ETHANOL

TOMMY'S MARGARITA

Tommy's, San Francisco, 1990.

ROCKS GLASS
ETHANOL 19 G131 KCAL FROM ETHANOL4.2 OZ SERVED

SPEC

2 oz · 60 mlBLANCO TEQUILA40 %
1 oz · 30 mlLIME JUICE
½ oz · 15 mlAGAVE NECTAR

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01SHAKE ALL INGREDIENTS WITH ICE
  2. 02STRAIN OVER FRESH ICE IN A ROCKS GLASS (NO RIM, NO TRIPLE SEC)
  3. 03GARNISH WITH A LIME WHEEL

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch3.5 oz mixed with ice, 0.8 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltShaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +0.7 oz of water
Served3.5 + 0.7 = 4.2 oz in the glass
Strength0.8 ÷ 4.2 = 19.0 % ABV as served
Ethanol0.8 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 19 g · about 131 kcal from the alcohol alone

IN THE GLASS

METHYL ANTHRANILATE

FROM TEQUILA AGAVE · the grape candy note

Formula
C₈H₉NO₂
Mass
151.16 g/mol
IUPAC
methyl 2-aminobenzoate

The grape-candy / Welch's-grape-juice aroma. Concord grapes carry it in concentrations no European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) approaches; American Vitis labrusca grapes, native to the northeastern US, hold methyl anthranilate as a signature. The "foxy" note in North American grape juice and artificial grape candy both come from the same molecule. Also used as the standard bird repellent on commercial fruit crops; birds find it intolerable.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Ramos Gin Fizz · Hurricane · Singapore Sling · Mary Pickford · Royal Hawaiian · Bahama Mama · Paloma · Tequila Sunrise

CITRAL

FROM LIME · the lemon aroma

Formula
C₁₀H₁₆O
Mass
152.24 g/mol
IUPAC
(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienal

Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Margarita · Mojito · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation

CHEMISTRY

Blanco tequila, lime and agave: three ingredients, no more. This is the purist Margarita. Agave nectar instead of simple syrup means the sweetener comes from the same plant as the tequila, and the cocktail reads as coherent in a way the triple-sec version does not.

PROVENANCE

Julio Bermejo created Tommy's Margarita at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco's Outer Richmond in 1990. The innovation was simple but radical for the era: agave nectar instead of triple sec, no salt rim. The drink showcases the tequila itself rather than masking it with sugar and citrus. Tommy's still serves the original; Bermejo became the de facto American tequila ambassador, named the tequila industry's ambassador to the United States by the CNIT and the governor of Jalisco in 2003.

AGAVE // NEARBY

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