What is 50/50 margarita and why should this be made this summer

One of the most important things you need to know about cocktails is that if you remember the proportions, there is an infinite place for the experiment. Take the margarita as an example: although the exact quantities may move slightly to match personal taste, the basic ratio is in two parts of the tequila, every triple sec and fresh lime juice. From now on, you can start replacing Tequila in another spirit.

This is the thinking behind the Mezcal Margarita, which replaces Tequila for its smoky cousin. But here's the interesting part: you don't always have to change one ghost with another. An excellent example of this is the 50/50 Margarita, which has become my favorite lately. Originally Natasha Bermudez, Managing Director of Llama Inn and New York Llam San. This is a minimalist riff that retains the classic margaritaThe proportions – tequila, lime juice and cointreau – are replaced by a mixture of mezcal and sherry 50/50.

Sherry is not a ghost – a enriched wine with lower alcohol (15-20% ABV) – but brings an incredible depth into this drink. The result is smoky yet floral, with sherry rich and walnut flavors – complex, layered and indisputably more fooled than the average margarita.

The key ingredients of fabulous 50/50 Margarita

I made six different versions for landing for the ideal of the drink that combined both different styles mescal and sherry– Here I learned after I tasted all the results.

Start with a great mezcal. Let's see this straight: the mezcal is not a tequila type – Tequila is a type of mezcal. I made this cocktail for our team with both Mezcal Verde Amaras, an Espadin-based Mezcal, which is widely available in American shops, and Ojo de Tigre, Espadin, and wild tabora is an agave variety known for fruity, complex flavors. No matter what you choose, the most important thing is to use Mezcal, which is of high quality and good enough to sip itself.

Use sweet sherry. We started with a dry Manzanilla Sherry (Valdespino) that created a crispy, citrus cocktail – but it was too sharp. Then we tried a Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe), which was even drier and minerals, but made a margarita that was unbalanced and had more sweets.

The breakthrough came with Pedro Ximeenez Sherry, especially from Valdespino. It is a richly sweet, syrupy sherry style with figs, caramel and dried fruit flavors. Our colleague Dylan Garret, as well as our Director of Food and Wine Editing, put it perfectly: “He has a similar earthy profile like Agave Nector, but he also brings notes of figs, caramel, raisins, molasses and dried fruits.”

He added: “Using PX Sherry all these delicious, nuanced flavors while letting it be lazy – you don't have to add a lot of extra ingredients or make any syrup.”

The result was a rich, balanced cocktail that was nicely coupled with both Mezcals, though we leaned slightly towards Ojo de Tigre.

Salt the rim – with style. What is Margarita without a salted rim? I use a mixture of kosher salt and tajín 50/50 to be slightly more dynamic. I only salt one side of the glass, so only half salty (like me), fitted to 50/50 – and prevents the salt from flooding the last few sips. This is a little touch that makes Margarita a little more special.

Cooking method
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