Serves 6
Mike Ryan is an absolutely brilliant bartender. I made the mistake of taking him on a trip to Kentucky to learn more about bourbon. When we came back, he didn’t want to work for me in the kitchen anymore. He said: “I want to be around whiskey and bourbon all day—so here’s my final drink. C’est la vie, Omar. I’m going to make a chorizo margarita.” What a great idea! Mike infused high quality tequila with Spanish chorizo. Then he built an insane margarita around its spicy heat with notes of cumin and citrus. What looks like an ordinary margarita is actually an explosion of flavors. Guests were blown away. They couldn’t believe they were drinking chorizo. After Mike put this on the menu, I knew that one day he would run his own cocktail empire.
500 grams quality tequila (we use Jose Cuervo)
100 grams dried Spanish-style chorizo, thinly sliced
20 grams cumin seeds
150 grams water
150 grams sugar
Lime juice to rim the glasses
Salt to rim the glasses
150 grams Cointreau or other orange liqueur
150 grams fresh lime juice
Put the chorizo in a small sauté pan set over low heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to render as much fat as possible. Transfer the chorizo and rendered fat into a clean mason jar large enough to hold it and the tequila, add the tequila, and let it sit at room temperature for 2 days, covered.
Once the tequila has infused, put the jar in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to solidify the chorizo fat. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve the infused tequila in a clean jar or bottle.
Put the cumin in a medium skillet set over medium heat and toast until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the cumin to a small saucepan, add the water and sugar, set over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and cool about 1 hour, until room temperature. Strain the Cumin Simple Syrup through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Rim a margarita glass with fresh lime juice and salt. Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice. Add 48 grams (2 ounces) Chorizo Infused Tequila, 28 grams (1 ounce) Cumin Simple Syrup, 26 grams (1 ounce) Cointreau, and 28 grams (1 ounce) lime juice. Top with a glass and shake vigorously for 30 seconds or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty. Use a cocktail strainer to strain the Chorizo Margarita into the salt-rimmed glass. Repeat for a total of 6 margaritas. Sip and enjoy.