Cocktail recipe
Tommy's Margarita
Pure agave tequila, fresh lime and agave syrup—three ingredients with nowhere to hide.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 oz) 100% agave blanco tequila
- 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lime juice
- 15 ml (½ oz) agave syrup diluted 1:1 with water
- Garnish: 1 lime wheel
- Optional rim: 3 g (½ tsp) fine salt, applied to half the rim
Preparation
If using salt, moisten only half the rim. Shake tequila, fresh lime and diluted agave syrup sharply with ice; strain over fresh cubes in a rocks glass. Set the lime wheel against the ice and serve while the citrus still feels electric.
Glassware
Rocks glass with fresh ice
History
Julio Bermejo developed Tommy's Margarita at his family's Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco around 1989–1990, according to his own recollection. Replacing orange liqueur with agave syrup helped showcase 100% agave tequila rather than disguising it. The drink spread globally and became a defining modern Margarita variation.
Mixology View
The omission of orange liqueur is the point, not an ingredient to 'fix.' We use diluted agave syrup for consistent measuring; tequila quality and fresh lime carry the entire drink.