International Margarita Day is upon us - Celebrate with Don Julio!
Feb 06, 2023
The Margarita is undoubtedly the cocktail of the moment, so taking the time to make sure your knowledge of this iconic serve is up to scratch will be time well spent. If you're just looking for some recipe inspiration, scroll down to the bottom of this article. If you have a couple of minutes to get nerdy with us on the origins of the Marg, then roll with me back to circa 1930’s Mexico where the Tequila Daisy was first mentioned.
The Daisy is the Margarita’s origin story and is defined as being a mix of spirits and citrus combined with a cordial (liqueur) and or sugar. (The delicious Side Car cocktail is a great example of a Daisy). Whilst brandy, whiskey, gin and rum daisies were being made in the USA, the Tequila Daisy emerged south of the border in Mexico. As always, precise details of how the Tequila Daisy was being made remain unclear but we do know that if you were ordering a Tequila Daisy in Mexico, you’d likely be asking for it by using the Spanish word for Daisy, and so you would be asking your bartender for a Margarita.
This classic Margarita formula was used throughout the bartending world up until the late 1980s when Julio Bermejo, of Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, began serving their house Margarita with no Curacao, and substituting agave syrup for sugar syrup as the sweetener. They also made it with 100% agave tequila and encouraged it to be served over ice, rather than being blended, as was popular at the time. By the end of the 90s, this recipe was their most popular drink and during the same period, it had spread beyond the 4 walls of Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant and gained popularity as the go-to recipe for some of the industry-leading bartenders in the USA and Europe, gaining the name “Tommy’s Margarita” in the process.
Fast forward to 2023 and the Margarita regularly tops lists of the best-selling, most popular and most searched drinks worldwide. Don Julio Blanco is the ideal base for a Margarita due to being meticulously produced from the finest Agave, its character sings through in Tommy’s Margarita. Casamigos, which was created to be shared with friends consistently scores highly in world spirits awards making a delicious base for their juicy interpretation of the classic marg.
If you’d like to brush up on the fascinating world of tequila, click here.
Don Julio Blanco Tommy’s Margarita
A delicious take on the Margarita with Don Julio Blanco Tequila and fresh lime, balanced with sweet agave syrup.
What you need:
- 60ml Don Julio Blanco
- 30ml Lime Juice
- 20ml Agave Syrup*
- Rocks Glass
- Cubed Ice
- Lime Wedge Garnish
Method:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish and serve.
*Note. For best results, most store-bought agave syrup needs to be diluted to a 50:50 mix with water before using. Standard Drinks Approx. 1.9
Don Julio Blanco Spicy Marg
A classic spicy addition to the most popular cocktail in the world
What you need:
- 60ml Don Julio Blanco
- 30ml Lime Juice
- 20ml Agave Syrup*
- 3-4 dashes Hot sauce (or to taste)
- Rocks Glass
- Cubed Ice
- Lime Wedge Garnish
Method:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish and serve.
*Note. Use diluted Agave syrup as per note above. Standard Drinks approx. 1.5
Casamigos Blanco Margarita
A Casamigos take on the classic Margarita.
What you need:
- 45ml Casamigos Blanco
- 30ml Lime juice
- 10ml Orange juice
- 15ml Orange liqueur
- 15ml Agave syrup
- Lime wheel and salt rim garnish (optional)
- Rocks Glass
- Cubed ice
Method:
Combine all ingredients to shaker with ice. Shake hard. Double strain into a rocks glass over ice with or without a salt rim. Garnish with a lime wheel. Standard Drinks approx. 2
Food pairing:
These will pair perfectly with Mexican favourites like ceviche, spicy guac or tacos loaded with your favourite filling.
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