Classic

Margarita

A beach classic

Ingredients

60mlMezcalwe use mezcal for the smoke, tequila makes the classic version
30mlDry Curaçaomost recipes call for Triple Sec, we like the richness from Curacao
30mlLime Juicefreshly squeezed

Make it well

Shake

Directions

1. Get a wedge of lime and rub it around half the rim of a glass 2. Dip the glass into sea salt sticking it to the half that has lime oils. This is optional but it works really well, especially with Mezcal. 3. Add all ingredients to a shaking tin 4. Add ice and shake for 8-10 seconds 5. Double strain over ice in your glass 6. Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge

Taste

We use Mezcal in our Margaritas so on the nose we get smoke and lots of it. That is followed by lime and a slight note of orange from the curaçao. On tasting, we get a grassy, slightly vegetal smoky taste from the Mezcal. The sweet lime and rich orange finish, balancing each other out brilliantly. If you're drinking through the salt this really pops the lime and elongates the finishing orange and lime taste.

Origin

The Margarita is thought to be a variation on the Daisy, an American cocktail family from the 1800s built on spirit, citrus and a liqueur, usually with brandy doing the heavy lifting. Sub in tequila and you've got a Margarita, which is tidier than it first sounds given "margarita" is simply Spanish for "daisy". As you might expect, it's not definitively known exactly where and when it was created, other than somewhere in Mexico. Tequila brand Jose Cuervo reckon it was made in honour of Mexican showgirl Rita de la Rosa in 1938. One of the earliest stories we can find puts it in the same year at a restaurant called Rancho La Gloria in Baja California, mixed for a customer called Marjorie King, a former Ziegfeld dancer. Two different women, two different Margaritas, same year. Make of that what you will.

Keep pouring