Sour · Anytime · Summer

Tommy’s Margarita

No orange liqueur here — just tequila, lime and agave nectar. Cleaner and far more agave-forward than the original.

Base: Tequila
Glass: Old fashioned glass
Method: Shake
Strength: 16.81% ABV

Ingredients

60 mlTequila 100% agave1 swap
Mezcalmedium
Smoky and earthier — a different drink, but a good one
30 mlFresh Lime Juice1 swap
Fresh lemon juicemedium
Slightly less floral, more tart
30 mlAgave Nectar1 swap
Simple syrupmedium
Less earthy

How to make

Technique

Shake · 10–15s

Shaking chills the drink fast while adding dilution and a light texture.

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into chilled rocks glass filled with ice.

Serve

Glass

Old fashioned glassAlso fine: Double old fashioned glass, Rocks glass, Tumbler

Garnish

Garnish with a lime slice.Perch it on the rim, or drop it in if you want the extra juice.

Taste & nutrition

16.81%ABV

180kcal

1.99Drinks

StrengthMedium

Sweet to dryBalanced

Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.

Good to know

Use freshly squeezed juice — bottled tastes flat.

History

Year1990s

PlaceSan Francisco, USA

Created byJulio Bermejo (Tommy’s)

Julio Bermejo created Tommy's Margarita in the late 1980s at his family's restaurant in San Francisco. He replaced the usual triple sec with agave syrup and used fresh lime, letting the tequila shine. Cleaner and more agave-forward than a standard Margarita, it became a bartender's favourite. Its influence helped drive the rise of quality 100% agave tequila.

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