CLASSIC COCKTAILS SUCH AS THE MANHATTAN, SAZERAC, OR NEGRONI DATE BACK TO THE 1800’S. The Margarita, however, can’t really be traced much earlier than the 1930s. See, Prohibition was a real kick in the teeth for Americans. Ban something that everyone loves and, lo and behold, you make folks desire it more! Just as Canadian whisky came across the border thanks to our neighbors of the north, tequila started trickling in from south of the border. Americans grew fond of the spirit very quickly, to the point where now, in 2017, we’re credited as the number one consumer of tequila in the world! Turns out the red, white, and blue has a serious taste for the blue weber agave! The 1937 publication of the Café Royal Cocktail Book highlighted a drink called the Picador: 2 parts tequila, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part lime. That certainly sounds freakishly close to the imbibement of which we are detailing. More curiously, the 1953 issue of Esquire alludes to a Dallas woman named Margarita Sames. While hosting a Christmas party at her house in Acapulco, Ms. Sames placated her unruly and unsatisfied guests with a special concoction comprised of her favorite ingredients: tequila and Cointreau, and freshly squeezed lime. The guests loved it so much they named the drink after her. I could go on ad nauseum about the origin of the margarita, but frankly I don’t believe any of the stories. It was probably created in Mexico decades before the credit was given. According to Ryan Brown, Beverage Director of Anise Gastrobar in Tampa, “the margarita is Mexico’s version of the “sour cocktail.” Sours are far from new, as we have the whiskey sour here in the US, the Collins in the UK, the daiquiri in the Caribbean and the Pisco sour in South America. A sour is a cocktail combining a spirit, a sweetener and citrus. To think that a British cocktail book or a Texan socialite threw tequila in the mix before someone harvested the agave is beyond me! No two margaritas are alike, and the phrase “to each his/her own” truly does fit. Besito, a locally-adored Mexican restaurant in Westshore, Tampa, offers a very wide variety of classic and creative choices meant to fit each individual patron. My personal favorite is the Passion Caliente, combining passion fruit nectar, tequila, and a house-made 3-chili hot sauce with fresh lime and a chipotle-salt rim. It hits all the notes I look for: sour, sweet, herbal, and boozy! The Besito Patron Margarita certainly won’t disappoint either, combining a unique mix of tangerine and pomegranate juices with a special reserve batch of Patron Reposado, hand-selected by Managing Partner Andres Farfan. Their current barrel of specially selected Patron rests in French Limousin oak and blends masterfully with the mix of fruits. Unless stated at Besito, their margaritas will come unsalted, breaking the norm but definitely delighting this particular writer. “We want you to taste the spirit and the cocktail,” says Farfan. “Salt was used forever ago to mask bad tequila. We don’t use bad tequila, so there is nothing to cover up.” Pair one of these cocktails with Mr. Farfan’s hospitality and a dish from Chef Joe Mugenski, and you are in for a real treat. I’m not saying you “No two margaritas are alike, and the phrase ‘to each his/ her own’ truly does fit.” Besito Patron Margarita & Passion Calicnte MAY/JUNE 2017 localsDISH 13
20027LD
To see the actual publication please follow the link above