The Story Behind The Gracias Madre’s Clarified Margarita
On Los Angeles’s Westside, Gracias Madre highlights agave spirits with an array of innovative and highly memorable cocktails. While its menu boasts plenty of delicious options, there’s one off-menu item that those in the know agree is the star of the show: the Clarified Margarita.
This drink — crafted with tequila, orange bitters, and a homemade clarified lime cordial — offers a smooth, crystal-clear texture that makes it all too easy to drink. While any blanco tequila will work in this recipe, Gracias Madre’s beverage director Maxwell Reis recommends a slightly overproof bottling, such as Cascahuín Tahona — “but any tequila or mezcal that doesn’t suck will work,” he says.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ ounces clarified lime cordial (recipe follows)
- 2 ounces tequila blanco
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Directions
- Stir and strain on big rock, or serve up.
- Express and discard lime peel.
- Serve in a rocks glass with a citrus-saline-painted rim.
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Clarified Lime Cordial Ingredients
- 3,900 grams clarified lime
- 3,900 grams white sugar or 3,450 grams agave
- 156 grams lime peel
- 78 grams orange peel (optional)
- 140 grams lime acid (2:1 citric to malic)
- 16 grams salt
Clarified Lime Cordial Directions
- Combine ingredients.
- Sous vide at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- Then, sous vide at 145 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Strain and store in refrigerator.
- Note: If planning on storing for prolonged periods of time, add some high- proof tequila to stabilize.
