Celebrate National Margarita Day!

This month, raise a glass with us to one of our favorite, world-famous cocktails. February 22nd is National Margarita Day and Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts is honoring the “holiday” with expertly crafted drinks shaken by our in-house mixologists. It’s true you can order a margarita any day of the year, but this day will be extra special since we’ll be shaking up a special margarita just for February the holiday.

This year we shine the spotlight on our mixologist behind the bar at Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos, Gustavo Eduardo Estrada Ortiz. He’s crafted his very own juicy, fruit- forward margarita that goes by the name of its color: the Green Margarita. We’ll include a recipe for the drink at the end of this blog.

But first a bit of history (and science) about the traditional cocktail, which Estrada Ortiz and all of our bartenders will be serving up, too. The traditional cocktail is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors, a splendid mix of tequila, triple sec (or Cointreau), and lime. The classic preparation—reported to have originated in Tijuana, Mexico during prohibition in the 1930s—is on the rocks. Frozen margaritas were invented in the early 1970s by a creative restaurateur who converted a soft serve ice cream maker into a frozen margarita machine. Salt on the rim of the glass—ideally a stepped-diameter variant of a champagne coupe—is optional. All of the ingredients are served shaken or blended with ice. If you consider it to be a guilty indulgence, fast forward 50 years to swallow this good news: the spirits themselves have been found to be good for you! National Margarita Day has its own website that includes a list “10 Reasons Tequila is Actually Good for You.” Among its many healthful qualities, tequila helps lower blood sugar, supports weight loss, helps fight cholesterol, dilates blood vessels resulting in better blood flow, cleanses your colon, calms nerves, and improves sleep. Consumed in moderation, top shelf, 100% blue agave tequila is unlikely to give you a hangover.

If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, consider these fun facts before you sip so that you might better savor the many desirable qualities of Tijuana’s treasured beverage.

• Tequila is made from only one ingredient cultivated in the highlands of Jalisco: blue Weber agave. The heart of the plant, called the pina, is steam-cooked or baked for many hours, crushed to produce a juice or juice-pulp mixture, and then fermented and distilled.

• If the tequila is to be a blanco or white version, it is bottled immediately. At Quivira Los Cabos and Pueblo Bonito resorts, Blanco* tequila is generally used to make the Margarita, Cabo’s most popular cocktail. 

• Reposado or rested tequila, reposes in oak barrels for up to 12 months, acquiring roundness and a light straw color from its time wrapped in wood.

• Anejo or aged tequila spends up to three years in the barrel, infusing the spirit with a caramel color and a velvety mouthfeel.

• Cristalino is anejo tequila that has been filtered to remove its color. The result is a smooth, clear tequila that has the complexity of an anejo and the crisp notes of a blanco.

We’re sure you understand, there’s more to share and to learn than we can express in words. It’s far more effective to simply educate your tastebuds. Learn why the margarita makes your tongue go “zing” by signing up for a tequila tasting session with one of the resort’s master tequila sommeliers, known as a catadores. A cata, or tasting, is the best way to learn about the distinct flavor profiles of tequila, which can range from citrus and mint to vanilla and butterscotch and often vary greatly from one distillery to the next. Seize your chance to learn how to rate each tequila according to a variety of qualities, including color, body, nose, flavor, and finish. In addition, by joining a cata, you’ll learn that tequila can only truly be called "tequila" when it comes from one of the five designated states in Mexico that have the government designation to make and produce it. The best-known tequila state is Jalisco, tequila’s birthplace. 

But maybe, just maybe, you can’t get to Pueblo Bonito for the 22nd. First of all, come anytime! And we’ll make that Green Margarita special, just for you. Or, perhaps you’ll have visited Gustavo Eduardo Estrada Ortiz at the bar, and had such a transcended experience, you’d like nothing more than to make a Green Margarita back at home. Every way around it, you’re in luck, because we’d like to share our celebratory Green Margarita recipe with you! Give it a try, take a pic, and share it with us. We already know it’s good; we want you to taste the truth for yourself.

Recipe ingredients:
- Tequila Reposado (aged) 2 oz
- Lime Juice 1 oz
- Natural Syrup 1 oz
- Triple sec 1 oz
- Kiwi 1 piece
- Cherry 1 piece
- Tajín (seasoning mix) .02 grams
- Lemon 1 wedge
- Cubed or Crushed Ice

Prepare Glass:
1. Cut a slice of lemon and run the wedge along one or all sides of the rim of the glass. Gustavo Eduardo Estrada Ortiz suggests a short cocktail glass here that you might use for an Old Fashion.
2. Sprinkle tajin on a plate and pass the rim of the glass over it.
3. With a peeler, expose the fruit of the kiwi and cut a slice to use later as a garnish. Set aside a cherry as well.

Combine Ingredients:
1. A cocktail shaker is ideal, although any container that you can close and shake will work.
2. Add half of the kiwi to the shaker and macerate for 30 seconds.
3. Pour the reposado, lime juice, triple sec, natural syrup, and ice and into the container and shake for 10 seconds. If you have a cocktail shaker, shake it until icy cold on the outside.
4. Place a few ice cubes in the serving glass; strain the margarita over the ice.
5. To finish, slide the kiwi slice and cherry onto a toothpick and balance it across the glass for a colorful (and delicious) garnish. 

We know you can do it, but we’d sure love to make if for you. Come, celebrate National Margarata Day in style by contacting us to reserve your stay at one of our Pueblo Bonito Resorts. Our knowledgeable staff and bartenders are excited to share this multi-sensory experience with you—one that’s unique to Pueblo Bonito and draws guests back to the resort again and again every year.