Altos: The Best Tequila for Margaritas

We love sharing good news with Our Familia! This time we are thrilled to proudly announce that our beloved Altos Tequila was voted bartenders’ # 1 choice for making Margaritas. We also want to tell you a little more about the history of this cocktail and the inspiration behind the creation of our iconic new Altos Margarita. 

Our award: Drinks International’s Best Tequila for Margaritas 2019

In its 10th year, Drinks International’s Brand Report offers a glimpse into the buying (and selling) by elite bars worldwide. 

Bar owners, managers, and drinks directors rank their three bestselling products in various categories of spirits. Winners and short-listers appearing on Drinks International’s “The World’s 50 Best Bars” list receive global representation.

When indexed, the list creates a snapshot of the world’s spirit brands in sales. In 2018, for example, Olmeca Altos appeared on both lists (#9 for bestselling and #7 top-trending brands); while the 2019 edition has Altos Tequila listed as bartenders’ favorite brand to make a Margarita with. 

Let’s make the most of this momentum and share with our community around the world that our Altos Tequila is the best for preparing Margaritas. 

A bit of history

Speaking of Margaritas…did you know that no one knows who invented them? You could say it’s a rather mysterious cocktail. Would you like to know more about its enigmatic history? 

One story suggests that the drink was first concocted by Mexican restaurant owner Carlos (Danny) Herrera in 1938 for gorgeous Ziegfeld showgirl Marjorie King. King was allergic to all forms of alcohol except tequila but didn’t like to drink the stuff straight. Herrera supposedly solved the problem by adding salt and lime and creating the world’s first Margarita.

According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, author of the book Imbibe!, the best guess is that the Margarita as we know and love it evolved from a cocktail known as the“daisy.” This, a mix of alcohol, citrus juice, and grenadine served over shaved ice, was popular during the 1930s and 40s. There were gin daisies and whiskey daisies and, eventually, inevitably, tequila daisies, the original recipe for which called for tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and a splash of soda. At some point, this Mexican-influenced daisy became known by its Spanish name, Margarita, which means daisy in Spanish. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Margarita—meaning “a cocktail made with tequila and citrus fruit juice”—first appeared in print in English in 1965. Nowadays, there are hundreds of permutations of Margaritas. As of 2008, the Margarita was the most commonly ordered drink in the U.S., accounting for 18 percent of all mixed drink sales.

The New Altos Margarita—good and sustainable 

The New Altos Margarita earns its place in cocktail bars as the iconic reinterpretation of a classic Margarita!  It’s an open homage to a Tommy’s Margarita, which is a hit in areas where classic Margaritas are already well loved. 

We believe it makes for a great drink that’s also in line with the Altos We Care ethos:

Reusing the rinds of the fruit that were squeezed to get the juice (for this and other drinks) as a garnish may look simple, but it also makes a nice statement that we’re not creating waste to decorate this drink. Giving these rinds a rough chop makes them look nicer and also releases more of the essential oils from the citrus. The drink becomes brighter and more aromatic, and we love the fact that this can also spark conversations at the bar. From awareness comes change.

Also, most Margaritas are strained or double strained, creating ice waste. The New Altos Margarita is briefly shaken and then “dumped,” meaning that it’s not strained, but rather just emptied with the ice in the glass or cup, reducing ice usage and waste by about 6 cubes(roughly 240 g / 8.46 oz) per drink. Multiplying that by 50 drinks amounts to 12 kilos / 26.45 lbs per day already!

4 things you didn’t know about the inspiration for our New Altos Margarita 

1. Our Margarita’s inspiration is the Mama’s Margarita, which was created by Dré Masso in 2006 for the Green & Red Bar and Cantina in East London.

2. Dré was paying homage to one of his favorite tequila cocktails, Tommy’s Margarita, created by Julio Bermejo in the early 90’s.

3. The original Tommy’s is not garnished, but Dré thought that he’d use the rinds of the fruit which, when juiced using a Mexican elbow, would end up turned inside-out.

4. Our Margarita“opens up” the recipe so locally-sourced substitutions for both the citrus and sweetener can be made, making it a more sustainable drink that makes sense anywhere you want to prepare it. Pretty cool, huh?

Alternative citrus

If you choose to use local citruses, opt for those that create the perfect balance between the acidity and sweetness of your cocktail.

 

Locally sweet 

Also, you can use an alternative sweetener for an exciting and sustainable twist, including these:

Finally, we want to share our very best recipe, the New Altos Margarita recipe, one more time

You just need 3 ingredients:  

60 ml / 2 parts Altos Plata

 a handful of local citrus* (diced) 

and 2-3 bar spoons of local honey (to taste)

Preparation

1. Shake vigorously with cubed ice. Dump in tumbler.

2. Garnish with chopped lemon and the lime (rind or peel) you used for the shake.

*Altos recommends the “Mexican version” with chopped lime and lemon, plus agave syrup as sweetener.