"In Los Angeles, the Margarita is more than a cocktail, it's a lingua franca. It's ordered by the pitcher at neon-lit cantinas, clarified and crystalline at fine dining restaurants, shaken with hibiscus on the Eastside or dosed with smoked pineapple distillate at one of the city's most ambitious cocktail bars. In a place where tequila is as common as traffic, the Margarita still dominates."
"On a recent weekend, I asked bartenders across L.A. to share how Angelenos are ordering their Margaritas by tallying their sales for one night of service. The numbers don't lie. At Matt Egan and Max Reis' new Sherman Oaks hot spot, Daisy Margarita Bar, the namesake drink accounted for 424 orders. At Damian, Enrique Olvera's Arts District restaurant, Margaritas made up nearly 70 percent of total cocktail sales."
"According to Jon Cross, GM and beverage director at Loreto, in Frogtown, where more than half of all orders are for Margaritas, the drink's popularity is due to its specific geometry. "It's the Platonic ideal of a sour. Spirit, citrus, sweetener, tuned for balance. Tequila's grassy heat, lime's sparkle, orange liqueur or agave's cushion, then a salt rim that literally rewires your palate," he says."
Margaritas account for large shares of cocktail orders across Los Angeles venues. At Daisy Margarita Bar the namesake drink reached 424 orders in one night, while at Damian Margaritas comprised nearly 70 percent of cocktail sales. Bars from Echo Park to Frogtown register pitcher and by-the-glass demand as well as nonalcoholic versions. Preparations range from clarified and crystalline to hibiscus or smoked pineapple variations, and inventive riffs incorporate tomatillo, guanabana, pepita, and cashew. The drink's balance of spirit, citrus, sweetener, and salt underpin its enduring popularity.
Read at PUNCH
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