Margarita: one recipe, three ways to serve it
Nobody knows for sure who invented the Margarita: the stories lead to Mexican and Texan bars of the 1930s and 40s. Everyone knows the formula, though: tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Only the serve differs, and the ice decides which version you get.
Ingredients
- 50 ml blanco tequila
- 20 ml Cointreau or another triple sec
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 5 to 10 ml agave syrup to taste
- Coarse salt for the rim
- Ice cubes for the shaker and glass
Method
- Wet half the rim with lime and dip it in salt.
- Fill the glass with ice (for on the rocks) or chill it.
- Add tequila, liqueur, lime juice and syrup to the shaker.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
- Strain over fresh ice or into a cocktail glass without ice.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Three ways to serve
- Straight up. In a coupe without ice, elegant and intense. Shake a little longer so it's properly cold.
- On the rocks. In a rocks glass over fresh ice, the most popular serve. Shaker ice and glass ice are different: never reuse shaker ice.
- Frozen. In a blender with about 150 g of crushed ice per serve. Add a little more syrup, as cold dulls sweetness.
Salt on half the rim
Bartenders salt only half the rim so every sip is a choice. Salt belongs on the outside, not in the drink, so dip the glass at an angle and tap off the excess.
Why hard ice matters
A Margarita is high in citrus and low in sweetener, so dilution is critical. Hard shaker ice adds a precise amount of water; soft, wet ice makes it sour and thin. For parties, order HOSHIZAKI cubes in a thermo box: 15 Margaritas on the rocks need about 5 kg.
Tommy's Margarita
A popular modern version from San Francisco: no orange liqueur, just tequila, lime and agave syrup at 50:25:15. It puts the tequila first and is perfect for a good 100% agave bottle.
