So, it’s competition time of year. I get limited (almost no) time behind the stick at the moment, so this was an excellent excuse to get back there and start playing. One thing we’d talked about recently was how you could approach cocktails in a more environmentally conscious way - alternatives to egg whites for a vegan-friendly option, opening up the drink to a greater audience. Other ideas popped up in the process of this- using alternatives to lemon and lime juice, considering the amount of water used in the production of just one piece of citric fruit, as well as the carbon imprint. The idea of ‘naked‘ drinks, such as the classic naked martini, always fascinated me too - the idea of chilling the spirits then stirring, removing the necessity for ice and again lowering water usage. Plus, the chance to play with Agave, which is, as you will quickly discover, my favourite ingredient to play with bar none. Everything’s better with Agave.
So, two main drinks ended up being developed, showcased below-
The Great White Shark (naked edition)
Being completely honest, I was never 100% happy with the photos of this one. My photographic eye is not the finest, but with a few tweaks and edits by my significant other, it’s not a bad looking photo. It’s all about minimalism, no ice, no garnish, a simple, clean margarita with loads of punch.
Recipe
50ml GOOD silver tequila, because any less is just pointless. A margarita needs punch, and this brings it. Chill it overnight in the freezer for best effect.
10ml orange liqueur- I used Cointreau as it’s what I had at hand, but a wee Grand Marnier would be lovely.
5ml agave- god, I love agave. Makes a good tequila shine, saves a bad one, it’s full of wonderful goodness and it’s vegan. Did I mention I bloody love agave?
5ml mineral water- for just a little dilution. Any more would be excessive.
30ml No-Lime juice- which is what I’m calling it now- I batched off a combination of citric and malic acid crystals in mineral water to create this clear, simple alternative to lime juice. A slight rebalance of the levels of acids allowed the creation of no-lime allowed me to have a no-lemon version, perfect for our vegan sour underneath. (I’ll stick in the recipe for this too below)
Method
so, no ice, no shaking. Simply buck your chilled spirits in a mixing glass, slowly stir, adding your other ingredients and continuing to stir for let’s say 30 seconds. Til you’re happy it’s well mixed. Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass with a little bit of rock salt on the rim. No fuss, no muss, just a really good, clean and classic margarita that looks unlike any you’ve ever made before.
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