Toronto bars are giving the margarita savoury and seasonal twists
Featuring bar recommendations, at-home hacks and the secrets behind General Public’s Thai-inspired take on the summer favourite
Drink trends come and go, but the margarita endures. So when General Public’s beverage director, David Greig, was working on the cocktail menu, a margarita was non-negotiable. “If you don’t have one on the menu, you’re going to spend half your shift making them anyway,” he says.
But General Public is Britishish—which means even the margarita needed to fall in line. So Greig (himself an English expat) looked to the Thai dishes that have been pub staples in London since the ’70s. “I thought those fresh, green flavours would be perfect in a margarita,” he says.
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And thus the Thai Margarita was born, made with tequila Greig infuses with galangal, makrut leaf and lemongrass. Thai basil is steeped in agave syrup, that margarita mainstay, to add a fragrant note. The final touch—and this is where things take an unexpected turn—is a glug of fish sauce for a savoury, umami-bomb finish.
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“It was immediately a top seller. I think Torontonians are keen to try new flavours and new formats for familiar ones,” says Greig. “We offer the option to omit the fish sauce, but we’ve only had to do that once or twice so far—and we’ve sold a lot of margaritas.”
Three ways to simplify at-home margaritas
Slurp’s lime margarita mix Skip all the lime-squeezing and simply open one of these locally made mixes. Citrusy, sweet and preservative-free, they come in four sizes, from 16 ounces to a whopping four litres. Just add tequila. $15 and up, slurpmix.com
Simply Cocktails’ pineapple, lime and habanero mixer Keep this all-natural margarita mix in your pantry for cocktail emergencies. Pineapple juice, a hit of habanero and a splash of lime make for a bright, fresh and slightly spicy marg. Each bottle is good for eight drinks (or a couple of very big ones). $15, simply-cocktails.com
Fever-Tree’s light margarita mix Made with Mexican limes, this calorie-conscious mixer has 58 per cent less sugar than the brand’s original. $13 for 750 mL, pusateris.com
More twisted margaritas
Alder: Playing With Fire is a winterized marg that swaps out tequila for mezcal, then gets warming hits of allspice and bergamot.
The Comrade: A margarita by way of Muskoka, the Freaksnake is made with balsam fir–infused tequila.
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Kate Dingwall is a writer, author and photographer covering spirits, business, culture, fashion and travel. By night, she’s a working sommelier. She has worked with Flare, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Maxim, People, Southern Living, Rolling Stone, Eater, Elle, Toronto Life and the Toronto Star, among other publications. She frequently appears on both CTV and NPR, has co-authored a book on gin, judges Food & Wine’s Tastemakers and has strong opinions on the city’s best martini.
