Photo courtesy of Patrón Tequila
Patrón's 2018 Margarita of the Year has been chosen from seven global contenders. The winner is the Verde Margarita by bartender José Luis León of Mexico City, Mexico. José honed his craft at bars in New York, Chicago, Spain and Shanghai and is currently a bar manager in Mexico City.
He based his authentically Mexican margarita on the simple flavors found in Mexico's "jugo verde". It's vegetal notes of celery are balanced by elderflower liqueur with Patrón Silver and fresh lime juice adding the classic margarita taste and flair. It's finished with a sugar-salt rim.
When José Luis Léon was asked what his inspiration was for the award winning cocktail, he responded “I imagined a frozen cocktail, something pretty and colorful that when you taste it, you’ll be instantly transported to the beach or a warm and sunny place.”
Here's the Verde Margarita winning recipe:
Ingredients
2 oz Patrón Silver
.75 oz Patrón Citrónge Orange
.75 oz Elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain)
.5 oz Fino Sherry
.5 oz Agave syrup
1 Lime wedge
1 Celery stick
1 Pinch salt
+ Celery spear & edible flower for garnish
+ Sugar, maldon salt & celery salt rim
Method:
Rim a highball glass with a mix of sugar, maldon salt & celery salt.
Combine ingredients in a blender with crushed ice and blend until a slushy consistency is achieved.
Pour contents from blender into glass.
Garnish with celery spear and edible flower before a well-deserved siesta.