There are loads of reasonably plausible stories as to who first invented the Margarita. The drink was probably a play on the Tequila Daisy which was popular in Mexico in the 1930’s (a daisy is made with a spirit, grenadine and lemon, although lime was probably used instead in Mexico, as they are far more abundant there). All the stories seem to be about someone making the drink for a girl called Margarita, or a lady called Margaret making it, but I’m sure that person who did invent it also realised the play on words involved, in that in Spanish, Margarita means daisy.
So a classic was born. The first verifiable mention in print is from the December 1953 Esquire Magazine (“She’s from Mexico, and her name is the Margarita cocktail”) In this article, the recipe quote is 1 ounce tequila with a dash of triple sec and the juice of a lime or lemon. From these proportions the original drink would have been quite tart. The modern palette is a little different, but a bigger difference is in the palettes of us Brits and are friends over the pond. I have always made my margaritas with an equal amount of triple sec and lime juice, and most British bartenders would do the same. Simon Difford says so in his Cocktail tome. In the States, Margaritas are served much sweeter, presumably because that is how customers want them. Both Dale “add a little gomme” Degroff and Gary Regan quote recipes with twice as much sweet ingredient to sour. (Just for the record, adding a little gomme to a balanced drink is hardly ever a bad thing, just be careful not to add too much).
As far as Tequila goes, it is a personal preference thing, but I personally would only use a Blanco or Reposado, and normally a Blanco. For me, the presence of wood flavours, although not intrinsically a bad thing flavour-wise, distracts from the character of the Margarita, and that is a light refreshing summery drink. In terms of brands, again it is a personal choice, but please steer clear of anything you can buy in a supermarket. At a push, my favourite blanco would be Arette, and Herradura my favourite Reposado, but there are plenty of others I would happily drink.
Having touched on the subject of wood flavours, let us move to the subject of triple sec or the orange flavour in general. I have seen Grand Marnier used in Margaritas quite often, and I have to say it has nearly always been in a bar where I think the reason they used it was because it costs more than Cointreau or a triple sec, and not because they think it makes a better drink.
Personally, I would never use it as not only does it introduce wood flavours but also cognac flavours and they have no place in a margarita. If you want to do a posh Margarita, use a posh tequila. The new Jose Cuervo Reserva Platino for example is great, or Don Julio if you are not feeling quite so flush. As for which triple sec to use, Cointreau is obviously good, and also easy to obtain. There are other good triple secs, but you would have to go out of your way to find them unless you are in the trade. Try Merlet or Briotet if you can find them.
Also while discussing the sweet ingredient, I feel I should touch on the now very common use of the Tommy’s Margarita, namely a Margarita with Agave syrup in place of Cointreau. This drink was invented by Julio Bermejo at the legendary Tommy’s in San Francisco. It is a great drink, particularly with premium tequilas as the agave does not hide any of the tequila notes, and if anything enhances them. I know from working my way through a sizeable part of the Tommy’s back bar one evening. It is a must try drink, and it is easy to find Agave syrup in most big supermarkets nowadays.
With lime juice as usual only consider freshly squeezed.
As for proportions, we touched on this earlier. For me 2:1:1 is right. The exception to this is for margaritas served on the rocks or frozen. The more ice in the drink the more sugar you need. Think 2.5ml sugar syrup for on the rocks, and 10ml sugar syrup for a frozen drink.
As for technique, some drinks need to be shaken harder than others. The Margarita, like the daiquiri, needs, in the words of Outcast, to be “shaken like a polaroid picture”. The colder the drink and the more air introduced into it the better. Also, never double strain as the small ice crystals suit the Margarita down to a tee, and double straining with remove half of the air shaking introduces in the first place.
The last topic to cover is the use of salt rims. The first thing to note is that the original Margarita did not have a salt rim. So it comes down the personal preference, and this polarises opinions big time. I used to have salt rims on my Margaritas, but not anymore. I don’t really think it adds anything to the drink. I read one person claim that it decreases the tartness of the lime and increases the sweetness of the sugar, as well as reducing underlying bitter flavours from the orange peel and the lime juice, but the Margarita is supposed to be a little tart, and whoever said a few bitter notes in a drink is a bad thing? As mixologists, we strive to create complexity in the flavour profiles of our creations.
Key things if you are going to use a salt rim are getting the rim only very lightly salted, not getting any salt on the inside of the glass, only salting half the glass, to give you or the customer the option of a salt-free sip, using a decent quality salt, and using a flaked sea salt as the salt hit is slower.
Lastly, for twist of Margaritas, as with all simple drinks, have a play around. Fresh fruit Margaritas taste great so try combinations of fruits, or diffent sweeteners, or adding a herb or spice or chilli. Have a bit of fun.
Classic Margarita
40ml Arette Blanco Tequila
20ml Cointreau
20ml Lime Juice
Shake over ice very hard, and strain into a chilled Margarita glass.
Little Miss Margarithai
2 parts Arette Blanco Tequila
¾ part watermelon sugar syrup*
¾ part lime juice
1 stick lemongrass.
Crush the lemongrass at the bottom of your shaker. Shake all the ingredients over ice, and double strain into a chilled martini glass.
*Watermelon sugar syrup. see my watermelon blog.
Elderflower Margarita
40ml Arette Blanco Tequila
20ml Elderflower Cordial
20ml Lime Juice
Shake over ice very hard, and strain into an ice filled rock glass.
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