Mezcal Margarita
One of Smartblends first ever cocktails - The Mezcal Margarita
Above - Smartblend margarita photography
The Smartblend Margarita is a variation of the classic margarita cocktail recipe which has the addition of Mezcal and a salted lime air. Created by myself and another bartender some years ago. I recently came across it again whilst searching through old recipes and decided to share it on here. If you’re into the “mixology” side of bartending or home bartending. This is a recipe I urge you to try.
Mezcal Cocktails
Mezcal has been slowly gaining traction over the past few years and more and more people are understanding what it is and how to use it. Which means more people are experimenting with Mezcal cocktails either at home, or ordering them at bars.
The go to stratergy for mixing Mezcal in cocktails is usually to replace the Tequila with Mezcal in any tequila cocktail. What’s important to note here is that Tequila and Mezcal are 2 different spirits with 2 different tastes. And simply swapping one for another won’t necessarily make for a nice cocktail.
If you’d like a better understand of what Mezcal is and how it differs from Tequila, check out these guides;
With that said and done, you probably have the following questions;
Is mezcal good for margaritas?
Yes, but only if it’s balanced. Mezcal is great in Margaritas but not if you completely swap the Tequila for Mezcal. Mezcal has a very smoky flavor that can easily overpower the delicate sweet and sour balance of a Margarita. Which is why I always recommend a split spirit base.
That means that we use both Tequila AND Mezcal as opposed to just using Mezcal. This will help us balance our Mezcal Margarita perfectly.
What's the best way to drink mezcal?
If it’s your first time drinking Mezcal. Try it neat to get an understanding of its flavor, then mix it in cocktails that are either very sour or very sweet to balance out that smoky flavor.
History of the Smartblend Mezcal Margarita
Way back in 2018 I worked in a cocktail bar, more famed for its sweet and fruity cocktails rather than its margaritas. It was the type of bar where you’d serve hundreds of tequila shots, Jagerbombs and Sambucas a night. The type of bar where people would stumble out of at 3.30AM with ear drums ringing.
Myself who was the bar manager at the time and the head bartender would lock the doors after closing time, clean up then at 4.30AM when we finished. Would sit around drinking till the sun came up. Some of our best cocktail recipes would come from these sessions.
Often, the cocktail choice for us would be a classic margarita. Week after week we would tweak the recipe, add something new, take something away, trying out many variations on the classic. After sometime we came upon a recipe which we decided was the best margarita recipe for our taste. A recipe that although was a slight change was different enough to be a whole new margarita cocktail.
Taste of the Smartblend Mezcal Margarita
As far as the taste profile. The difference between a classic margarita and the Smartblend Mezcal margarita is the smokiness that the addition of Mezcal adds. It focuses more on a balance of smoke and sour as opposed to the sweet and sour.
Salted lime air recipe
Okay, with most margarita cocktails, you get a salt rim. ever wondered why? it's not just tradition. it enhances the overall flavour of the cocktail. Salt stimulates your gustatory receptor cell, which makes up your taste buds. It helps balance out the sweetness of the orange liqueur and the acidity of the lime juice. It also increases saliva production, to make the cocktail mouthwatering. I like to think of salt as being the bridge between flavours. It helps flavours blend easier.
With this margarita, we decided to top the drink with the salt foam. So that the foam slowly mixes with the cocktail the longer you leave it. slowly changing the flavour with each sip.
To make the Citrus salt air, you will need 5 ingredients:
Water - 100ML
Fresh lime juice - 50ML
Salt, any will do, we prefer Pink Himalayan salt - 1 tsp
egg white powder - 1.5g
Xanthan Gum - 1g
You need to blend all these ingredients together, then use a fish tank pump to create the bubbles. I know what you're thinking. A fish tank pump? Yes you heard me correctly.
Inserting a fish tank pump into the mixture will create light and airy bubbles. Using a julep strainer or a slotted spoon, you can scoop up these bubbles to top the cocktail.
For more information on how to do this and the full guide on equipment needed, check out this cocktail foams guide here.
If you don’t have the equipment or time for the “mixologist” type of cocktail making, then by all means, leave out the foam and you have an easy to recreate recipe. A recipe that can be made in just about any bar or home that has a good bottle of tequila and mezcal.
Tequila being my favourite spirit and the Margarita being my favourite cocktail. If i had one goal from my cocktail development life. It would be to push this cocktail recipe into modern classic territory.
For a classic Margarita cocktail recipe, Margarita facts and history, as well as Tequila and mezcal facts check out my other post here.
Mezcal Margarita Recipe
Mezcal Margarita
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker apart from the salted lime air.
- Shake until the shaker is cold to touch.
- Fine strain into a chilled coupe.
- Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel
Notes
Once you've made this Mezcal Margarita, play around with the ratio of Mezcal and Tequila to find the perfect mix for you. And don't forget to brush up on your Mezcal knowledge here.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
476.77Fat
8.19 gSat. Fat
2.95 gCarbs
31.27 gFiber
0.19 gNet carbs
31.07 gSugar
26.19 gProtein
50.49 gSodium
128.92 mgCholesterol
133.34 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
