The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our June 2021 issue.
The Dragonrita from Sonora (Photo courtesy Sonora)
While the origins of the margarita vary depending on whom you ask, legend has it that the original may have been created for a high-society actress named Marjorie King by Carlos “Danny” Herrera in 1938 at his Tijuana restaurant Rancho La Gloria, or perhaps Herrera did the honors for a Christmas party held by wealthy socialite Margarita Sames.
At its heart, a margarita is a tequila daisy, a 19th-century class of sour cocktails that rely on orange liqueur for balanced sweetness. Coincidentally, “margarita” is Spanish for “daisy.” So, perhaps the first historic margarita recipe was the 1930s picador cocktail crafted at London’s Cafe Royal, made with tequila, Cointreau and lime, then served with a salted rim. Whatever the name or story, margaritas have established themselves as integral members of the cocktail world.
Salt or No Salt?
Margaritas are wildly adaptable, and the blue agave that gives tequila its earthy spirit also offers a fertile bed for just about any fruit pairing.
Mezcal is the rustic cousin of tequila — also made with agave (often but not always blue agave) that’s roasted over coals and buried in a pit for days, before being mashed, fermented, distilled and barreled.
The process yields a highly regional terroir (familiar to scotch drinkers) and smoky overtones, which makes it a rather polarizing spirit.
At Charlottesville’s Little Star, bartender Hamed Karama shakes up a prickly pear margarita using frozen puree and a “marmalade” citrus blend designed to mimic the tart bitterness of Seville orange juice — be adventurous and ask for their chapolin rim, which features salt mixed with dried grasshoppers.
Incorporating a different South American fruit, Derick Washington of the recently opened Sonora pours The Dragonrita, a dazzling magenta riff garnished with green mint, red strawberry and a black-salt rim.
Lead bartender Alyssa Blake of Casa Del Barco Canal Walk takes the classic cocktail in another direction entirely with her smoky mezcal iteration that features the heat-kissed Ancho Reyes liqueur. Pro tip: Ask for it to be made with mango puree.
Smoky Mezcal Margarita
Alyssa Blake, Casa del Barco
Alyssa Blake doesn’t shy away from unconventional flavors. Getting back into the post-quarantine bartending game, she’s been surprised and excited to see how popular this new menu drink has been.
Her favorite part of the job (aside from chatting with guests) is the inventiveness and creativity of working with tequilas, mezcals and other relevant ingredients. For her, the smoky, savory, piquant base of this cocktail lends itself perfectly to the selection of fruit purees they keep behind the bar. Her first choice of those is the mango, which adds a sweet jazzy tone to the earthy barbecue spirit of mezcal.
2 ounces Vida mezcal
1 ounce Ancho Reyes rojo
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 ounce lime juice
Optional: 3/4 ounce fruit puree
Run a cut lime around the outside rim of a collins glass and roll it gently in chile salt. Combine ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
For the chili salt:
Mix equal parts coarse flake salt with pulverized dried chile peppers.
Prickly Pear Margarita
Hamed Karama, Little Star
Hamed Karama set out to create a Painkiller made with tequila — a Painquila — and at the other end of a creative session with the other bar staff produced this margarita variation that balances soft, sweet prickly pear with tart, bitter citrus notes to produce a clean, refreshing riff that looks for all the world like pink lemonade.
Each element of the final cocktail was blind taste-tested against other possibilities for balance and spirit type, with fresh citrus notes underlying every decision.
1 1/2 ounces Corazon blanco tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce marmalade citrus blend
1/2 ounce prickly pear puree
1/2 ounce rich simple syrup (2:1 with water)
Run a cut lime around the outside rim of a rocks glass and roll it gently in coarse sea salt. Combine ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
For the marmalade citrus blend:
2 parts lime juice
1 part grapefruit juice
1 part orange juice
Dragonrita
Derick Washington, Sonora
When Derick Washington is creating a drink, he’s thinking about a multisensory experience for the guest. His cocktails draw the eye from across the room — bright, fresh colors and elegant contrasting rims and garnishes.
On closer inspection, the mint and strawberry garnish is more than just eye candy; the field-fresh bouquet prepares your face for the first lip-smacking sip, and suddenly you realize that this is what dragonfruit was made for.
Because the dragonfruit and triple sec are already somewhat sharp in flavor, he uses a reposado tequila to soften the edges for a well-rounded and compelling balance.
1 1/2 ounces Herradura reposado
3/4 ounce Hiram Walker triple sec
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce dragonfruit agave syrup
Rim a margarita glass with coarse black salt. Combine ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a strawberry and a mint sprig.
For the dragonfruit agave syrup:
Dissolve a pinch of powdered dragonfruit per 2-3 ounces agave syrup. Store in the fridge.
Paul Blumer is a writer and emeritus craft bartender.
