Margarita isn’t just another tequila-based concoction that comes in a salt-rimmed glass. It’s an emotion, a drink of generations and what tart awesomeness tastes like. The advantage is that you can find a classic margarita pretty much anywhere on the face of the earth. But unfortunately, most of them aren’t half as good. Bartenders often end up making these silly errors that can totally wreck the margarita. Here’s what shouldn’t be done while fixing a glass of margarita:
Tequila is the king: The most common mistake bartenders make is to compromise on the quality of tequila. You do need 100% pure agave tequila to make sure that your margarita tastes like drops of heaven. Especially in India, bartenders tend to pretty much pour anything which has a label saying tequila into our margaritas. This has to go. People won’t mind spending a bit more than usual if the drink is excellent.
Lack of attention to detail: A classic margarita has to be shaken like any sour style drink so as to chill, dilute, and aerate them properly. That’s the only way to do it. Innovation is welcome, but only if you are confident with it. Don’t build a margarita in a cocktail glass, because it just won’t be the same.
Artifical mixer: Nothing tastes a good as the fresh, natural ingredients. But you can’t always have freshly squeezed fruit juices, in which case, the drink should ideally be sweetened with an orange liqueur such as Patrón Citrónge, maybe a spoonful of sugar or agave nectar. Not the extreme fructose, corn syrup crap.
Lime juice: There’s a reason why the basic bartending kit comes with a squeezer, it’s because lime is crucial to mixology. Margarita gets its playfulness and acidity from lime juice and if you are not adding freshly squeezed lime juice, you are doing it wrong. No shelf product or essence – you have to do it the old school way.
Terrible Garnish: You can actually judge a good cocktail based on the garnish and rims. A dry lime or a sticky rim on top of a great drink can be a turnoff. So if you are doing everything right, get the garnish right too.
