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For Cinco de Mayo this year, Patron Tequila has partnered with tattoo artist JonBoy and the Cocktail Courier website to produce all the ingredients needed to make a Fresh Ink Smoked Margarita. There’s a choice of JonBoy artwork when you order, and this is included in the package by way of coasters and cocktail stoppers, along with a bottle of Patron Silver.
When the package arrived it was a little like Christmas, opening it all up. Hidden in the protective packing material were a packet of smoked paprika and a packet of smoked salt, two bottles of agave syrup, two cans of pineapple juice, two stainless steel straws, the coasters and cocktail toppers, instructions on making the Fresh Ink Smoked Margarita, the tequila, and a lime… no, two limes.. no, how many more are in here? In fact there were ten limes. I was certainly impressed by the thoroughness. The only things not provided are a jigger (or other way of measuring), a cocktail shaker, a juicer for the limes, and a glass. Well, and ice.
The instructions were explicit and pretty foolproof. The ingredients also erred on the generous side with enough agave syrup, for example, to make 16 cocktails, not the six as stated. Given that a bottle of Patron Silver costs about $35, even with the deluxe version of the kit you’re paying around $10 a cocktail for the rest of the ingredients. And as my wife pointed out: ‘Those limes are a buck each!’
Full marks for value-for-money, then, but what of the cocktails? It’s good advice to chill your glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water for five minutes. It’s also sensible to suggest a rocks glass, which are much easier to rim with the smoked salt than the traditional wide-rimmed margarita glass. After shaking everything together, straining, and pouring, the scent of the cocktail was certainly appealing. It had the freshness of the lime juice, the tropical notes from the pineapple juice (not something I’ve used in a margarita before), and the smokiness from just a pinch of paprika.
On the palate the smoked margarita totally delivers. It has everything you’d expect from the nose, but the paprika is even more evident, boosted by the smoked salt around the rim. The lime isn’t overpowering as the pineapple balances it out, and it’s an excellent refreshing mix of Mexican flavors and tropical tastes. And as all these ingredients are readily available, the kit should give your margarita-making skills a boost.
This Margarita Collection Kit is available from Cocktail Courier until May 5, 2021, or until it’s sold out, so hop on it.
A- / $73 (4 cocktails), $97 (6 cocktails) / cocktailcourier.com