Ingredients
- 60mlMezcalwe use mezcal for the smoke, tequila makes the classic version
No Mezcal? Tequila — smoother, and it carries blended flavours well — you lose the smoke, not the agave
- 30mlDry Curaçaomost recipes call for Triple Sec, we like the richness from Curacao
No Dry Curaçao? Triple Sec — sweeter and simpler — use a touch less, and expect less orange-peel bitterness
- 30mlLime Juicefreshly squeezed
- Garnish
- Lime wheel and a salt rim
Make it well
Shaken, properly.
Get a of lime and rub it around half the of a glass
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.
Add all ingredients to a
Add ice and for 8-10 seconds
over ice in your glass
Garnish with a lime or wedge
On the palate
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.
Where it came from
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
If you like the Margarita, try these
The bartender’s note
One drink, one story, one bottle worth buying.
Thursday evening, so you have time to shop. No more than that.