Tommy's margarita
Blanco tequila, fresh lime and agave syrup, with no orange liqueur. Cleaner and more tequila-led than the classic.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2.3 UK units
How to make a Tommy's margarita
- Fill a glass with ice. Fill a rocks glass with fresh ice cubes and put it aside to chill.
- Add the ingredients. Pour the tequila, lime juice and agave syrup into a shaker, then fill it two-thirds with ice.
- Shake hard. Shake for 12 seconds, until the shaker is very cold and the drink feels well mixed.
- Strain and garnish. Strain over the fresh ice. It should look pale green-gold and cloudy. Add a lime wheel and serve.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- A lime wheelOr: A lime wedge on the side.
What you need to make a Tommy's margarita
Kit
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Bottles we'd use
- A 100% agave blanco tequilaEspolon Blanco or Olmeca Altos Plata: clean and peppery, which suits a drink with nowhere to hide.Find it on Amazon
- Agave syrupLight agave syrup tastes the most neutral and mixes well.Find it on Amazon
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The Tommy's margarita story
Julio Bermejo created it at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, which his family ran, and the drink dates from the 1990s. He left out the orange liqueur and used agave syrup instead, so the flavour of the tequila would come through. The restaurant became known for its tequila list, and the recipe spread to bars around the world.
It is a drink with three ingredients, so each one matters. Use a 100% agave blanco tequila and fresh lime. Agave syrup is thicker than sugar syrup, so shake long enough to blend it in. If you want a salt rim, it is optional here.
Tommy's margarita: your questions answered
What is in a Tommy's margarita?
A Tommy's margarita is made with 60 ml 100% agave tequila blanco, 30 ml fresh lime juice and 15 ml agave syrup. Garnish: a lime wheel.
Is a Tommy's margarita shaken or stirred?
A Tommy's margarita is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Tommy's margarita?
Made to this recipe, a Tommy's margarita contains about 2.3 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Tommy's margarita in?
Serve a Tommy's margarita in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
