Smoky Tommy's Margarita
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 20.5% ABV ∙
The Smoky Tommy's Margarita shakes tequila blanco and mezcal with agave syrup, lime juice and a dash of bitters, over a smoked salt rim. Bracing and full-bodied, with a smoldering finish from the salted rim and a piney lift from the rosemary sprig cutting through each sip.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Tequila blanco 40 mlMezcal 20 mlAgave syrup 15 mlLime juice 25 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Rim the glass with a smoked salt rim before serving
- Garnish with a rosemary sprig
Tips
- Shake hard for a full 10-15 seconds — the agave syrup needs the agitation to blend fully with the citrus and mezcal.
- Rim only half the glass with the smoked salt so drinkers can choose a salty or clean sip on each side.
- Pre-chill the glass before straining so the drink doesn't lose its temperature edge while you rim and garnish it.
History
The Smoky Tommy's Margarita was created by Stelios Papadopoulos at his Barro Negro bar in Athens, Greece, who has described it as a twist on the Tommy's Margarita that he came up with in 2011. His version adds a measure of mezcal alongside blanco tequila to the Tommy's formula, giving the drink a smoky edge that the original lacks.
The Tommy's Margarita itself was conceived in 1990 by Julio Bermejo at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, his family's bar in San Francisco, though some accounts date his changes to the recipe to the late 1980s. Bermejo replaced the traditional orange liqueur with agave nectar, a sweetener he had recently discovered, in order to let the agave character of the tequila come through rather than masking it with citrus liqueur. In 2008 the Tommy's Margarita became the first venue-specific cocktail added to the IBA's official list; it now sits in the IBA's "New Era Drinks" category, introduced when the list was reorganized in 2011.
FAQ
What is a Tommy's Margarita?
A Tommy's Margarita is a classic Margarita variation that replaces the orange liqueur with agave syrup, pairing tequila and lime with that sweetener instead. This build takes that base further, adding mezcal for smoke and a dash of Angostura bitters, then finishing with a smoked salt rim and a rosemary sprig rather than the usual lime wedge.
How do you make a smoky Margarita?
Shake tequila blanco, mezcal, agave syrup, fresh lime juice, and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters with ice, then strain into an ice-filled glass rimmed with smoked salt and finish with a rosemary sprig. The mezcal supplies the smoke, while the smoked salt rim reinforces it in every sip.
What is the difference between a Margarita and a Tommy's Margarita?
A standard Margarita is built on tequila, orange liqueur, and lime, while a Tommy's Margarita swaps that orange liqueur for agave syrup. This recipe goes further still, adding mezcal, bitters, and a smoked salt rim on top of the Tommy's Margarita base, so it reads smokier and less citrus-sweet than either classic.
What is in a Tommy's Margarita mix?
A classic Tommy's Margarita mix is tequila, fresh lime juice, and agave syrup. This build expands that mix with mezcal and a dash of Angostura bitters, shaken and served with a smoked salt rim and a rosemary sprig instead of a lime wedge.
What makes this Margarita different?
The smoke does. Mezcal stands alongside the tequila blanco, and a smoked salt rim replaces the usual salt or sugar rim, so the drink carries char on both the nose and the finish rather than relying on citrus and agave alone.
How do you add smoky flavor to a cocktail?
The most direct way is to build with a smoky spirit like mezcal, which lends a wood-fire char alongside the tequila blanco, and then reinforce that smoke at the finish with a smoked salt rim rather than a plain one.
