Jose Cuervo’s tequila expert, Oli Pergl has transformed the classic Margarita with a revised recipe that will inspire everyone to make the perfect serve in less than a minute in their own homes this National Margarita Day, 22nd February. The UK’s leading tequila brand, Jose Cuervo, has also joined forces with two renowned bartenders to devise the ultimate Margarita recipes that are easy to make at home.
Oli has drawn on his many years of mixology to create the perfect recipe for a classic
Cuervo Tradicional Margarita. Oli Pergl says, “There is nothing better than a classic Margarita and making it at home can seem a little daunting but it’s actually surprisingly simple. I wanted to come up with the perfect ratio for a classic Margarita to produce the very best version of the cocktail in less than a minute at home. The result is just the right
balance between sweet and sour, in short, the perfect Margarita,” he added
Oli Pergl’s Perfect Margarita
Ingredients: –
-50ml Cuervo Tradicional Silver
-20ml Orange Liqueur such as Cointreau
-30ml Fresh Lime Juice
-1 pinch of Sea Salt flakes (for rim garnish).
Method: Rub a lime wedge around half of the glass and roll into a small pile of Sea Salt (not the granular table salt). Tap on the glass to get rid of excess and put on the side. Grab your cocktail shaker, (if you don’t have one you can use a coffee flask or jam jar), and add all ingredients, fill up with ice completely, pop on the top and shake hard for 7-10 seconds. Open the shaker and pour into glass. Garnish with a lime-wheel and if you’re feeling fancy spray some salt water over the top (in a small spray bottle mix 3:1 Water and Tequila and shake with sea-salt to make).
Helpful Tip: You can use a tea-strainer to get rid of the small ice crystals when pouring
into the glass – the true mark of a professional cocktail maker!
For those who like their Margarita with a little twist, Cuervo has teamed up with Carlos
Londono, from Cafe Pacifico, the two time winner of best Margarita in London at the
2017 and 2018 Margarita Rumble competitions, and Sofiane Barthélémy from the
renowned Lanesborough Hotel to devise two further recipes that are quick and simple
to make at home.
Carlos Londono’s Pomegranate and Mint Margarita
“13 years ago, a close friend of mine travelled to India and introduced me to pomegranates, he brought them back to London and showed me how delicious and juicy they could be. Since then we have been juicing pomegranates in our restaurant and haven’t been able to stop. The popularity and trend of using pomegranate in cocktails has never ceased and we use it in everything we can, including our cooking. The addition of mint also brings a beautiful bouquet to the cocktail and adds vibrancy to my rendition of a favourite tipple.”
Ingredients:
-40ml Cuervo Tradicional Silver
-30ml Fresh Lime Juice
-20ml Pomegranate Juice (or a quarter of a fresh
pomegranate)
-20ml Orange Liqueur
-7.5ml Agave Nectar / Syrup
-5 Mint Leaves
Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill up completely with ice, cap it and shake for up to 10 seconds. Fine-strain over cubed ice (to remove smaller bits of Mint) and garnish with pomegranate seeds and a large mint sprig.
Helpful Tip: You can find Agave Nectar/Syrup in the Honey and Jam section in most large supermarkets or specialised food stores – this is a veganfriendly sweetener that replaces the sugar in this recipe.
Sofiane Barthélémy’s Grapefruit and Honey Margarita
“When I make Margaritas at home, I usually do a frozen-style version as it’s quicker and easier to share. Most of the time I loosely follow the ‘Tommy’s Margarita’ recipe but I don’t use sugar. Honey is really great instead as it’s so rich and readily available. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients like grapefruit to help jazz it up too!”
Ingredients: –
-50ml Cuervo Tradicional Silver
-15ml Fresh Lime Juice
-20ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice
-1 tbsp Honey
Method: Add all ingredients into a blender and stir briefly to dissolve the honey. Add the same amount of ice to liquid and blitz in 3 second intervals to avoid over-blending and achieve your desired consistency. Pour into your glass, slice a thin grapefruit wheel and add to the drink.
Helpful Tip: Ever find that your limes are a little hard? Roll them on a kitchen surface using the palm of your hand to soften them up and get more juice from them!
Jose Cuervo will also be celebrating Margarita Day with their ‘Cuervo Tradicional Margarita Masterpiece’ campaign – a collaborative online art project led by award winning artist Helen Marshall, where tequila fans can send in pictures of themselves enjoying their margaritas via the hashtag #LiveTradicional to become part of a contemporary twist on a vintage Cuervo Margarita advert and be in with the chance of winning a host of tequila prizes. The finished piece will be launched on Margarita Day via Jose Cuervo’s social media channels. Visit @josecuervouk on Instagram and the Jose Cuervo Facebook page for more information.
DRINKS ENTHUSIAST 