but also this really nice burst of the tangy, sweet raspberry that makes it unique,” Dahl-Bredine said.

The Aggie-Rita joins Pistol Pete’s 1888 Ale from Bosque Brewing Company and Pistol Pete’s Six Shooter Rye Whiskey from Dry Point Distillers, in NMSU’s growing list of licensed products. According to a release from NMSU, the revenue from the partnership supports all Aggie student athletes.

“This is where the win-win comes in,” NMSU director of athletics Mario Moccia stated in the release. “New Mexicans love to support New Mexico products and with Little Toad Creek in Las Cruces and Mixed-Up Cocktail Co. in Deming and Silver City, it is definitely a southern New Mexico product.”

The Aggie-Rita won’t be exclusive to southern New Mexico for long, however. Dahl-Bredine said she expects that the cocktail will be distributed to select liquor stores in Albuquerque in the coming weeks.

“We know that there are Aggie alumni all over the state, and also in El Paso. We think we’ll do well with this product distributing it throughout the state, throughout the region,” she said.

The Aggie-Rita has already generated plenty of buzz ahead of its release.

“People are excited,” Dahl-Bredine said. “I think they’re excited largely because they’re Aggie fans, but then the flavor just sounds really appealing.”

The release comes just in time for the fall sports season at NMSU. The Aggie football home opener was Aug. 26. It’s worth noting that the drink is not as strong as Little Toad Creek’s usual cocktail offerings.

“This cocktail is 6% (alcohol by volume), which is a little bit lower,” Dahl-Bredine said. “The rest of our cocktails have been 10% so far. We decided to go for a slightly lower ABV just because we’ve been hearing feedback from people that when you’re out at a game, people like to have a little bit less of a buzz. It just feels like a safer alcohol percentage for promoting amongst students.”