A few years ago, partly because I had a book to write, I got into the habit of drinking margaritas at 5pm at the club where I worked. Not every day, Mom, if you’re reading, but regularly enough that some people, including the editor of these pages, think I’m an expert on the subject.
Full disclosure: I’m not actually anything. But when I tried a few things, both at home and around town, I learned a thing or two. Good tequila is important, too, as is bottled fresh lime juice. I’ve found that as long as the drink is well made, whether the sweetness from triple sec is better, Cointreau or agave, is largely irrelevant. The salt should be sea salt, but fine or flaky rather than rocky. Himalayan rock salt can go on a hike; I shouldn’t have to crunch while sipping. But I would argue that the most important ingredient of any margarita — any classic cocktail — is atmosphere. The atmosphere needs to deserve a margin.
That doesn’t mean it has to be Mexican—though it helps, as the list below shows—but there needs to be some kinship with that country’s fun, creative, vibrant culture. The music should be upbeat and a little dancey. Furniture and interiors should say: Sit back and have another one. And another. And the fourth. It’s hard to enjoy the margin when the decor screams martini; just like a martini at a taqueria feels a little confusing. For my money, these are your best shots for having a good time.
Bushes and Shutters
Shrub and Shutter is the Mary Poppins of cool, quirky cocktail bars. But when one feels the need – when waiting for a table at Brixton Market, for example, or when one wants to continue the night after finding the place – it presents itself as a possibility; And then how unlikely is this? The staff greets everyone as if they’re throwing a party, and an old friend they haven’t seen in a long time makes an unexpected appearance. The bar is always busy, but there’s still always a table available and the staff are as enthusiastic as they are prompt. The classic margin is served generously in a large coupe with fine salt (and paprika if you like) – although it’s worth trying the twists if you have them. The creative but unpretentious chalkboard menu with regularly changing specials is worth anyone’s money and time.
336 Coldharbour Road, SW9 8QH, @theshrubandshutter
Quo Vadis
Considering Quo Vadis is the home of my aforementioned 5pm margarita habit, it feels right to include it. Moreover, their classic margaritas set the bar very high; I’ve tried others since then but it remains my favorite in the city. Much of this is down to the bar staff, who know their classics and the people who drink them regularly like the back of their hands. But part of this is also due to the tequila, which is significantly higher quality than the tequilas that usually grace cocktails, thanks to Quo Vadis’ relationship with El Pastor. Casa Herradura Plata Tequila is the premium offering of the 153-year-old agave house Casa Herradura. When you mix this with ice, lemon, Cointreau and the unique energy of the QV bar, you get an almost perfect difference. I have also been known to drink them after 5pm.
26-29 Dean Street, W1D 3LL, quovadissoho.co.uk
American Bar in Stafford
At first glance, The American Bar at The Stafford looks like a martini bar. It’s in a hotel – a very nice hotel deep in St James – and there’s mahogany paneling, deep pile carpets and soft green leather chairs. It feels wrong to have a margin here – until the staff arrives, smiling and the sun sets over a cobblestone courtyard where people sit even in the coldest months, and a margarita feels like a sensible thing to do – even when it comes breathtakingly precise even worse. The coupe is coated in an even more delicate layer of sea salt. Boasting premium Cenote Blanco Tequila, it’s as sophisticated and smooth as the mahogany panels, as cheerful as the courtyard outside, and as bright and refreshing as the glittering crew.
16-18 St James’s, SW1A 1NJ, thestaffordlondon.com
to the cross
Hacha is the home of the mirror margarita, which glides like a silk slipper and looks like glass: crystal clear, created with Tequila Bianco and malic acid, a natural sour that emerges at night during the agave plant’s lifestyle. Clean, powerful and hopelessly ‘grammable’. To ensure the food offerings matched the drinks in terms of quality and taste, they outsourced to Tigre Tacos in Hacha Dalston and Nopalito in Hacha Brixton.
378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA, hachabar.com
desimo
Dressed to the nines and perched loftily on the 10th floor of the Standard hotel in Kings Cross, Decimo has the kind of swagger that rubs off on people. You may be a crumbling tower of existential angst, and the moment you step into Decimo’s red velvet, polished wood, and cacti-lined dining room, you realize exactly who you are and what you want. I can’t vouch for the first one. The second is the margarita menu, which consists of Tapatio Blanco tequila, Cointreau and lemon lime. One can choose the classic and be very satisfied; but it would be a shame to overlook the Tepache margin, which, in addition to all of the above, includes the eponymous Tepache, a Mexican broth made with fermented pineapple.
10th Floor, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG, decimo.london
Santo Remedio
Although Quo Vadis is where I got married by margin, Santo Remedio on London Bridge is where I first fell in love with them: soft-shell crab tacos seasoned with homemade salsa verde, totopos, fresh jalepeno peppers and grilled cheese corn. Play it safe with their margarita de la casa, or opt for their hisbuscus flower margarita, scented with house-made hibiscus flower sorbet, strong with triple sec and Cointreau, and made interesting with the addition of both lemon and lime juice. The atmosphere is also on point: both London Bridge and Shoreditch Santo Remedios are colourful, cluttered but still meticulously executed.
152 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU / 55 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HP, santoremedio.co.uk
Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel
The last time I went to Brown’s Hotel, we saw Bill Nighy, and while my friend insisted on congratulating him on every movie he appeared in, I died silently next to him. When I recently returned to the hotel’s award-winning bar, Donovan’s, to try a margarita tasting, I nearly died again—though this time, from joy. The bar has a separate entrance – crucial to the ‘good hotel bar’ description above – and is run by industry icon and master mixologist Salvatore Calabrese. The marg is elegantly served in a slim mug with a side of fine salt and red pepper if ordered spicy. The tequila in it, Casamigos Blanco, comes courtesy of George Clooney, and it’s pretty sweet. All this sophistication is nicely spiced up by black and white photographs taken by iconic 1960s photographer Terence Donovan himself; and by bartenders who have a great time and want to show you.33 Albemarle St, W1S 4BP, roccofortehotels.com
El Chaplain
While the delightfully ramshackle El Pastor in Borough Market is the original and the best, all El Pastors sparkle with excitement; It’s always an elusive yet important concept, especially when it comes to margaritas. It’s no surprise, then, that El Pastor’s margins are among the best in the city. They come frozen, upright, or on rocks. They come flavored with hibiscus and honeydew, spicy mango or avocado. There’s even a breakfast margarita made with marmalade; But connoisseurs prefer spicy diabolo, which is extremely fiery and fun. All are made with the reliably rounded El Jumador Reposado, except for this ‘margarita month’, where El Pastor’s Group Bar Manager Carlos Fontoira has prepared a special serving bearing his name. Carlito’s Margarita above features Tequila Herradura Blanco, Campari, Cointreau, lemon, hibiscus, pineapple juice and is served in a whiskey on the rocks.
various places, tacoselpastor.com.tr
Side Hustle at Nomad Hotel
There is an art to creating a good hotel bar. A bad hotel bar leaves one feeling miserable, like trespassing on the sacred ground of those who can afford to sleep there. A good hotel either makes you forget about the hotel or makes you feel even more special because it honors you with its presence just for a difference. The casually cool Nomad Hotel in Covent Garden has two bars: Side Hustle and Common Decency, and both are good – but it’s Side Hustle you want for margaritas. It adds a lively, happy atmosphere to the drink, too, just like the bartenders who are having such a good time that you’ll think of joining them as a real-life hustle. The salt rim is perfect—feather salt is sprinkled on both half of the glass and the rim—and Patron Respado is safe for tequila cocktails. For Margarita Day, Side Hustle is offering Dr Feel Good, an aromatic blend of Patron Reposado, avocado, suze, génépi, lemon and Aleppo pepper.
28 Spring St, WC2E 7AW, thenomadhotel.com
wild by tart
Hanging plants, tropical flowers, market pillows and wall art: Wild by Tart screams margin before you even consider the menu; A blend of vibrant, seasonal ingredients sourced locally or from Tart farms in Somerset and Northumberland. Luckily, the founders have catered to suit, serving £7 margaritas between 5pm and 7pm. Their regular service is amazing, but they also offer seasonal fare featuring delicious seasonal fruits like blood oranges, gooseberries, or the obligatory rhubarb.
3-4 Eccleston Yards, SW1W 9AZ, wildbytart.com
paladar
Paladar is not Mexican; It is Latin American and is loved by this community as much as anyone who has tasted its crispy pork belly and Nikkei Tuna tostadas. All that stands between the Elephant and the Rook and the swirl of despair are these and their sides, served plain with a thin rim of salt. Once inside you forget everything about the place, especially if you grab a seat in its brick-walled courtyard, which is essentially a Secret Garden filled with cocktails, green plain nachos and happy, chatty diners. For margarita day, Paladar will be offering a quartet of twists on the classic cocktail: pineapple margarita, lulo margarita, mezcarita and raspberry & habanero margarita, priced at £10 each or £35 for four.
4-5 London Road, SE1 6JZ, paladarlondon.com