How to take your Margarita to the next level
Today is National Margarita Day, the one day a year when our pagan ancestors would put aside their mead and throw together a few pitchers of Mexico’s finest.
Okay, we made that up, but we still advocate mixing a nice strong tequila cocktail to take the edge off whatever Boris Johnson is about to announce. Here are a few tips and tricks to make the perfect Margarita.
The Mirror Margarita, reimagined
The Lost Explorer Mezcal has partnered with agave specialist bar Hacha to reimagine the award winning Mirror Margarita created by expert Deano Moncrieffe.
The crystal-clear Mirror Margarita is Hacha’s signature serve and has been awarded Cocktail of the Year 2020 at CLASS Bar Awards and recognised as the 7th Best Cocktail in the World by Time Out. The new twist on this iconic margarita cocktail has an elegantly clean finish and a moreish hint of smoke and salt.
The Mezcal Mirror Margarita is available to buy in 500ml bottles at hachabar.com and is available for nationwide delivery, thanks to Hacha’s 48-hour delivery service.
Drink George Clooney’s perfect Margarita from Casamigos
Created and founded by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, Casamigos Tequila’s small batch, ultra-premium spirits are made from the finest hand-selected Blue Weber agaves grown in the Mexican highlands.
Casamigos Tequila recommends the following recipe: 60ml Casamigos Blanco tequila, 30ml fresh lime juice, 10ml fresh orange juice, 30ml agave nectar, 30ml orange liqueur. To make yours at home simply combine the ingredients into a tin shaker, add ice, shake vigorously, and strain into rimmed rocks glass. Add fresh ice and garnish with a lime wheel through a skewer.
Shaken or stirred? The Bottle Club will see you right
The bar-keepers at The Bottle Club have offered a few top tips for shaking your own Margarita. First up, whether your drink should be shaken or stirred depends on the ingredients. Margaritas contain citrus juice, which means these cocktails should be shaken to ensure the ingredients are properly blended together.
Shaking with ice gives your margarita a distinctive cloudy and frothy appearance, and ensures your cocktail won’t be flat and limp. Since the margarita’s principal flavour is tequila, it’s crucial to make sure you’ve got the best stuff you can get your hands on: find a tequila that’s 100 per cent agave – anything less and you’ll find that it’s mostly sugar.
Patron Silver Tequila has delicious flavours including fruit, citrus and light pepper, and is our recommendation for the ultimate margarita. The mellow counterparts within the spirit tend to taste better inside margarita as opposed to a darker tequila.
For a slightly more affordable alternative try Cazcabel Tequila Blanco, with an earthy tone and a fresh, citrus edge. The subtle flavouring within the spirit doesn’t overwhelm the other components within the margarita when many different tequilas do.
Using fresh ingredients for your margarita will take it up a notch. Instead of using pre-bottled lime juice, opt for freshly squeezed. In fact, if you’re creating a flavoured margarita, all fruit within the cocktail should be freshly squeezed and blended. This is the secret to creating a cleaner tasting and more refreshing cocktail.
Finally, it isn’t just salt that can go around your margarita glass rim. Sure salt is the staple classic for rimming the cocktail glass, but why not be more creative?
For the more adventurous among us, crushed candy is a great way to add some fun to your cocktail glass. You can use any type of sweets you have to hand. Simply crush them in a bowl and coat your glass rim in a sticky liquid such as syrup, honey or melted chocolate and dunk into the sweets.
Spices are another way to elevate any margarita. You can use chilli powder, ginger salt and cayenne pepper to upgrade the rim of your cocktail glass.
When creating a flavoured rim around your glass, be extra caution as excess flavouring can fall into your cocktail, throwing off its flavours and balance.
Or just buy one in a can
If all of that sounds like too much hard work, try Miami Cocktail Company’s Organic Margarita Srpitz, made using agave wine and paired with organic lime, orange, elderflower and ginger juices. Perfect for getting into the spirit of things without going to any hassle at all.