Cinco De Mayo means pinatas, sombreros, and all those thirsty customers storming the bars for margaritas. This blend of tequila and sweet and tangy elements is truly a customer favorite in the alcoholic beverage industry all year around and any bartender should be familiar with it’s creation. Of course we all know the definition of “perfect” is subject to variation based on personal preference, but when it comes to making margaritas there are some guidelines.
You should start with your tequila first. There are many factors that go into deciding what kind of tequila you want to serve in your drinks. Your restaurant or bar may offer margaritas served with a specific brand that has been designated the “house tequila” but in the instance that some of your customers have a favorite it is handy to keep other brands on your shelves. Price can weigh heavily on your choice of poison as well. Some of the expensive brands, such as Patron, Tres Generations will have a smoother feel when going down while your cheaper brands, such a Sauza, Jose Cuervo and Montezuma, have more of a bite. If you decide to go the extra mile and serve expensive tequila in your margaritas investing in some liquor pourers will help maintain your alcohol costs.
After you’ve decided which tequila to use you should then choose an orange flavored liquor to compliment it. This citrus liquor helps to counteract the bitterness of the tequila. While they may differ in price, generally most orange liquors tend to taste the same. Some of the more popular brands are Triple Sec, Patron Citronage and Cointreau. While the amount of orange liquor you put into your margarita is strictly up to personal preference, or perhaps corporate recipe standards, a good general rule to follow is half of the amount of tequila. So if your margarita contained 1 oz of tequila you would want to add ½ oz of orange liquor.
The third essential ingredient in a margarita is your sweet and sour mix. While many of your chain restaurants will use their own special brand of sour mix, store-bough sweet and sour or margarita mix will work as well. You can also use fresh lime juice for better quality and taste but this tends to be more expensive. A cheaper alternative is frozen lime concentrate that can be watered down to a slushy texture. To serve your margarita on the rocks simply pour in your liquors, add ice then top it off the rest of the way with your sour mix. The amount of sour mix you add should coordinate with how strong or weak you want to alcohol to taste. Some restaurants have frozen beverage freezers to keep frozen sweet and sour mix ready and available behind the bar. Top your liquors off with the frozen mix and then blend with an immersion blender . If you do not have a margarita machine simply blend all ingredients together in a countertop or bar blender .
While these are the basic ingredients for a margarita you can give any drink extra pizazz. For customers that like sweeter cocktails offer to blend in a little strawberry puree, pineapple juice or grenadine for a tropical margarita that will make them feel like their on the beach. To dilute the tang of the sour mix you can add a splash of orange juice. All margaritas should be served in a specialty or margarita glass rimmed with salt (for sweeter margaritas you can substitute sugar) and garnish with a lime or orange wedge. Check out our website for all your bartending essentials and please remember to serve and drink responsibly.
