Picador

The "Picador", from W.J. Tarling's 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book (Coronation Edition). Another of Tarling's darling early Tequila recipes. 

The Picador


1.5 ounces (45 ml) Tequila
3/4 ounce (22 ml) Cointreau
3/4 ounce (22 ml) fresh Lime or Lemon Juice


Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. 

As simple and tasty as this is, you may want to make two. A Picador is one of a pair after-all, (a "Picador" is one of the two horsemen that spear the bull in a Spanish bullfight with a lance.).

Can't decide between lemon or lime? Try one of each!

Toreador

Toreador


1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Tequila
3/4 ounce (22 ml) Apry
3/4 ounce (22 ml) fresh lime Juice


Shake well with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.


Here is another early tequila drink from Tarling's 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book.

The apricot brandy brings a bold, sweet fruit flavor to balance the sour notes from the lime juice making the Toreador more approachable than the Tia Juano.

I went top shelf for this one and used the Ocho reposado from 2008 - and while it made for a very good drink, it was probably overkill.

The really nice thing about this one is that you can use just about any decent tequila you want and get good results.

NOTE: This is also VERY good using Del Meguey Mezcal Vida and lemon juice!!!

Tia Juano

TIA JUANO


2 ounces (60 ml) reposado tequila
1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) Lillet Blanc
1/2 ounce (15 ml) Campari


Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

There were not many tequila drinks published by 1937 when this drink, along with several others, appeared in W.J. "Billy" Tarling's Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, which is one of the many good reasons that this title is so popular with UK bartenders.

I really like this one, which is why I translated the recipe into a 4 oz drink rather than 2 ounces. Normally I try to make my drinks 3 ounces, but that would make for some inconvenient measurements here.

I go Lillet blanc over my Noilly Prat here for its strong citrus notes as well as its thicker, silkier mouth feel. Since Lillet is not overly wine forward it tends to act more as a binder here, giving texture and character without being overwhelming.

For the tequila, a nice reposado, but nothing too fancy. I'm a longtime fan of the Cazadores, which works very well here, and have been happy to see it become cheaper and more available in recent years.

The Campari gives the drink a nice rosy color, and it's grapefruit flavors shine through and work really well with the tequila.

Ultimately, this is a tequila drink first and foremost, so use one that you like.

I found that this drink warmed well too...just another reason to go for the big drink. (It's an easy one to cut in half though for experimenting).

It is one for those who do not take sugar in their coffee or tea, as its flavors tend towards bitter and astringent - and tequila, yum. Enjoy.

Spirit of Agave

SPIRIT OF AGAVE

Here's a modern recipe from Danny Meyer's "MixShakeStir" book that came out in 2008.

This one hails from the Union Square Cafe, and is honestly the only recipe that I took away from this book that was accessible to the home bartender, and looked enjoyable. This recipe is both.

Spirit of the Agave

1 oz silver tequila

1/2 oz reposado mezcal

1/2 oz Lillet blanc

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz agave nectar

1 lime wheel (optional)

"Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and place the monster ice cube in a rocks glass. Add the tequila, mezcal, Lillet, lime juice and agave nectar to the shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into the glass. Garnish with the lime wheel, if desired, and serve."

The Tommy's Margarita

"Make that a double please!"

The Tommy's Margarita

Simple and well balanced, the Tommy's is an elegant cocktail. If a well made Daiquiri is the benchmark drink to judge a rum by, this is the equivalent for tequila.

Ingredients

1.5 oz tequila blanco or reposado
.75 oz lime juice (fresh)
2 teaspoons agave syrup

Instructions

Shake with ice and strain into either a cocktail glass or old-fashioned glass with ice. If serving on the rocks, I like to strain the fine ice from the shaker.