The Margarita Cocktail
The Margarita has many origin stories, and most are probably true. Afterall, it’s a three ingredient cocktail consisting of tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur. As to who mixed those together first? It’s impossible to say, as happened countless times in countless places over the years before anyone thought to document it.
The word margarita, translated from Spanish to English means daisy. And this cocktail was originally called the Spanish Daisy, as it modelled after the Daisy, which featured gin, lime juice, Cointreau, and a splash of grenadine.
Despite being named after the Daisy, many bartenders swear that the best way to make a margarita isn’t with orange liqueur as the sweetener, but rather agave syrup. This would be called a Tommy’s Margarita. We suggest trying both to decide which version is the best Marg.
How to Make A Margarita Cocktail
- A nice tequila is hard to come by, but Espolon or Olmeca Altos are great choices that most liquor stores will stock.
- You’ll also need limes and Cointreau, blender optional.
- Lastly, you’ll need a shaking set and a cocktail glass. We recommend a two-piece tin on tin. Filth & Vermouth makes great kits and are proudly Canadian.
Bartender Tips
- This is a simple cocktail that the choice of tequila will make or break. For starters, you have to use a proper 100% puro agave tequila, not a mixto. Mixtos are gold “tequila” that’s only 51% agave, and 49% other sugars. Trust us, you don’t want that.
- But not all puro agave tequilas are made equally. Additives are permitted in tequila production, which allow distilleries to cover up quickly-made harsher tequilas by adding vanilla and other sugars. Check out our Brands page for suggestions.
- Your choice of orange liqueur is also paramount, as Cointreau makes a significantly better Margarita than Triple Sec.
Variations
Margarita variations? How much time do you have? There’s your Strawberry-Margarita, or your Jalapeno-Margarita. And then there’s the Strawberry-Jalapeno-Margarita. Pineapple. Cucumber. The possibilities are almost limitless.
Like the Daiquiri, this cocktail is at times blended, and at times made fresh. But more often than not, these are shaken.
You can also get weird with the salt. While regular salt is the norm, black salt or tahin chili powder can make interesting substitutions.
