Tommy's Margarita Recipe: Tequila, Lime and Agave

Ingredients

2 oz blanco tequilae.g. Olmeca Altos · Patrón · Don Julio · Espolòn · El Jimador
1 oz lime juice
½ oz agave syrup or 20 ml agave syrup diluted 1:1 with water
1 pinch of salt optional (optional)

Garnish: Lime wheel, optional half salt rim · Ice: Ice cubes

Method

If you want a salt rim, moisten half the rim of a rocks glass with lime and dip it in salt, then fill the glass with ice.
Add tequila, lime juice and agave syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Strain over the fresh ice in the prepared glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel.

Watch it made

Tommy's Margarita

Taste

Bright and tart with clean lime, fresh agave and a peppery tequila finish. Lighter and less sweet than a margarita with orange liqueur.

History and origin

Tommy's Margarita comes from Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, a family restaurant opened in 1965 by Tomas and Elmy Bermejo. Around 1990 their son Julio Bermejo, who ran the bar, began replacing the orange liqueur of the classic margarita with agave nectar, arguing that the sweetener should come from the same plant as the spirit.

The bar also built one of the largest selections of 100% agave tequila in the United States, and Bermejo became a well-known advocate for the category. His simple three-ingredient margarita spread through the cocktail revival of the 2000s and is now listed by the International Bartenders Association among its New Era Drinks.

Bartender tips

Use only 100% agave tequila; the drink has nothing to hide behind.
Agave syrup is sweeter than sugar syrup, so dilute it 1:1 with water for easier mixing and dose by taste.
Salt only half the rim so each sip can be taken with or without it; Tommy's itself serves the drink without salt by default.

Variations

Margarita: The classic: tequila, lime and orange liqueur, usually served up or on the rocks with a salt rim.
Mezcal Tommy's: Use mezcal, or split the base half tequila and half mezcal, for a smoky version.
Spicy Tommy's: Easy twist: muddle one or two slices of jalapeño in the shaker before adding the other ingredients.