The Margarita Truck and the Science and Art of Margarita Making

The fiesta of your dreams might be just around the corner. Mobile taco catering companies are upping their game with not just great tacos but also margaritas that will get guests singing, dancing and romancing before, during and after the meal. This they accomplish through providing gourmet margaritas by way of mobile margarita bars on wheels.

The basic margarita done just right is all it really takes. Some better brands of triple sec, tequila and lime or lemon juice, served with sugar or salt around the rim of the glass (after the mix is shaken with ice for those who like it that way), make a lively beverage. If your budget and event venue allows it, use glass instead of plastic.

The magazine Bon Appetit, however, doesn’t believe in the humdrum. One writer of an article on the perfect margarita says that it must be made with 100% agave tequila – “preferably a reposado” – and use lime, preferred over lemon, juice. “A slice of lime as a garnish, while not strictly necessary, is a civilized touch,” says the article.

Why 100% agave? “If it isn’t there, then up to 49% of your tequila is actually fermented cane sugar,” warns the gourmand. He (or she…the writer’s first name is Chris, so it really doesn’t matter) says that one might substitute Cointreau for the triple sec, the former being stronger (40%) in alcohol content. Chris says the flavors of both are quite similar, both being made from the skins of oranges.

Chris also says that lemons can be substituted for limes if one cannot find the right kind in the necessary quantity. Limes can vary by type, season, weather and origin – note that these are limes you squeeze yourself, not from a bottle.

So since you – or your taco cart catering bartenders – are going to squeeze limes, maybe you are willing to venture further into margarita bar awesomeness. A London barrister created something called the Don Julio Kaffir Margarita, in which the drink is actually served INSIDE a frozen hallowed out lime. Specifically, one end of the lime is cut and the fruit is then hallowed out, leaving room for the drink. Serious mixologists will infuse the tequila with kaffir lime leaves and zest, then serve the drink with a second lime filled with sea salt placed on kaffir leaves (a light gelatin coating on the leaf with kaffir essence holds the salt). Guests are to lick the leaf before drinking the margarita.

If that sounds like a drink so sophisticated it would only be served at a wedding or C-suite corporate event, you’re probably right. Taco events with shrimp, tilapia, carnitas and vegan fillings have risen to the occasion, providing the right mix of casual and gourmet that allows diners to truly interact and eat as they wish. Serving drinks to remember is a way to complete the occasion.