¡Viva Tequila!
It’s still a hot shot and the coolest ingredient of a margarita. But in kitchens and bars across Texas, Mexico’s favorite drink has a newfound respectability.
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Mexicans regard mescal as a tonic, a diuretic, a digestive aid, and an aphrodisiac, and they consume almost all the mescal that is made, though a few American bars are starting to stock it. (Austin’s Coyote Cafe, for instance, carries two brands.) In short, mescal is what tequila was twenty years ago; a drink for the daring. But given America’s enthusiastic adoption of Mexico’s music, dance, and food, we may be seeing a lot more of it soon.
Drinking It
Although a margarita contains simple ingredients, a good margarita is anything but simple.
Your best choice for tequila is silver. It has a fresh , bright taste, and it lets the shimmering, light green color of the lime juice shine through. Gold tequila is a good second choice; if you’re used to a slightly sweeter flavor, you may even prefer it. Either way, 100 percent agave tequila provides the most intense flavor. The choice of brand is up to you, but buy a decent one. On the other hand, don’t use an expensive aged tequila in a margarita. Would you cook with Château Lafite-Rothschild?
Triple sec is the generic name for any triple-distilled clear liqueur produced from the skins of curaçao and other oranges. Read the label to find one that is made with natural, not artificial, flavorings. Better yet, buy Cointreau, the most famous and exotic triple sec. Grand Marnier—orange liqueur blended with cognac—is touted as the connoisseur’s choice, but too much of it can overwhelm a margarita.
Ironically, the most important ingredient is often the hardest one to get: good lime juice. When they are in season, use sweet little round Mexican limes (Key limes are the same thing). Big, dark green Persian limes can be bought year-round, but they are often sour and thinly flavored. If you do use them, bolster their sweetness with a dash of simple syrup (see any general cookbook).
Now for the recipe. Everyone has a favorite, but in case you don’t, try this Mexican version, which produces a margarita that is a little less sweet than most American ones:
1 1/2 ounces silver tequila
1/2 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh Mexican lime juice
Before serving, run a lime wedge around the lip of a pretty, flared stemware glass and twirl the outer edge lightly in a saucer of kosher salt. Shake the drink with ice (preferably smallish cubes) and either strain it or serve it with the ice.
What about frozen margaritas? Don’t even think of making one. You are a grown-up.
Debating It
Who created the margarita, and when? It would be easier to identify the missing link between man and ape. So many margarita candidates have been put forward and so little hard evidence has been offered that the origin of the now-ubiquitous drink will probably never be known.
The most frequently told version is that the margarita was first made in the forties by an unnamed bartender in Palm Springs, California, to mimic—but soften—the classic combination of a shot of tequila accompanied by a lick of salt and a bite of lime.
A favorite story among Texans is that a bartender named Pancho Morales invented the margarita on July 4, 1942, at a Juárez bar named Tommy’s Place (“The Man Who Invented the Margarita,” TM, October 1974). Supposedly, it all began when a woman requested a Magnolia (brandy, Cointreau, and an egg yolk topped with champagne). Morales was a little fuzzy on the recipe, so he improvised—and his ersatz creation was a big hit.
Another popular theory cites society hostess Margarita Sames (formerly of Dallas, now of San Antonio), who claims to have concocted the drink for Christmas houseguests at her Acapulco hacienda in 1948 (“Barroom Brawl,” TM, July 1991).
But of all the people said to be associated with the margarita, the one who deserves the most credit is Vern Underwood, who first imported Jose Cuervo tequila into the U.S. in 1945 and promulgated a great advertising slogan: “Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name.”
Eating It
Tequila will always be a party drink, but it is also surprisingly versatile. Not only can you drink it before, during, and after a meal, but you can also cook with it: It blends wonderfully with chiles, garlic, onions, salsas, and Mexican moles; it mellows the sourness of citrus juices; and it has a natural affinity for nuts and seeds. A discreet splash even adds verve to desserts.
Irrepressible Austinite Lucinda Hutson chronicles her travels through tequila country in ¡Tequila! Cooking With the Spirit of Mexico (Ten Speed Press, $24.95 hardback, $16.95 paperback, 158 pages), a chatty volume of tequila lore and some 135 Southwestern-oriented recipes, including this one for gazpacho macho.
4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 4 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
4 green onions, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
3 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup good silver tequila
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Put diced vegetables in a large bowl. Grind spices and add to vegetables along with liquids and salt, whisking in olive oil last. Chill at least 6 hours.
Before serving, stir in cilantro and basil. Serve with condiments—chopped avocado, boiled shrimp, chopped cilantro, croutons. Makes about 10 cups.
Some forty up-to-date Mexican recipes and a smattering of tequila facts make up Californians Ann and Larry Walker’s Tequila: The Book (Chronicle Books, $10.95 paperback, 120 pages), from which this recipe for drunken shrimp is taken.
24 large shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons good silver tequila
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 fresh serrano chile, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Oil for cooking
Put shrimp in a nonreactive bowl. Purée other ingredients in a blender and thoroughly toss with shrimp. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Cook shrimp with marinade over high heat, tossing, until shrimp turn bright pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Serves 6.
In this recipe for fiesta frijoles from ¡Tequila!, you can arrange the corn as a golden ring instead of mixing it with the black beans. If you can’t find chile-flavored tequila, simply and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed dried red pepper to the tequila.
For the marinade:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons chile-pepper-flavored tequila
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
For the bean mixture:
3 1/2 cups cooked black beans, chilled and drained
4 serranos or jalapeños (or more, to taste), chopped
6 green onions with some of the green tops, chopped
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote (optional)
2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels, cold-tossed
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped, lightly salted, and drained in a colander
Juice of 1 to 2 fresh limes
Salt to taste
In a small bowl, combine all marinade ingredients except olive oil, then slowly whisk in the oil.
In a large bowl, combine all bean-mixture ingredients except lime juice and salt, then toss with marinade. Chill for several hours or overnight, stirring occasionally. (If the recipe is to be held overnight, add corn and tomatoes a few hours before serving.) Drizzle with fresh lime juice and add salt to taste before serving.
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