Bitter Margarita

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 45 ml Blanco Tequila
- 30 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 15 ml Mezcal
- 15 ml Campari
- 15 ml Orange Liqueur
(Preferably Alma Finca)
- 7,5 ml Agave Nectar

GARNISH:
- Sugar and Salt Rim
- Lime Wheel
- Lime Twist

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Rim a cocktail glass with salt and sugar mixture.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Strain into a prepared cocktail glass over large block of fresh ice.
• Garnish with a twist of lime and a lime wheel.

Cocktail author: Daniel Kopystanski.

I have already lost the count on the number of Margarita riffs I have tested, tasted and reviewed, but I just keep encountering more and more of them. So, I guess, I’m not going to stop any time soon. This time I’m bringing you a bitter and smoky take on this beloved cocktail.

Tequila blanco and its amazing vegetal agave nature remains the core of the cocktail. It is then enriched by the complex smoky earthiness of mezcal, but keeping it at the ratio, where mezcal does not overshadow other ingredients. Fresh lime juice, brings the sharp tartness we know and love in Margaritas. While subtle touch of orange liqueur, brings that sweet citrusy flavour, which along with the drop of agave nectar helps to tame the lime. Last, but certainly not least, Campari truly changes this drink with its bitter-sweet orange notes fusing, so well, with the smokiness of mezcal and agave of the tequila. Salt and sugar rim, while being an option, remains a strong recommendation, it livens up the drink and allows you to experience the cocktail notes in a completely different way.

All in all, Bitter Margarita, while being a simple riff, retaining much of the original essence of the cocktail, completely reinvents its flavour profile and takes it into a new direction. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Source material:
https://punchdrink.com/recipes/bitter-margarita/