Margaritas, margarita pitchers, frozen margaritas… we’ve all been there. When they seamlessly blended into each other and you woke up the next day with a resolve to turn teetotaller for the hundredth time.
This time it was a little different. Well, at the end of it there was that resolve to turn teetotaller. But the drinks didn’t blend seamlessly into each other, despite there being 20 of them.
One t2 girl got to sit in on the judging at the city leg of The Corralejo Margarita Challenge 2016 at The Park, where 20 bartenders of the city mixed up a margarita, vying for a berth in the finale in New Delhi on May 19. When we say sit in, we also mean sippin’.
So how do you judge? You begin by peeking into your neighbour’s score sheet. But then you realise you have been drinking all your adult life. So simply see if something is worth your money and time. And ask lots of questions.
That’s how we learnt about the tears of margarita. Which means the vigorous shaking that your bartender does is not because he wants to look cool. The shaking is essential for creating the shards of ice that chill your drink. And that is called ‘the tears of margarita’.
WINNING SIP
Muddled chunks of watermelon, Corralejo Blanco, lime juice, cinnamon syrup and sugar syrup put up a stellar teamwork to produce the best cocktail of the contest — Watermelon Margarita. In two minutes and four seconds. Make us proud in Delhi on the 19th, bro!
What the judges were looking for?
A bartender who...
- Knows the drink he’s serving, which includes the brand, the liquor and the cocktail.
- Makes a drink that appeals to you — it looks good, tastes good, is well-presented and is in the right glass — and neither too full, nor too empty.
- Is skilled with bar tools. Nobody wants a butterfingers who drops and splashes his way through as he makes a drink.
- Is fast. Nobody wants to wait for ages on a Saturday night for a drink, no matter how fancy it is.
What t2 learnt
• Tequila is not just meant for slamming down shots or making strong cocktails. A good tequila is a sipping drink. Just add lots of ice and savour the flavour.
• Do not wonder if you can grow your own cactus and brew the good stuff. Blue agave that tequila is made from is succulent but it’s not a cactus.
• Tequila is a region specific name, just like champagne! The city of Tequila and its surrounding areas in Mexico’s Jalisco state is where tequila comes from.
• The winning formula for a classic margarita is 3:2:1 — three parts tequila, two parts triple sec, one part lime juice.
• Rimming the glass with salt opens up flavours and aroma, cutting down the bitterness.
• One must serve quickly, else be really hawk-eyed about the ice in the drink so that one doesn’t end up with a diluted, watery apology of a cocktail.
• Do not stint on the lime juice. The tartness makes or breaks a good drink.
• Keep your workstation clean. You don’t need to stop and hunt for things while your guest grows thirstier by the second.
• You can create a bit of foam on top with egg white, but shake the egg white without adding ice. A dry shake creates proper foam.
• When judging a contest, do not give in to the urge of taking more than one sip from each drink. Particularly if you have to go back to work afterwards.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
