A few years ago, motivated in part by the fact that I had a book to write, I made it a habit at the club where I work to eat margaritas at 5 p.m. Not every day, Mother, if you’re reading – but regularly enough that some people might assume I’m an expert on the subject, including the editor of these pages.
Full disclosure: I’m not really, not in the least. But by trying quite a few around town – and in my own home – I’ve learned a thing or two. Good tequila is of course essential, as is fresh lime juice from a bottle. Whether the sweetness is better from triple sec, Cointreau or agave is largely unimportant, I’ve discovered, as long as the drink is well made. The salt should be sea salt, but fine or flaky rather than rocky. Himalayan rock salt can take a hike; I shouldn’t be crunching and sipping at the same time. But the most important ingredient for any margarita – for any classic cocktail, I would say – is atmosphere. The atmosphere must earn a margin.
That doesn’t mean it has to be Mexican – although it helps, as the list below shows – but there should be some connection to that country’s fun, inventive, and vibrant culture. The music should be cheerful and a bit dancey. The furniture and interior design should say: sit back and have another one. And another. And a fourth. It’s hard to enjoy a ballpark when the decor screams martini; just as a martini in a taqueria would feel a little disorienting. For my money, these are your best photos for a good time.
Bush and shutter
Shrub and Shutter is the Mary Poppins of cool, quirky cocktail bars. Only when someone is in need – for example while waiting for a table at Brixton Market, or when wanting to continue the night after finding the place – does this present itself as an opportunity; and what kind of possibility is that? The staff greets everyone like they’re throwing a party, and an old friend they’ve never seen before has unexpectedly shown up. The bar is always busy, yet somehow there is always a free table, and the staff is as enthusiastic as they are fast. The classic marg is served generously with fine salt (and chilli, if you wish) in a large serving – although it’s worth trying their twists, if they have them. Their inventive yet unpretentious blackboard menu with regularly changing specials is worth anyone’s money and time.
336 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8QH, @theshrubandshutter
Quo Vadis
Since Quo Vadis is home to my aforementioned 5pm margarita habit, it only feels right to include this. Furthermore, their classic margarita set the bar very high; I’ve tried many others since then, but it remains my favorite in town. Most of this is thanks to the bar team, who know their classics – and their regular drinkers – like the back of their hand. But part of this is also due to the tequila which, due to Quo Vadis’ relationship with El Pastor, is of significantly better quality than the tequilas that usually adorn cocktails. Casa Herradura Plata Tequila is a premium offering from the 153-year-old agave house Casa Herradura. Mix that with ice, lime, Cointreau and the inimitable energy of the QV bar, and you have a virtually flawless marg. I have been known to drink them until well after 5pm, ie.
26-29 Dean Street, W1D 3LL, quovadissoho.co.uk
The American bar at The Stafford
At first glance, The American Bar at The Stafford feels like a bar for martinis. It’s in a hotel – a very nice hotel, deep in St James’s – and there are mahogany panels, deep pile carpets and muted green leather chairs. It feels wrong to have a marg here – until the staff arrive beaming and the sun sets over a cobbled courtyard where people sit even in the coldest months, and a margarita feels like something sensible – and even more so when it arrives in a breathtakingly delicate coupe, inlaid with an even more delicate touch of sea salt. Featuring premium Cenote Blanco Tequila, it is as refined and smooth as those mahogany panels, as cheerfully fresh as the courtyard outside, and as bright and uplifting as the radiant team.
16-18 St. James’s Place, SW1A 1NJ, thestaffordlondon.com
Hacha
Hacha is home to the mirror margarita, which slides down like a silk slipper and looks like a glass slipper: crystal clear, made with Tequila Bianco and malic acid, a natural acid that forms overnight during the agave plant’s lifestyle. It’s clean, strong, and hopelessly ‘grammable. To ensure that their food offering matches their drinks in quality and taste, they have outsourced this to Tigre Tacos at Hacha Dalston and Nopalito at Hacha Brixton.
378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA, hachabar.com
Decimo
Dressed to the nines and perched high on the tenth floor of the Standard hotel in Kings Cross, Decimo has the kind of swagger that rubs off on people. You could be a crumbling tower of existential dread, and within seconds of stepping into Decimo’s red velvet, polished wood, and cactus-lined dining room, you’d know exactly who you are and what you want. I can’t vouch for the first one. The latter is their margarita menu, which is based on Tapatio Blanco tequila, Cointreau and key lime. You could go for the classic and be very happy with it; but it would be a shame to overlook the Tepache marg, which contains all of the above, plus the eponymous Tepache, a Mexican juice made with fermented pineapple.
10th Floor, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG, decimo.london
Santo Remedio
Although I married the Marg at Quo Vadis, I first fell in love with them at Santo Remedio in London Bridge: over totopos with house-made salsa verde, soft-shell crab tacos seasoned with fresh Jalepeno peppers and grilled cheesy corn. Play it safe with their margarita de la casa, or opt for their hisbuscus flower margarita, which is made fragrant with house-made hibiscus flower syrup, strong with triple sec and Cointreau, and intriguing with the addition of both lemon and lime juice. The atmosphere is also good: both the London Bridge and the Shoreditch Santo Remedios are colorful, messy and yet meticulously executed.
152 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU / 55 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HP, santoremedio.nl
Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel
The last time I went to Brown’s Hotel, we saw Bill Nighy, and my friend insisted on congratulating him on every movie he’s ever been in, while I died quietly next to her. More recently, I returned to the hotel’s award-winning bar, Donovan’s, to try their version of a margarita, and almost died again – albeit this time of joy. The bar has a separate entrance – crucial to the definition of a ‘good hotel bar’ above – and is led by industry icon and master mixologist Salvatore Calabrese. The marg is elegantly served in a slim coupe with a dash of fine salt on the side and a chili pepper, if you order spicy. The tequila in it, Casamigos Blanco, comes from George Clooney and is suitably smooth. All this sophistication is delightfully tempered by black and white photographs taken by the eponymous Terence Donovan himself, an iconic photographer of the 1960s; and by the bartenders who are having a good time and want to show you that.33 Albemarle St, W1S 4BP, roccofortehotels.com
El Pastor
Although the wonderfully dilapidated El Pastor in Borough Market is the original and the best, all El Pastors sparkle with atmosphere; that ever-elusive yet essential concept, especially when it comes to margaritas. It’s no surprise that El Pastor’s margins are among the best in the city. They come frozen, straight up or on the rocks. They are flavored with hibiscus and honeydew, spiced mango or avocado. There’s even a breakfast margarita, made with marmalade; those in the know, however, go for the spicy diabolo, which is wonderfully fiery and fun. All are made with the reliably rounded El Jumador Reposado – with the exception of this ‘margarita month’, for which Carlos Fontoira, El Pastor’s Group Bar Manager, has created a special namesake portion. The Carlito’s Margarita above contains Tequila Herradura Blanco, Campari, Cointreau, lime, hibiscus, pineapple juice and is served in a long drink on the rocks.
Different locations, tacoselpastor.nl
Side Hustle at the Nomad Hotel
Creating a good hotel bar is an art. A bad hotel bar makes you feel shabby, like you’re trespassing on the hallowed ground of those who can afford to sleep there. A good one will make you forget about the hotel, or feel even more special for having honored it with your presence, just for a little something. The casually cool Nomad Hotel in Covent Garden has two bars, Side Hustle and Common Decency, and both are good, but it’s the Side Hustle you want for the margarita. The vibrant, cheerful atmosphere lends itself to the drink, as do the bartenders who are having such a good time that it’s enough to make you consider joining in as a real part-time job. The salt rim is perfect – a layer of salt around half the glass and the rim – and Patron Respado is a failsafe for tequila cocktails. For Margarita Day itself, Side Hustle offers Dr Feel Good: an aromatic infusion of Patron Reposado, avocado, suze, génépi, lemon and Aleppo pepper.
28 Bow St, WC2E 7AW, thenomadhotel.com
Wild from Tart
Hanging plants, tropical flowers, bazaar cushions and photo wallpaper: Wild by Tart screams marg before you even think about the menu; a vibrant, seasonal mix of ingredients, sourced locally or from Tart farms in Somerset and Northumberland. Luckily, the founders have taken that into account by offering margaritas for £7 between 5pm and 7pm. Their set portion is fantastic, but they also offer seasonal dishes with delicious seasonal fruits such as blood oranges, gooseberries or forced rhubarb.
3-4 Eccleston Yards, SW1W 9AZ, wildbytart.com
Paladar
Paladar is not Mexican; it’s Latin American and as beloved by that community as any who have tasted the crispy pork belly and Nikkei tuna tostadas. That and its edges, served upright with a fine salt rim, are the only things standing between Elephant and Castle and a whirlpool of despair. Once you’re inside, you’ll forget all about the location, especially if you snag a spot in their brick-walled courtyard, which is essentially a secret garden full of cocktails, green chips and happy, chatting diners. For Margarita Day, Paladar is offering a quartet of takes on the classic cocktail: a pineapple margarita, lulo margarita, mezcarita and raspberry and habanero margarita, available for £10 each or £35 for four.
4-5 London Road, SE1 6JZ, paladarlondon.com