21 hours Ago
It’s hard to remember, but there was a time when you ordered a margarita it would come frozen and blended like a slushie. Often accompanied by a jaunty umbrella. The margarita first gained popularity in the '50s and '60s but by the time the '70s and '80s came around, it was subjected to bottled juices, low-quality tequila and other indignities.
It wasn't until the early 2000s, when bartenders began to experiment once more with fresh ingredients and quality spirits, that the margarita became a vehicle for creativity and innovation, especially in L.A. “Because of the cocktail renaissance, with all the fresh fruit and all these new techniques, something with a basic formula such as the margarita is just so easy to play with,” says L.
A. writer Caroline Pardilla, author of the new book Margarita Time . Los Angeles vibes For Pardilla, who's covered the cocktail scene in L.
A. for 20 years, the drink represents the city. You can find a margarita anywhere.
“If there are limes, tequila, or orange liqueur, that place can make you a margarita,” she says. The cocktail is even offered on draft at All Seasons Brewing on La Brea. Pardilla proclaims it L.
A's unofficial cocktail. Her reasoning? Vibes. "It’s a cocktail that speaks to our chill and relaxed attitude," Pardilla says.
Add to that the weather, quality ingredients, abundant produce available year-round and "great Mexican food," and it seems like a slam dunk. Plus, as the cherry on top (or the salt on the rim), she says, Angelenos are not afraid to experiment. “We’re always trying something new.
" Her book includes many such creations, including a red onion margarita and a Black Forest margarita. Part history, part how-to-guide and part recipes, the book looks at margaritas past and present. The drink goes back to Prohibition, when Americans would drive across the U.
S.-Mexico border to sample a similar drink that wasn't necessarily made with tequila. Other origin stories she mentions include the Ziegfeld follies and an improvising bartender.
Weird, wacky and wonderful Since we are, indeed, up to try new things, we asked Pardilla to highlight some of the most creative margarita options currently on offer in L.A. This is what she pointed to: Taking the party to your living room If you started upping your home cocktail game during the pandemic, Pardilla hopes her book will guide you to greater heights — at least for margaritas.
”A lot of people are more comfortable making cocktails at home, following bartenders on social media, and watching cocktail videos," Pardilla says. "I thought the margarita is a cocktail that everybody knows and loves, so how about trying different versions of it?”.
