A Marg, but make it bubbly and spicy.
About the cocktail
When it comes to Margaritas, it’s very hard to improve on the OG. But we reckon the next logical step would be to add spice or bubbles. Lucky for you folks at home, we’ve done both. Introducing the Spicy Buch-erita, a delectable mix of a Spicy Marg and kombucha. Wonderfully tropical and energetic (and, of course, spicy), this bubbly cocktail is a real crowd pleaser. If you’re unsure what kombucha is, it’s essentially a fermented tea drink made with a layer of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast known as a scoby. The scoby eats all the sugars during the fermentation process, leaving us with a wonderfully bubbly, sometimes explosive drink (open it over the sink and thank us later). In terms of taste, it’s a slightly sour, almost vinegar-tasting beverage, but it can be flavoured with other ingredients. The most popular include lime, ginger and tropical flavours like passionfruit. For our Spicy Buch-erita, we recommend a tropical tasting ’buch to complement the lime and spice. To make, it's much the same as the OG Marg, just with a few dashes of hot sauce, a Tajin spice rim instead of plain salt and, of course, our kombucha topper. Serve it up in a Margarita glass or a normal tall glass – it’s up to you. We recommend popping on some Buena Vista Social Club and finding a good patch of sun to accompany this drink.
Ingredients
45mL tequila
25mL lime juice 20mL agave syrup 1–3 dashes of hot sauce 90–120mL kombucha (works best with fruity, tropical flavours – e.g. mango, strawberry or peach) Ideal glass: Margarita glass or tall glass Garnish: spiced salt rim (a mix of salt and Tajin – a Mexican chilli and lime seasoning you can find in most supermarkets)
Method: For the spiced rim
Add equal parts salt and Tajin to a shallow dish and mix to combine
Rub a piece of lime on the edge of the glass and roll the rim to lightly coat
Method: For the drink
Add all ingredients except kombucha to a shaker with ice
Shake until the shaker is nice and chilled Now add the kombucha and gently (important!) stir to mix Strain into a glass over a heap of ice
Dan's top tips
If you’re thinking about making our Spicy Buch-erita cocktail at home, here are a couple of tidbits to keep in mind. Firstly, make sure you taste the kombucha before you start mixing so you know exactly how much sweetness needs to be added to the drink. If your ’buch is super sweet, you’ll know not to add too much agave syrup and vice versa. You can also add as much hot sauce as you want to the mix, depending on whether you like things mild or burning hot. Next, make sure you’ve got the Tajin rim sorted prior to making your drink. You want that drink to be as cold and bubbly as possible when it's served. Plus, it’s a hell of a lot easier to coat the rim before it’s full of liquid. Lastly, make sure you’re gentle when you stir in that kombucha. You want the ingredients to just incorporate, without beating the carbonation out of the drink. The bubbles are key!
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Bridget Wald (styling).
