What Makes The Tommy's Margarita Stand Out From The Rest?

It seems like a fool's errand to name one drink the quintessential cocktail, but if there were such a thing the margarita would have a better case than most. Longstanding favorites like an old-fashioned or a martini would have a good claim as standard bearers of mixed drinks for their pedigree and enduring status, but margaritas can claim the throne by sheer force of popularity alone. Binwise notes that an overwhelming 56% of drinkers say the margarita is their go-to order, making it more popular than every other cocktail combined. Margaritas are simple, and accessible for casual drinkers, and of course, they taste amazing, a perfect marriage of smooth, sour, and lightly sweet.

Like the classic martini margarita's popularity is certainly boosted by a formula that makes for easy customizing. The lime juice is easily swapped out or combined with any number of fruits like mango, strawberry, or blood orange. Silver, or Blanco, tequila might be the standard spirit, but switching to a reposado or mezcal can add new layers of flavor without straying too far from the margarita ideal. Then there is Tommy's Margarita, which offers a unique twist on the cocktail by subbing in a new, but also completely obvious, ingredient.

The sweetening agent in a margarita is normally the orange liqueur triple sec, which gives the drink a double hit of citrus and adds to the booziness of the drink. Tommy's Margarita, created by Julio Bermejo of Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, drops the normal triple sec and swaps in agave nectar. This is a natural pairing because, of course, tequila itself is made with agave, so Tommy's Margarita reunites the spirit with its own sibling. According to Punch, the agave nectar brings a honey flavor in place of the orange triple sec. By dropping liqueur for a non-alcoholic sweetener the cocktail is also smoother drinking and cleaner tasting, with a stronger emphasis on the lime.

Tommy's Margarita was created by Bermejo to emphasize fresh local flavors, hence dropping the imported spirit for the local agave. Vine Pair notes that agave properly balances the margarita, because the sweeter agave plays off the acidic lime more, making for a refreshing sip that might actually give the original recipe a run for its money as the ideal form of the cocktail. Agave nectar also has the advantage of being far more affordable than triple secs like Cointreau, which gives you more bang for your margarita buck. Margaritas were dangerously good already, but if you want your love affair with the drink to get even more intense, give Tommy's variation a taste and revel in the power of thinking local.