Batanga
A bubbly, sour and citrus tequila cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 11.8% ABV ∙
The Batanga is a Mexican highball of tequila blanco, cola and lime in a salt-rimmed glass, traditionally stirred with the knife used to cut the lime.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with Salt
- In the base of the glass, stir Salt 1 pinch and Lime juice 10 ml until the salt is dissolved
- Add ice and the remaining ingredients: Tequila blanco 60 mlCola 100 ml
- Briefly stir
Tips
- The salt goes in twice here: a rim on the glass, and a pinch stirred into the lime juice in the base so it dissolves right through the drink rather than sitting on the edge.
History
The batanga is a Mexican highball credited to Don Javier Delgado Corona, longtime owner and bartender of La Capilla, a cantina in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. Most sources date its creation to 1961, though some simply place it in the 1950s. The drink grew out of the Charro Negro, an older Mexican highball of tequila and cola built like a Cuba Libre with rum swapped for tequila. Accounts differ on whether the batanga is essentially the same drink under a new name or a distinct variant distinguished by its salted glass rim.
The name itself is explained two ways in the sources. One holds that a customer coined "batanga" for the bamboo-raft shape the glass suggested if cut in half. In another, recounted by Don Javier himself, the bar ran out of glasses one night, so he bought rounder ones at the market. He jokingly named them, and with them the drink, after a friend nicknamed "Batanga" — after a type of bamboo canoe — who was, as Don Javier put it, short, dark, and full of alcohol.
Don Javier also became known for stirring the drink with the same knife used to cut its lime, a practice he kept up all his life. La Capilla remains closely associated with the cocktail.
FAQ
How do you make a Batanga?
Rim a Collins glass with salt and stir a pinch of salt into the lime juice in the base until it dissolves. Add ice, tequila blanco, and cola, then give it a brief stir.
What is the traditional Batanga recipe?
Tequila, cola, fresh lime juice, and salt, served over ice in a tall, salt-rimmed glass.
Where is the Batanga drink from?
It is a Mexican highball from La Capilla, a cantina in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. Its owner and bartender, Don Javier Delgado Corona, is credited with creating it, most often dated to 1961.
Is a Batanga a strong cocktail?
It is moderate, at around 12% ABV, since the tequila is lengthened with a large pour of cola. That puts it at about the strength of a glass of wine.
How does a Batanga differ from a Charro Negro?
A Charro Negro is the older tequila-and-cola highball, usually with lime. The Batanga is often described as the same drink with a salted rim, and the names are sometimes used interchangeably.
Is a Batanga similar to a Cuba Libre?
Yes, both are simple highballs of spirit, cola, and lime built over ice, but a Cuba Libre uses rum while a Batanga uses tequila blanco and adds a pinch of salt. The salt is what most sets the Batanga's flavor apart from its rum-based cousin.
