Go tropical on Margarita Day with a Tuaca Tropical Margarita

National Margarita Day (don’t you think it should be a national holiday?) is February 22.  Salt Lake City cocktail lovers may not be aware that the Margarita is the best-selling cocktail in the USA. Tequila Herradura® (not sure if they’re a totally objective source) claims that the Margarita makes up 18 percent of all mixed drink sales in the U.S., followed by the Martini, Rum and Coke, and Vodka and Tonic.  The Margarita has an average hourly sale rate of 185,000 – that’s over four million a day!  In a country with over 305 million people, it’s obvious that some people are not pulling their weight.  Over the years, the Utah Mixologist has made (and drunk) a number of traditional Margaritas that is lost in the sands of time.  Like most of you, this mixologist likes to vary his cocktail intake.  A different take on the Margarita is the Tuaca Tropical Margarita: it has Tequila and lemon juice, just like your favorite traditional Margarita, but it gets a different, more tropical, twist from the addition of Tuaca® Liqueur.

Tuaca is a “vanilla citrus liqueur” that is golden brown in color, originated in Firenze 500 years ago, and is available in Utah today!  Its ingredients include brandy, citrus (orange?), and vanilla. Tuaca is sweet tasting, with vanilla as the dominant flavor.  The Utah Mixologist has never been known to turn down a tropical drink (much as he loves his whiskey cocktails), so when he received the recipe for the Tuaca Tropical Margarita, he had to give it a try.  The pineapple and fruitiness would incline one towards placing this cocktail in the Mai Tai family, but the addition of Tequila forces a quick turn in the direction of Margaritaville. 

Tuaca Liqueur (CS# 077786) is available in Utah in general distribution, as is Tequila Herradura® Reposado (CS# 003657) so both should be available in most stores.  If you need to pick one (or both) up, you should call ahead if your local Utah State Liquor Store is a small one.  Now you should be ready for National Margarita Day.

Tuaca® Tropical Margarita

• 2 parts (2 oz) Tuaca® Liqueur
• 1 part (1  oz) Tequila Herradura® Reposado
• ½ part (½ oz) simple syrup (or Agave Nectar)
• ¼ part (¼ oz) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 4 one-inch squares fresh pineapple

Muddle the pineapple squares well in a cocktail shaker (be sure to get all of the juice out) and then add the remaining ingredients and fill shaker 2/3 full with ice. Shake enthusiastically and strain over fresh ice into a pre-chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and (since it’s a tropical drink) a neon red cherry.