Some of the essential issues to learn about cocktails is that after getting the ratios memorized, there’s limitless room to experiment. Take the margarita as our instance: Whereas precise portions can shift barely to swimsuit preferences, the fundamental ratio is 2 elements tequila to at least one half every triple sec and recent lime juice. From there, you can begin swapping in a distinct spirit for the tequila. 

That’s the considering behind the mezcal margarita, which swaps tequila for its smokier cousin. However right here’s the fascinating half: You don’t all the time should swap one spirit for an additional. A primary instance of that is the 50/50 margarita, which has develop into a favourite of mine currently. Initially created by Natasha Bermudez, bar director at Llama Inn and Llama San in New York, it’s a minimalist riff that retains the basic margarita’s proportions—tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau—however replaces the tequila with a 50/50 mixture of mezcal and sherry.

Sherry isn’t a spirit—it’s a fortified wine with a decrease alcohol (15–20% ABV)—nevertheless it brings unimaginable depth to this drink. The result’s smoky but floral, with the wealthy and nutty flavors of sherry—its advanced, layered, and arguably much more sippable than your common margarita.

The Key Substances for a Fabulous 50/50 Margarita

To land on my ultimate rendition of this drink, I made six completely different variations that mixed varied types of each mezcal and sherry. This is what I realized after tasting all the outcomes.

Begin with a fantastic mezcal. Let’s get this straight: mezcal will not be a kind of tequila—tequila is a kind of mezcal. I made this cocktail for our crew with each Mezcal Verde Amarás, an Espadín-based mezcal that’s extensively accessible in US shops, and Ojo de Tigre, a mix of Espadín and wild-harvested Tobalá an agave selection recognized for its fruity, advanced flavors. It doesn’t matter what you select, the secret is to make use of mezcal that’s high-quality and ok to sip by itself.

Use a candy sherry. We began with a dry Manzanilla sherry (Valdespino), which created a crisp, citrusy cocktail—nevertheless it leaned too sharp. Then we tried a fino sherry (Tio Pepe), which was even drier and extra mineral-forward, however made a margarita that was unbalanced and in want of extra sweetness.

The breakthrough got here with Pedro Ximénez sherry, particularly from Valdespino. It’s a richly candy, syrupy fashion of sherry with flavors of fig, toffee, and dried fruit. Our colleague and Meals & Wine editorial director, Dylan Garret, put it completely: “It has an analogous earthy profile to agave nectar, but additionally brings in notes of fig, toffee, raisins, molasses, and dried fruit.”

He added, “Utilizing PX sherry provides you all these refined, nuanced flavors, whereas additionally letting you be lazy—you don’t want so as to add a bunch of additional elements or make any syrups.”

The consequence was a wealthy, balanced cocktail that paired superbly with each mezcals, although we leaned barely towards Ojo de Tigre.

Salt your rim—with fashion. What’s a margarita with out a salted rim? I exploit a 50/50 mixture of kosher salt and Tajín for one thing slightly extra dynamic. I solely salt one aspect of the glass, so it’s solely half salty (kinda like me), becoming for a 50/50—and it retains the salt from overwhelming the previous few sips. It’s a small contact that makes your margarita really feel slightly extra particular.

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