Welcome to a special edition of On the Sauce. We're here, early in the week, to celebrate an awesome holiday: National Margarita Day.
I make no bones about saying one of my favorite cocktails is the margarita. It's composed of ingredients that are truly meant for each other, and a lot of the time, those set of ingredients coincide with the glorious Taco Tuesday. How many drinks go perfectly with a dimly lit taqueria, as well as a sun-drenched tiki bar? An after-work pick-me-up, or a Sunday Funday?
One of the margarita's best attributes is flexibility. Creativity is its best friend. The cocktail's base liquor, tequila, pairs well with so many flavors that its only limitation is your, or your bartender's, imagination (CL's Margarita Wars, anyone?).
To celebrate National Margarita Day, we bring you another twist on the classic: The Resting Garden Margarita from Anise Global Gastrobar 's Ryan Brown. Brown's rendition includes musts like Patron tequila, agave syrup and citrus, but he also gives the beverage a herbal spin with sage leaves.
"I wanted to create a drink that stayed true to classic margarita, yet still explored other flavor profiles. I experimented with a few different fresh herbs for this style," Brown said, "and landed on fresh sage because it has a warm, earthy flavor that complements the fresh agave notes in the Reposado nicely."
Anise's Resting Garden Margarita
Makes 1
1.75 ounces Patron Reposado
.5 ounces Patron Citronge Mango
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
.75 ounces agave syrup
6 sage leaves, 2 for garnish
Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill. Holding a fine mesh strainer in one hand, double strain the drink by pouring it through and into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with 2 sage leaves and a grilled mango slice.
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