How To Make a Great, Classic Margarita
Image courtesy of Patrón.
I don’t remember the first margarita I ever had. It’s highly likely it was a slushy mix of tequila and sugar from a Jack Astor’s or the downtown Toronto pub near where I went to school.
But I do specifically remember the first good one: tart, very cold and served in a blue-rimmed glass that made the whole drink seem lit from within. Its sweetness came only from the orange liqueur and fresh lime juice it was made with—no agave or simple syrup. Crucially, it was not blended, but served on the rocks..
My uncle Antonio, who’s long run a bar called La Casa del Bloody Mary in Puerto Vallarta, made it for me. It was my first time visiting family there in a few years, and the first since I’d turned 19. It was also the middle of an August heatwave, and every sip of that bluish-green clear liquid cut through the humidity like an icy bolt. I still remember the colour and taste.
In the near 20 years since, I’ve had my fair share of variations on this classic cocktail, but did not get as close to that first experience until a recent trip to Atotonilco El Alto, a small rural highlands city in the heart of Mexico’s tequila country, just northwest of Guadalajara. I was there to visit Hacienda Patrón, the premium tequila maker’s headquarters and main distillery, to learn more about their methods of tequila production—and in the process, got to know more about what made that first good margarita so memorable. Here’s everything you need to know about making a great one.
What is a margarita?
At its core, a margarita is a cocktail that hits the flavour notes of sweet, salty and sour with a combination of four ingredients: tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and salt. While there’s some dispute over its exact origins, cocktail historians generally agree that prior to its established reputation under its current name, the margarita existed as a set of variations on the classic American daisy (note: margarita is Spanish for daisy), under names such as “tequila daisy” or “Mexican Eagle” or “Tia Juano”. One difference that makes it a margarita is that it’s often sweetened with liqueur instead of a syrup or fine sugar. Patrón execution manager Marty Pinault demonstrated by having us taste a version of tequila daquiris flavoured with lime juice, sweetened with syrup, and served in a Nick and Nora glass without ice.
These days, there are as many flavour variations on this bar staple as there were once origin stories for it: strawberry margs, spicy margs, pineapple margs, you name it. Some aspects of that four-ingredient base may also change (some bars may use a flavoured syrup instead of orange liqueur, as we do in this tangerine margarita, or use a flavoured salt, or a bottled lime juice). But for the purposes of this explainer, we’re sticking with the classic.
What tequila should you use—and how do you know it’s a good one?
While yes, most of this research was conducted on a Patrón press trip, I can’t stress this enough: brand quality matters here, and Patrón is a genuinely good pick. Shopping for anything other than 100 percent agave tequila means you’re buying mixto, a category of tequila that can be mixed with other types of alcohol in amounts of up to 49 percent, and additives thrown in to compensate for taste, texture, and colour. (Even brands that advertise themselves as 100 percent agave are allowed an additive quantity of up to 1 percent volume without having to disclose it, which is why it’s rarer to see a 100 percent agave also advertised as made entirely without additives; it's a big point of pride for Patrón.)
Until relatively recently, tequila existed in the gringo mind as a harsh, unrefined spirit better suited to frat house parties and taken as shots in dive bars, memorable only for its nasty hangovers. That’s the legacy of mixto tequila, which until about 25 years ago comprised most of what was available in the American and Canadian market. While premium, 100 percent agave tequila had been produced under tightly controlled specifications not unlike those for French champagne or Italian Parmigiano Reggiano since the 1970s, the idea of it selling well outside of the Mexican market seemed like a pipe dream to producers until the mid 2000s. These days, you’ll find a range of brands selling 100 percent agave tequila in Canada, all traceable down to their distilleries of production by what’s called a NOM number—a numerical identifier required on each bottle that you can use to look up which facility the spirit was produced in, as multiple brands can be distilled by a single facility.
Ok, but what type of tequila should I use?
Generally, there are three classes of tequila: plata (also known as white or silver), reposado (technical translation: rested) and añejo (aged). The first is the tequila shortly after distillation, the second after 2 to just shy of 12 months of aging in oak barrels, the third after a minimum of a year.
Oscar, the head bartender at Hacienda Patrón, was more than happy to make variations on margaritas and palomas (another classic tequila cocktail) with different ages of tequila to highlight what their flavour profiles did to each mix. Learning about how to swap añejo tequilas into drinks traditionally made with whiskey (tequila manhattan, anyone?) was a delight. My personal favourite: Pinault’s take on an espresso martini, swapping añejo for vodka and dropping in a splash of dark berry liqueur such as Chambord.
But as a general rule for citrus-forward cocktails, and especially for margaritas, plata tequila is the standard for a clean, light taste that gets along better with the lime juice and orange liqueur. (Bonus: it’s also easier on the wallet.)
How about the citrus element?
According to Pineault, freshly squeezed lime juice is a non-negotiable. A four-ingredient cocktail is already simple enough. Why mess with a good thing?
To get the most juice from your limes, choose dense ones with thin, barely dimpled skin and be sure to bruise the inner membranes a bit first by rolling and pressing them on the counter with your forearm or the palm of your hand. If your citrus is looking a little sad or it has thick, dimpled skin that suggests it’s more pulpy than juicy, just pop it in the microwave first for about 20 seconds or so before rolling. While I generally don’t love recommending a single-use kitchen gadget, a lime press really does do the best job for the juicing itself. Barring this, a regular old citrus reamer will do just fine.
As for the liqueur: while there are a number of fun orange and citrus liqueurs to choose from out there, Pineault’s first pick for margaritas will always be Cointreau, specifically for its viscosity, lower sugar content and un-aged flavour.
Blended, or on the rocks?
While it's not my first preference, a frosty margarita doesn’t have to be a bad thing! They’re just difficult to do well, and in my opinion, a different category of cocktail altogether. Using a blender and ice, especially at home, can very quickly dilute the drink’s flavouring agents and cut down on its longevity; according to Pinault, a slushy machine, which creates an icy texture by freezing and mixing a liquid rather than blending ice into it, will make a great one. But that’s a piece of equipment most people don’t have in a home kitchen.
How should I rim the glass?
Pineault likes to use Tajín, a chili-lime seasoning salt, for extra flavour, but generally a salt with a coarse grain will work well, such as kosher salt or flakey sea salt. Avoid table salt: it’s too fine and will too easily melt into the glass.
Whatever you use, please do not pour a puddle of seasoning on a plate and then shove the glass directly into it! Any salt on the inside of the glass rim will melt into your drink and turn it into a salt bomb. It may take an extra second or two of finessing, but it’s worth angling the glass as level as possible to the salt to keep it on the outside. To get some grip on the glass, swipe a notched lime slice around the rim.
What are the cocktail proportions?
Generally speaking, if you're riffing without a recipe, we recommend 2 parts tequila to 1 part orange liqueur to ½ part lime juice—with the lime juice component being flexible depending on taste. Add more if you like!
