Excerpt from John McCarthy’s book The Modern Gentleman: The Guide to the Best Food, Drinks, and Accessories, a compact volume that introduces modern gentlemen to some of the greatest pleasures in life, from the very best spirits to the most complex hot sauces to the suavest of accessories.
This tequila cocktail has acquired a bad rap in certain circles.
Chain restaurants, mediocre bars, and other Neanderthals have reduced the margarita to a sugary mess of artificial sour mix and bottom shelf hooch. But the real thing is a whole different animal. This simple masterpiece is a balancing act of 100% agave tequila, lime, and triple sec, an orange liqueur—a backdrop of sweet and tart that’s punched up with a little salt. A classic margarita is technically a three-ingredient drink, but I like to add a 1/4 oz. of agave syrup to mine.
What you’ll need:
shaker, strainer, jigger
2 oz. 100% agave silver (blanco) tequila
3/4 oz. triple sec (orange liqueur, Cointreau is a quality brand)
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1/4 oz agave syrup (optional)
Kosher salt for rim
How to make it:
Rim half a cocktail or rocks glass with salt. Fill a shaker halfway with ice and add tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Shake until the shaker is very cold in your hand. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, or try it “straight up” in a cocktail glass without ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Pro Tip: What’s an easy way to salt a rim?
Spread kosher salt into a shallow bowl. Moisten half the outside rim of your glass with a lime or orange wedge, and roll it in the salt. Try not to get salt in the drink, but a little bit is OK!
A compact volume that introduces modern gentlemen to some of the greatest pleasures in life, from the very best spirits to the most complex hot sauces to the suavest of accessories.
The book is targeted to aspiring bon vivants, modern metrosexuals, millennials, and hipsters eager to become the new gentleman. Content not only includes quick guides to great drinks, foods, and cigars, but also makes the case for why every real gentleman needs a great flask, a classic pen, and a watch that may not be “smart” but will make you look and feel like 007.
Features short essays on each subject, with classic illustrations accompanying each, all in a handsome package that will evoke thoughts of a trusted old leather-bound book.
John McCarthy is a spirit, travel, and lifestyle journalist, managing editor, and author of The Modern Gentleman and Whiskey Rebels: The Dreamers, Visionaries & Badasses Who Are Revolutionizing American Whiskey. McCarthy is also editor of Barleycorn Drinks and Director of Judging of the John Barleycorn Awards.
