How To Make A Tommy’s Margarita

Tequila, agave & lime. Yeah that does us just fine.

You know us. We LOVE a Margarita. Strong, punchy, sour. It's a bit of us. But wanna know a secret? We love a Tommy’s more. 

The History

Not created by a guy called Tommy but rather the owner of Tommy’s Bar in San Francisco, Julio Bermejo (Julio’s Margarita just doesn’t have the same ring). This guy is a hero: not keen on triple sec’s overpowering sweetness and its ability to drown out the freshness and complexity of tequila, he went organic and introduced a squeeze of naturally sweet agave syrup instead. The zingy freshness from the lime is balanced with the sweetness from the agave, leaving the tequila to be the total star of the show. This simple cocktail has since become a behind-the-bar classic, and Tommy’s Bar where it all began a mecca for bartenders and tequila heads like us.

Make It

When cocktails are this simple and balanced you really need to get the booze right. If you can afford one thing this month, make it a good bottle of 100% agave tequila. It will make all the difference, preventing that sugar and chemicals fuelled hangover from hell, and you’ll surprise yourself with how damn good your homemade cocktails taste (NB. it’s not you - it’s the tequila, sorry).

BarChick’s all over...

Altos

This is the real deal. We'll even show you how it's made... 

Aqua Riva

Cleo Rocos, what a babe. She makes a damn good organic tequila and flies the flag for tequila as a ‘healthier drinking’ option.

Ocho Tequila

The Ocho distillery is up in the highlands of Mexico, where they’ve got various fields of different agave (10 if you’re asking). Similar to the labelling of fine wines they are the first ever ‘tequila vintage’, which states the exact year of harvest and location the agave plants were grown.

Herradura

Aurelio, the creator of this awesome tequila, found a gold horseshoe on his agave fields. The symbol of the horseshoe means luck, and is "Herradura" in Spanish. It was created back in 1870, so it's definitely been working its magic ever since!!

El Jimador

Named after the Jimadors who worked in the agave fields chopping the piñas, this tequila is 100% agave - just how we like it!

Patron

No not XO Cafe  (although no judgement, that stuff rocks) but Silver. When it comes to a slightly peppery but smooth silver tequila to use in a cocktail or two, you can't really beat it.

Shake It Up

  • 2 shots tequila 1 shot freshly squeezed lime juice ½ shot agave nectar syrup
  • Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, pour in the ingredients and shake it baby!
  • Strain and serve on the rocks in a tumbler, or straight up in a Martini glass is you’re feeling loco.
  • We don’t like to faff about with salt on the rim, it’s not what a true Tommy’s is about.

Pre-batch

Got peeps coming over and want to look like a cocktailing pro? Go all 'on trend' and get involved with some pre-batching. Sticking with the above ratios (seriously, it’s all about balance) make a jug of 4 Tommy’s - ready to stir and serve over ice. For those who can’t do maths, that's 8 shots tequila 4 shots freshly squeezed lime juice 2 shots agave nectar syrup