Marguerita Cocktail - Drink Recipe

The Margarita is the most common tequila-based cocktail, made with tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim.

The history of Margarita

Origin of the Margarita
There are many stories about who invented the margarita and why. The following are perhaps the most commonly repeated tales of the creator of the margarita cocktail:
Barman "Willie" from Mexico City, 1934 in the employ of the Melguizo Family
Marguerite Hemery lived in the Rio Grande Valley since the 1930s and went to a restaurant in Matamoros called Los Dos Republicas. She was friends with the owner and, as the story goes, his bartender composed a special drink for her.

Danny Negrete, 1936
Ratios: 1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime juice).
According to Salvador Negrete, the son of Daniel Negrete, the family story goes that Daniel opened a bar at the Garci Crispo hotel with his brother, David. The day before David's marriage, Daniel presented the margarita as a wedding present to Margarita, his sister-in-law.
It was a combination of one-third Triple Sec, one-third tequila and one-third squeezed Mexican lime juice. The drink was not blended and was served with hand-crushed ice.

Enrique Bastate Gutierrez, early 1940s
Gutierrez, who lived in Tijuana, Mexico, boasted to have created the Margarita as a homage to actress Rita Hayworth, whose real name was Margarita Cansino.
Other versions of the story claim the Margarita was indeed named after the actress, but in the 1930s, before she adopted her screen name. As a teenager, Margarita Cansino worked as a dancer at the Foreign Club, in Tijuana, where she supposedly inspired a bartender.

Francisco "Pancho" Morales, 4th of July, 1942
A bartender, Pancho Morales invented the margarita on July 4, 1942, at a Ciudad Juárez bar named Tommy's Place. Supposedly, a woman requested a Magnolia (brandy, Cointreau, and an egg yolk topped with Champagne). Morales was a little fuzzy on the recipe; he improvised and his ersatz creation was a big hit.

Santos Cruz, 1948
According to the promotional flayer for the legendary Balinese Room in Galveston, Texas, head bartender Santos Cruz created the Margarita for singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee in 1948.
The Balinese Room was opened in 1941 and was Texas's finest nightclub with A/C, casino gambling, superb food and drinks, and stellar entertainment until the Texas Rangers finally shut it down in 1957.

Margaret Sames, December 1948
Ratios: 2:1:1 = 4:2:2 (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime juice).
Sames, who created the drink at her Acapulco bar, gave the reason of being "close with a lot of famous hotel and restaurant people" in introducing the margarita.
Sames used one part Cointreau, two parts tequila and one part lime juice for her margarita. Knowing that most people drank tequila preceded by a lick of salt, she chose to garnish her cocktail with a rim of coarse salt.
Sames moved to El Paso, TX in 1958 where she was well known for her lavish parties. In 1982 she appeared on NBC's Today show demonstrating the proper way to make a margarita.

Margarita - The Recipe
You will need:
Glass: 10 oz rocks or 5 oz Martini
Common ratios for a margarita are:
2:1:1 = (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime or lemon juice)
3:2:1 = (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 17% fresh lime or lemon juice)
3:1:1 = (60% tequila, 20% Triple Sec, 20% fresh lime or lemon juice)
1:1:1 = (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime or lemon juice)
The standard is:
7:4:3 = (50% tequila, 29% Triple Sec, 21% fresh lime or lemon juice)
You can add 1 tsp. of powdered sugar or a dash of syrup to the mix

Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass and fill with ice. Cap with a Boston shaker and shake for a few seconds. Strain either over ice in a rocks glass or fine strain straight up into a cocktail glass that has been frosted with salt. Garnish with a perky lime wedge or lime wheel which can be used to take the salt off the rim of the glass.

If you did it right, this is how it's supposed to look like.


You have made a great Margarita. Enjoy responsibly!

Flavored liqueurs
Other than triple sec, other types of orange-flavored liqueur are sometimes used, such as Patrón Citrónge (produced in Mexico), Cointreau (produced in France), blue curaçao yielding the blue margarita. The "grand", "royal", or "Cadillac" margarita often contains Grand Marnier or Gran Gala. Such higher quality or "top shelf" margaritas will usually use a better grade of tequila as well. Often, when sweeter fruit juices or freshly puréed fruits are added to the margarita, the amount of orange-flavored liqueur is often reduced or it is eliminated entirely. In addition to orange-flavored liqueurs, secondary liqueurs may occasionally be added to the cocktail, including black raspberry-flavored Chambord.

Other fruits
Alternate fruits and juice mixtures can also be used in a margarita. When the word "margarita" is used by itself, it typically refers to the lime or lemon juice margarita, but when other juices are used, the fruits are typically added as adjectives in the name; with lime juice or lemon juice added like a condiment (and a wedge of lime often added to the glass). Examples of popular combinations are:
Raspberry margarita, with lime juice
Strawberry or peach margarita, with lemon juice
Mango margarita, with lime juice
Melon margarita, often with melon liqueur such as Midori


Margarita variations
A classic twist on the margarita is the Japanese Slipper, which substitutes a melon liqueur for the Cointreau. The Margarita can be twisted similarly to the Daiquiri, using fresh fruit, Funkin purées, syrups or liqueurs. Also using rested and aged tequilas can change the dimension of this classic tequila cocktail.

You have made some great Margaritas! Enjoy responsibly!

Tequila Sunrise Cocktail - Drink Recipe

The Tequila Sunrise is a cocktail made in two different ways, the original (tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice and soda water) and the more popular concoction (tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup).

The History of Tequila Sunrise
The legendary Arizona Biltmore, the "Jewel of the Desert," is renowned for its Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design and luxurious facilities. The resort’s sleek Wright Bar with its majestic panorama of Squaw Peak is the right place to find trend-setting martinis and the original Tequila Sunrise, famous in songs, movies and pop culture. The cocktail was created at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa circa late 1930s-early 1940s. A frequent guest who loved tequila asked the bartender, Gene Sulit, to surprise him with a refreshing drink he could enjoy poolside. The iconic Tequila Sunrise was born.

Biltmore Original Tequila Sunrise
Ingredients:
1 1/4 oz. Premium Tequila
3/4 oz. Creme de Cassis
Fresh Lime
Soda Water
Highball Glass

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Tequila, Creme de Cassis and a squeeze of lime. Fill with club soda. Garnish with 3 fresh lime wheels.
The drink inspired many movie writers and popular singers. We have the Tequila Sunrise movie starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell and the song with the same name from The Eagles' album Desperados.

The modern Tequila Sunrise
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Tequila
1 1/2 oz. Orange Juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine Syrup
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
A splash of lime juice
Highball Glass
Ice
1 cherry
1 orange slice
1 swizzle stick or straw

Fill the highball glass with ice. Add tequila, triple sec, orange juice (you can add even more, experience and find out how much you like) and stir. Carefully pour the grenadine into the tilted glass, allowing it to slip to the bottom. It should gradually work its way up a little giving the drink a reddish glow. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice. Don't forget the swizzle stick or the straw. You can arrange the orange slice and cherry to look like a rising sun.
If you did it right, this is how it's supposed to look like.

You have made a great Tequila Sunrise. Enjoy responsibly!

Variations of the Tequila Sunrise
Variations of the Tequila Sunrise include the Tequila Sunset, in which the grenadine is replaced with blackberry brandy, the Caribbean Sunrise, which substitutes rum for tequila, a Vodka Sunrise, also substituting the tequila-this time with vodka, and an Astronaut's Sunrise, in which the orange juice is replaced with Tang.

Tequila Sunset
You will need:
Ingredients:
1 oz Tequila
orange juice
1/2 oz blackberry brandy
1 cherry
Method - The Procedure
Pour tequila into a collins glass filled with ice cubes. Fill with orange juice and stir well. Top with blackberry brandy and stir lightly. Add the cherry on top and serve.

Caribbean Sunrise
You will need:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Gold Rum
5 oz. fresh orange juice
Dash Bitter
1/2 oz. Grenadine
Method - The Procedure
Build first three ingredients in a highball glass with ice. Pour grenadine over the top and serve..

Vodka Sunrise
You will need:
Ingredients:
1 oz vodka
5 oz orange juice
1/2 oz grenadine syrup
Method - The Procedure
Mix vodka and orange juice in a highball glass. Top with grenadine, and serve.

You have made a great Tequila Sunrises. Enjoy responsibly!

Mojito Cocktail – Drink Recipe

A mojito (pronounced mo-HEE-toe) is a refreshing Cuban cocktail of mint and lime flavors and one of Cuba’s oldest cocktails, comes from the African word mojo, which means to place a little spell.

The history of mojito
Bacardi traces the drink’s roots to 1586, when Francis Drake and his pirates tried to sack Havana for its gold. While the invasion was unsuccessful, Drake’s associate, Richard Drake, was said to have invented a mojitolike cocktail known as El Draque made with aguardiente (a crude forerunner of rum), sugar, lime and mint. Early on, it was consumed for medicinal purposes. Around the mid-1800s, the recipe was altered and gained in popularity as the original Bacardi Company was established. In 1940, Cuban playwright and poet Federico Villoch proclaimed: "When aquardiente was replaced with rum, the Draque was to be called a Mojito".
Other accounts suggest that slaves working in Cuban sugar cane fields in the late 19th century invented the mojito.
Ernest Hemingway fancied them at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana as well as in Key West (his favorite drink was the daiquiri, though). James Bond (aka Pierce Brosnan) drank one in Die Another Day, which was set in Cuba. Next month: an appearance in the Miami Vice movie.

The Basics of Mojito
A traditional mojito is made of five ingredients: rum, mint, sugar, lime juice, and club soda. Muddling is a gentle but thorough bruising of fruit and the herb with sugar at the bottom of a glass. This process helps to release juice and the essential oils. The combination of the refreshing citrus, the sweetness, and the strong mint flavor is used to mask the potency of the rum. To many, it may seem like an intricate cocktail to create but really, it’s quite simple and worth all that extra effort as it produces a great reward.

The Recipe
You will need:
2 oz. (6 cl.) light or gold rum
fresh mint
2 tsp. powdered sugar
1 lime cut in 4 wedegs
club soda
ice
highball glass (or a collins glass from the famous tom collins cocktail)
measuring jigger
muddler
spoon

How to make a mojito
In a highball glass put the 2 tsp. powdered sugar, then add the cut lime (or add just 1 wedge and fresh squeezed lime juice 0.5oz or 1.5cl ). Next comes the mint (how many mint leaves you use depends on how "minty" you want your drink to taste). Gently muddle the mixture. Be careful not to over do it. You don't want to break down the ingredients into mush or bits. Not enough muddling will leave you with a drink that seems like a waste of time and too much may release bitterness found in some of the fruit and herbs. Again, you want to release essential oils, fruit juice, and the delicious flavors but not make mashed ingredients. Add ice (many prefer crushed ice, but in the original recipe ice cubes were used) then the rum and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Top off with club soda and stir lightly to incorporate. Garnish with fresh sprig of mint and an wheel of lime.
If you did it right, this is how it's supposed to look like.


You have made a great Mojito. Enjoy responsibly!



Other Mojito recipes
If you want you can change the usual rum with apple rum or mango rum and you get apple mojito or mango mojito. Other mixes are: Blackberry mojito, Mandarin mojito, Passion Fruit mojito, Watermelon mojito, Pimm's mojito, Dirty mojito. The list can go on but I think these are the best you can drink.


The recipes

Apple Mojito
You will need:
Ingredients
2 oz Apple rum
6 oz club soda
3 lime wedges
2 tsp sugar
3 fresh mint sprigs
Method - The Procedure
Add the lime, sugar and mint sprigs to a highball glass and muddle with a muddler. Add several ice cubes and pour in the apple rum. Top with club soda (adjust to taste), and stir. Garnish with an apple slice and a lime wedge, and serve.

Mango Mojito
You will need:
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz mango rum
3 oz club soda
4 mint leaves
1 lime wedge
Method - The Procedure
Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedge in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Add mango rum and club soda as above or adjusted to taste. Add ice cubes, and serve.

Blackberry Mojito
Ingredients
1/4 cup blackberries
3 mint leaves
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 ounces white rum
Cracked ice
Method - The Procedure
In a bar shaker crush together blackberries, mint leaves, sugar and lime juice with a mortar or the back of a spoon until the mixture becomes slightly mushy. Add rum and ice, shake and serve in Tom collins glass, garnish with a lime slice.

Mandarin Mojito
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Absolut® Mandrin vodka
3 oz sweet and sour mix
3 oz Sprite® soda
1 lime wedge
4 mint leaves
Method - The Procedure
Add mint and lime wedge into Collins glass, then muddle. Fill glass with ice. Add half Sprite (or 7-up) and the other half with sweet and sour mix. Shake in mixing tin and pour.

Passion Fruit Mojito
Ingredients
75 ml dark rum
1 tsp sugar
6 lime wedges
10 - 12 mint leaves
25 ml passion-fruit puree
50 ml soda
2/3 of a glass crushed ice
Method - The Procedure
Add mint and lime wedge into Collins glass, then muddle. Fill glass with ice. Add the passion fruit puree and rum. Mix vigorously for one minute, and garnish with rest of mint and a straw.

Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients
20 mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Crushed Ice
3/4 cup light rum
6 ounces seedless watermelon, pureed
Method - The Procedure
In the bottom of a large shaker, muddle the mint, sugar and half the lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice. Add the rum, watermelon and the remaining lime juice. Shake well.
Strain the mojitos into old fashioned glasses over ice and serve.

Pimm’s Mojito
Ingredients
1 oz raspberry vodka
2 oz Pimm’s® gin
1 dash sugar syrup
4 lime wedges
4 raspberries
2 strawberries
4 mint leaves
Method - The Procedure
Place the mint leaves, raspberries, lime wedges and strawberries (sliced in half) into a cocktail shaker. Add a splash of sugar syrup and muddle well. Add the pimm's and raspberry vodka. Prepare enough crushed ice to fill the highball glass to just over half way. Add 5/6 ice cubes to the shaker and shake well. Add the crushed ice to the glass and then strain the contents of the shaker over the crushed ice. Top up with soda. Add two straws and garnish with Strawberry/Lime Wheel/Mint Sprig or all three.

Dirty Mojito
Ingredients
4 mint leaves
2 oz light rum
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 oz soda water
1 splash Coca-Cola®
Method - The Procedure
Muddle mint, sugar, and rum together. Fill glass with ice. Top with soda water and a splash of coke. Dirty Mojito happens.

You have made some great Mojitos. Enjoy responsibly!