There so many different notes you can find in various types of tequila and mezcal.” “The main components of a Margarita make it so easy to experiment with. “The sweet and sour makes it a really easy-to-drink cocktail, and the taste of the agave spirit is present in a way that makes you want another round,” Vizcaino says.

The restaurant’s Spicy Tamarind Mezcal Margarita is a fan favourite, a liquid version of the spicy tamarind candy she grew up with. Sometimes, she’ll incorporate other spirits, such as nocino liqueur (green walnut) or la pinta (pomegranate). Maybe it’s a watermelon-peppermint-ginger slushy with chipotle-infused mezcal or a simpler version with tropical fruit like pineapple or mango. La Mezcaleria bartender Michelle Vizcaino, a native of Guadalajara, loves how the cocktail gives her so much room to play around with. Ruben Nava Mendoza photo Memories of Mexico The Spicy Tamarind Mezcal Margarita from La Mezcaleria. The Slurpee-style sipper went over like wildfire-and his equipment is now in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Slushy Margs came much later, around 1971, when Texas restaurateur Mariano Martinez used a soft-serve ice cream machine to keep up with customer demand for the blended version of the drink. He combined the ingredients of a shot into cocktail form and gave it the closest Spanish word to her name. Or possibly it was created in 1938 by Tijuana’s Carlos “Danny” Herrera, owner of Rancho la Gloria, for Ziegfeld showgirl Marjorie King, who was allergic to all spirits except for tequila. Francisco “Pancho” Morales could only recall the orange liqueur from the recipe and improvised from there. Maybe it came from a bar in Juárez named Tommy’s Place, where in 1942 a female customer requested a Magnolia-brandy, Cointreau and an egg yolk, topped with Champagne. There are numerous origin stories of the sour cocktail, which takes its name from the Spanish word for daisy. Whether you like it frozen or on the rocks, in a pre-dinner coupette, a plastic cup poolside or poured from a pitcher, it’s a classic that hits all the right notes with the bitterness of tequila, the tartness of fresh lime, the sweetness of orange liqueur and the salt, which heightens all the flavours. T he Margarita is a splash of happiness, the quintessential summer cocktail and one of the most popular drinks in the world. Our favourite summer cocktail offers the perfect canvas for artful variations The Coconut and Mint Margarita from Monarca.

La pinta pomegranate tequila margarita