Tag: Tequila

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Classic Cocktail: Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican

The winds of fate conspired to once again land us at the birthplace of a seminal local cocktail, after Greg and Debbie suggested checking out Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. This is the birthplace of the Tommy’s Margarita, which uses agave syrup rather than triple sec as the sweetener in the cocktail.

Greg smartly suggested arriving before opening so we were able to sit at the bar and talk to the bartender. Enrique is third generation member of the family that founded Tommy’s in 1965, and he walked us through the cocktail while preparing drinks and constantly juicing limes. All the staff were super friendly throughout our visit, talking about the history of the venue and showing us mementos and such.

The creator of the Tommy’s Margarita is Julio Bermejo, Enrique’s uncle, and it includes 2 parts of 100% agave tequila, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part of agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water). The ingredients are measured in a blender and then shaken with plenty of cubed ice. The cocktail comes ungarnished and if you order a pitcher it makes four cocktails and you save a little off the cost.

This my friends is easy drinking right there! The Tommy’s Margarita was so simple yet had so much flavor that is perfectly balanced. The key is great tequila, but the ice is made with San Francisco water so would be hard to replicate exactly outside the City. And that lime juice is minutes fresh, not stored overnight or juiced hours before service, adding brightness that really makes a difference.

There’s a large selection of tequila here, and the restaurant claims to be the world’s best tequila bar. Enrique walked Greg through a recommended pour, and there’s a tequila club you can join if you visit on weekdays. We also ordered some food and found the dishes to be exemplary. The vibe at Tommy’s was really great, we’re bummed it took us this long to visit. But as they say, better late than never. We will return.

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Classic Cocktail: Tequila Sunrise at The Trident

Mrs. Mai Tai and friends went to a Taylor Swift tribute show, which left the husbands with some free time and Sam suggested having lunch at The Trident in Sausalito. The venue was founded by the Kington Trio in 1966 and there are still many groovy elements inside, it really is a time capsule with the curved lines, vast wood features, and murals on the wall and the ceiling.

For cocktail fans The Trident is notable as the birthplace of the modern Tequila Sunrise cocktail, developed in 1972 by bartender Robert “Bobby” Lozoff and served to the Rolling Stones. The band was so enamored by the cocktail that they brought it with them on the road, eventually naming it the Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise Tour. Lozoff died last week, making our visit all the more poignant.

The Trident’s Tequila Sunrise features Herradura Silver Tequila, Orange Juice, Grenadine, and Creme de Cassis. It is about as easy to drink as it looks, but it worked great for us just after noon on a Sunday. I do have to say it was not bad at all, even if you have to bring your own bump if you want an authentic version.

After a short wait in the bar we were seated outside for a beautiful almost windless day on the bay, enjoying lunch with friends that included a couple hungry seagulls. The Trident lived up to the hype, and is totally worth checking out.

Paper Airplane
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Cinco de Revenge of the Fifth

Killed two birds by making a Tequila-based Mai Tai that Trader Vic named the Pinky Gonzales and serving it in a Death Star mug.

Pinky Gonzales
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Cointreau
⅔ oz oz Orgeat
2 oz Tequila
Shake with crushed ice. No prison labor was involved.

This turned out quite light, thanks to Jimador tequila and the Cointreau that is lighter in body than Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao. Quite delicious and very, very close to a Margarita.

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The Ultimate Margarita

It is “National Margarita Day” so why not jump on the bandwagon. I’ve enjoyed tequila more in the past few years, thanks to a healthier appreciation of the vegetal sugar cane juice-based spirts such as Rhum Agricole and Cachaca. I’m guessing even budget Tequila is a lot better than the stuff I grew up on, too. But I like my Tequila in cocktails, not neat. At least not yet.

Tonight I did a little old school UMT shootout, comparing the classic Margarita recipe that uses triple sec orange liqueur as the sweetener to the Tommy’s Margarita that uses agave syrup. In my case I’m using equal parts lime juice to sweetener, though I know that some prefer a little less lime. The Tequila is El Jimador Silver, an affordable brand recommended to me that imparts the classic savory notes I like in a Tequila. Tommy’s calls for a reposado tequila but all I have on hand is blanco.

Classic Margarita
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver)
5 drops Saline Solution
Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.

Tommy’s Margarita
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Agave Syrup
2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver)
5 drops Saline Solution
Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.

Of these two I preferred the Tommy’s in that the syrup provided a richer mouthfeel and a lot more sweet flavor. But it didn’t really highlight the spirit or lime. So, I ended up combining these two and it ends up being a lot better overall, letting me taste the lime and tequila but also a bit of the orange too.

Using both sweeteners seems to be the right balance.

“Ultimate” Margarita
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
½ oz Agave Syrup
2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver)
5 drops Saline Solution
Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.

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The World’s Worst Mai Tai

I found this recipe in the 1980 book from Michael Walker called simply The Cocktail Book. The entry says “There are several different versions of the Mai Tai, but this seems to be the most popular with bartenders and patrons alike.” Walker also says “this drink will taste deliciously innocuous, but beware! It has a habit of creeping up on you.”

Photo by Derek / Make & Drink

(World’s Worst) Mai Tai by Michael Walker
½ measure Dark Rum
1 measure Light Rum
½ measure Tequila
½ measure Triple Sec
1 measure Apricot Brandy
1 measure Orange Juice
1 dash Orgeat
1 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Grenadine
Blend with ice until smooth. Decorate with slices of orange, lime, lemon, pineapple, and a maraschino cherry.

With all those ingredients and the elaborate garnish, I’m not sure which bartender would prefer to make this compared to a traditional five ingredient Mai Tai.

We shared this monstrosity with Derek from Make & Drink and he invited me over to the bar to try it! You can watch to the video to see our reactions but suffice to say while this might be an okay generic tropical drink it by no means should be called a Mai Tai. Not with tequila and apricot brandy.

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Drunken Monkey at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

This cocktail appeared on the menu at Trader Vic’s Emeryville a couple years ago and I decided to revisit with lunch. The drink features unaged Cachaça and Tequila, along with Banana liqueur, grapefruit and lime juice, plus Trader Vic’s favorite ingredient – Orgeat. The Whipped Cream topping with Lime Zest makes this an attractive cocktail.

The blend of Cachaça and Tequila works really well here, providing different spirit notes than what you’d get with Rum or Bourbon. Cachaça is distilled from cane juice and the light herbal qualities pair well with Tequila’s agave-based flavor. The banana is there just as a hint, and when we upped the ratio at home it still wasn’t forward in the cocktail.

At Trader Vic’s the cocktail is served in this tall glass with nugget ice, which meant it was difficult to incorporate the topping into the drink due to the chunky ice. My preference would be for this to be in an old fashioned glass with a wider brim or with shaved ice that would be easier to work with.

Trader Vic’s hasn’t published the recipe but observing the prep and trying at home this seems pretty close. Give it a try!

Drunken Monkey by Trader Vic’s
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Grapefruit Juice (pink)
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1 oz Blanco Tequila
1 oz Silver Cachaça
Shake with crushed ice and top with whipped cream and banana chips.

At home I used El Jimador Tequila and Novo Fogo Cachaça, along with Latitude 29 Orgeat, and I felt this tasted even better than the one at Trader Vic’s. I’m a newbie to both spirits, so I couldn’t tell which brands were used at Vic’s.