The Margarita

This bumper length post is to keep you all going for a couple of weeks as I jet off to Portugal in a few days. Don’t expect this epic amount of essay every week, mainly because other than on Mojitos I’m not even sure I could write this much every week! 

Without further ado....The Margarita...

The Margarita generally consists of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It can be served in a variety of ways; probably most commonly either straight up, blended with ice (frozen margarita), or on the rocks (this is more common in the USA than UK). As with any cocktail there are literally thousands of different recipes around, so I like to check the International Bartenders Association website for a standardised starting point. They tend to be very good at keeping their ‘classics’ recipes simple, a rarity on the web! Although having said that their ratio is 7:4:3; I’m sure it tastes awesome but I prefer slightly stronger and less sour 2:1:1!

They list the Margarita as a ‘Pre-Dinner Cocktail’, making it sound jolly civilised indeed, and give the following recipe -

MARGARITA Pre dinner (cocktail glass)
3.5cl Tequila
2.0 cl Cointreau
1.5 cl Fresh lemon or lime juice
Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass rimmed with crusted salt.
(Fruit Margarita - blend selected fruit with the above recipe)

Whilst we’re on the topic of tequila, I’d like to quickly dispel a myth I hear in my masterclasses literally every week -  brought to you by Jose Cuervo Tequila – ‘‘Why is there a worm in my Tequila bottle?
THERE ISN’T. What you have is not a bottle of Tequila. The worm is found only in certain bottles of mezcal. The worm is nothing but a marketing gimmick!’’

And the definition of tequila, if you were wondering - , ‘According to the DOT (Declaration for the Protection of the Denomination of Origin—this is the Mexican law that oversees the protection of Tequila), only alcoholic beverages made with Blue Agave or agave azul (Agave Tequilana Weber blue variety) grown in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas can be labelled as Tequila.’ (http://www.cuervo.com/tequila_facts/)

Back to Margaritas however, and of course there are many stories about how they were invented. Many involve people creating it ‘by accident’, a couple are attributed to barmen naming their creations after celebrities (Peggy Lee and Rita Hayworth; both real names Margaret; , Marjorie King, to name a few), and the one I believe to a certain extent attributes it to a 1940s socialite.

Marjorie King is said to have inspired a certain Danny Herrara of the Riviera del Pacifico Hotel to create the Margarita due to her inability to drink pretty much anything from what I can gather! Apparently the only spirit she could drink was tequila, yet hated the taste of it neat (awkward if you ask me), which prompted Herrera to experiment with different combinations of flavours until he created one she liked – The Margarita.

The next story is one that I think is a bit more credible, especially as it has a specific recipe to go with it. It’s also the recipe I tend to use for its simplicity.

Margaret Sames threw fantastic parties in her Acapulco retreat, filled with socialites and important people in the hotel and restaurant businesses. At one of her winter parties in 1948 (and here the story divides) she either – a) was asked for a martini but ran out of the right ingredients and had to improvise something with what she had left, b) invited guests behind the bar to create their own drinks, one such produced became the Margarita, or c) was a genius and deliberately created this for her guests. It doesn’t really matter, the point is somehow the Margarita was created. Her measurements were a 2:1:1 ratio - 50% tequila, 25% Cointreau, 25% fresh lime juice.

This is as much a learning curve for me as you guys; obviously I have a firm grasp of the basics and a little more, but researching these articles lets me find out things I never knew. Such as pretty much every premium tequila brand website features recipes that are very heavy on the sour mix element as opposed to the tequila (surprisingly).

The Jose Cuervo website suggests a ‘Jose Cuervo Tradicional Margarita’ –

1 oz. Jose Cuervo Tradicional®
2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier®
1/2 cup ice (or more)
Salt
Lime wedge

Sauza Tequila’s website also suggests a weaker margarita than I make; with one part tequila, ¾ part triple sec, and one part sweet and sour mix. I must admit I haven’t tried their tequila so shouldn’t comment on the recipe but I expect this yields a somewhat softer Margarita due to the comparatively large amount of both lemon/lime and sugar.

El Jimador (named after the farmers that harvest the agave) doesn’t buck the trend here, although the homepage has such good music it makes you want to elope to Mexico with the nearest person, but I digress. More interestingly, it has a recipe straight after my own heart. As anyone that knows me will tell you, my food is covered in hot sauces and spices of every kind, my regular drinks are recklessly sour. And when I’m the mood for a proper drink, the tequila shots come out. So I’m somewhat ashamed of myself for not thinking of this one; a simple Margarita, heavy on the lime, with a few drops of Tabasco. I’m definitely going to give this one a try, and in the name of science will be making one with my favourite sauce at the moment (it changes regularly), Encona West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce. Will have to let you know how that one goes; I’m thinking it will either be most excellent or rather dreadful. Fingers crossed then.

Another wee experiment I intend to undertake is with my favourite spirit right now; Patron Cafe, a coffee flavoured tequila. It’s awesome tasting, and looks cool because its jet black. What’s not to like? And, as fine gentleman from Edinburgh’s Amicus Apple told me, it’s owned by the same people as Ultimat vodka and Pyrat rum (potentially more on rum stuff next week). Website is a bit naff though....fantastic selection of cocktails, just hard to navigate. And not many simple margaritas, which is what I wanted to look at. Swing by though, and grab a bottle of either the Silver or Cafe XO. - http://patrontequila.com/

Finally, a massive shout out to the boys at Tonic on North Castle Street, Edinburgh for creating a truly fantastic, and innovative Margarita. I’ll try obtain the recipe for next time, but the focal point is the theatrical burning of a rosemary sprig with a blowtorch on the bartop...impressive. A cute glass mug is smoked using the burning rosemary, then filled with a small iceburg, followed by a sharp silver Margarita. Fighting with Villager’s Banoffee Martini (more on this one in the future I assure you!) for one of the cleverest and best tasting cocktails I’ve had in Edinburgh.

 

Much Love,

Tom x

PS. Have a quick LOL on me ;) - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375488/Toddler-accidentally-served-margarita-mix-Applebees.html


EDIT: PHOTOS!

Ok here are some photos from yesterday, featuring a Gold Margarita (my favourite, using Jose Cuervo Especial), the mythical Encona Hot Sauce Margarita, and the incredible Patron Margarita.

Firstly, the Gold Margarita.

The Encona Hot Sauce Margarita.

The Hot Sauce Margarita wasn't quite as successful as I'd hoped in all honesty; half a shot is WAY too much. I put this stuff on everything I eat and still only just finished the cocktail! I do think the flavour (once the burning left your throat) was a good one though, so perhaps just a droplet would make a nice novelty cocktail sometime.

The Patron Margarita.

Oh my word. This one is incredible (if I do say so myself). 50ml Patron, 12.5ml Cointreau, 20ml gomme syrup, 25ml fresh lemon and lime juice, and a few drops of juice squeezed from an orange shaken with ice, then double filtered into a cocktail V glass. Served neat with a flamed orange slice.
I expected this one to be different, and quite good but I honestly didnt expect it to be this good! The rich coffee flavour hits first, and is then tempered by the alcoholic kick and orange undertones.
Here's another picture with the bottle more in focus - 

Patron Cafe Tequila.

Finally a completely unrelated cocktail, just thought I'd put it up because my friend Sarah 'Choccy' Cheung made it as I was pouring tequila everywhere and setting fire to oranges. From what I can gather it was around 20 muddled blueberries, 25ml Sailor Jerry's Rum, 12.5ml Wyborowa Apple Vodka, 25ml gomme syrup and a splash of elderflower cordial shaken with ice and doubled filtered into a cocktail V glass. Served neat sans garnish.

The Choccy Surprise - The surprise being 'Choccy' is the creator and has nothing to do with the flavour. Thanks to Cesca for donating her blueberries!x

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Till next time x

Me with the Hot Sauce, Gold and Patron Margaritas.