Margs from p 19 Even the drink’s ingredients are fuzzy. This might be due to the sheer rate of ex- pansion the margarita has enjoyed, espe- cially in the U.S., where by the 1950s it was well on its way to becoming one of the most popular cocktails. So, what exactly is a margarita? Language can help set an outline. The Spanish word “margarita” means “daisy.” Daisy refers to a group of cocktails made using liquor, a sour agent, and a liqueur (meaning a distilled spirit tricked out with added flavorings, like Cointreau in the case of the margarita). The margarita’s name hints at its bed- rock ingredients: tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur. More often than not, the margaritas shaken today have added sweetness from simple or agave syrup. These are the core Legos. If you use a high- end tequila and liqueur, you have another classic: the Cadillac Margarita. In cocktail circles, there’s a third canonical margarita: a tequila, lime, and agave syrup combo, called a Tommy’s Margarita. But where do we draw the margarita’s bounds? Can a margarita include cactus fruit? Hibiscus? Vanilla? Vodka? Sure. So long as the frosty result conjures the te- quila-sour-liqueur essence and the right loose state of mind, why not? Exploring a Margarita Wonderland In my freeform drinking through our mar- garita landscape, many versions and details have stuck in my memory. I’m thinking of the icy beauty of the frozen margaritas at Cocina Madrigal with soccer playing on the TV. I’m thinking of black salt paving the glass of a saline Cadillac served at Pul- que, shaken two-at-a-time by my waiter. Or the sweet, pricy Cabernet-floated riff brought out by the “tequila goddess” at La Hacienda. Or the allure of a perfectly aver- age classic mixed at the Peoria marisqueria Los Arbolitos De Cajeme. Across the Valley, just about everybody uses blanco tequila. Some places can work magic with the aged stuff, too. In the cloudy mist and booming tunes of Modern Margarita in Desert Ridge, the bartenders concoct an impressive “rustic margarita” with reposado tequila that can be ordered in a 32-ounce fishbowl. Another Valley truism: Just about ev- erybody who uses OJ turns their drink into Tropicana. One exception: the version at both Gallo Blanco and Otro Cafe, where ju- dicious use of orange juice re-tunes the fla- vors slightly and deftly while making it more crushable. After searching and drinking and evolv- 20 ing my own tastes and drinking some more, I’ve settled on several favorites. If we’re talking a timeless, classic-leaning margar- ita and I have to choose, there are two fork- ing paths: those with agave syrup (introducing rich, caramel notes), and those with simple syrup (which holds up a Jackie Mercandetti Photo mirror to the tequila and lime). For a classic margarita with agave syrup, I like one from CRUjiente Tacos. For a sim- ple syrup margarita, I like one from Barrio Cafe. Classic Favorite #1 On a humid night in mid-summer, I posted up at the CRUjiente Tacos bar during happy hour with another food critic. The inventive taqueria just past the edge of Ar- cadia has earned praise for its margaritas from every major local publication. We ordered three. The first was the Grand Cru, CRUjien- te’s version of a Cadillac, their higher-end marg. Rimmed with a thin line of salt, this margarita was crisp and refreshing, te- quila-forward without any kind of bite, very nice all said, though its orange liqueur plus muddled orange led to a smidge too much of the fruit. A margarita made with mezcal rather than tequila was enjoyable, but mostly smoke. The third margarita, CRUjiente’s house standard (AKA Premier Cru), was perfect. It combines blanco tequila, agave syrup, lime, and a gentle undertow of muddled orange. Nothing obstructed the goodness of the quality tequila. Nothing wrestled away the attention. All elements joined to spotlight the spirit, to let it sing. Pondered together, this trio shows how the ingredients that make up a margarita balance on a knife’s edge. Too much lime? Sour bazooka. Too much spirit? No glori- ous, refreshing zap. Too sweet? Nobody wants to drink dessert. “The margarita is one of the easiest cocktails to make, yet probably one of the easiest to goof up,” says Jason Morris, mar- garita master at CRUjiente. Morris is one of the Valley’s deep margar- ita thinkers, a craftsman who employs thoughtful techniques. For instance, he uses agave syrup cut with simple syrup, which preserves agave syrup’s “more complex, more roasted notes” while achieving less vis- cosity for integrating the sweetener. He also likes to layer citruses for complexity, a move that has become popular in mixology circles — hence, the muddled orange (which also keys into the classic recipe’s orange liqueur). This is the kind of thinking that lurks invisi- bly behind most great margaritas. I ask Morris his thoughts on tequila quality. Does it matter? “You don’t want to mask your tequila,” he says. “The higher quality of tequila you go, the better the margarita.” Enrique Ramos, owner of Creo Spirits, who imports about 20 kinds of agave li- quors for more than 150 bars and eateries in the Valley, agrees. Valentine’s Hatch chili margarita is served in a glass cowboy boot. “I’ve tasted every margarita from here to everywhere,” Ramos says. “If you’re go- ing to drink a good marg, use a brand that has some quality.” Ramos also suggests tasting widely as you drink around town. “There’s so many different combinations with people put- ting in bitters, fruit, and making advanced cocktails,” he says. Classic Favorite #2 The bar at Barrio Cafe might be my favorite place to drink a margarita in town. It’s just a few seats, low-key, intimate. You get to talk to the bartender, you get to feel the gravity of the place, and the shelves are decked with agave spirits galore. Several margaritas await. The Lowrider is king. It’s simple and bereft of gimmicks and Instagram non- sense — just Don Julio Blanco, Cointreau (orange liqueur), simple syrup, lime juice. Tasting the cocktail, the liquid window into the Don Julio is direct, the Cointreau lending just a touch of orange (any more would be too much). The drink is consis- tent from day to day, month to month. (Some bartenders at Barrio Cafe >> p 24 SEPT 9TH – SEPT 15TH, 2021 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
