Cocktail recipe
Batanga
Tequila, lime, salt and cold cola, served with a legendary barroom flourish.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 oz) blanco tequila
- 20 ml (⅔ oz) fresh lime juice
- 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Mexican-style cola
- 0.5 g fine salt for the rim
- Garnish: 1 lime wedge
Preparation
Salt the rim lightly, then add tequila, lime to an ice-filled tall glass. Top with cold cola and stir from the bottom just enough to integrate. A lime wedge finishes it; at La Capilla, Don Javier famously used the lime-cutting knife as his stirring tool.
Glassware
Tall highball glass, cubed ice, lightly salted rim
History
The Batanga is closely associated with Don Javier Delgado Corona at La Capilla in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. He is regularly credited with creating the drink during the mid-20th century; 1961 appears in retellings, but the precise year is not securely established. The traditional performance includes stirring the tequila, lime and cola with the same long knife used to cut limes and prepare bar snacks. The knife ritual is memorable, but it does not prove an exact historical recipe or require guests to replicate the practice at home.
Mixology View
Its genius is restraint: agave, sharp lime, cola and salt. The knife is part of La Capilla’s story, not a mandatory utensil.