How classic would a cocktail need to be in order to have a whole day dedicated to it? And is a cocktail still the same cocktail if made with entirely different ingredients? Well if gin martini purists had a hard time accepting vodka martinis, it’s time to test the boundaries yet again – this time with tequila.

Tequila martinis? No way! I had a hard time even imagining the concept, too. But fellow bloggers Caroline on Crack, H.C. from LA & OC Foodventures, John from Social Domain and I had a chance to give it a shot in celebration of and on the eve of National Martini Day – which was supposedly on June 19th. The setting couldn’t be better, either – from the rooftop of the Palihouse in West Hollywood.

We warmed up with a spicy margarita, which was so unexpected yet had just the right amount of aftertaste. A tad tangy and not a plain hot. But the real treat was definitely the Maestro Dobel tequila martini (above). As you can see, it’s a clear tequila but apparently is still aged as it combines reposado, anejo and extra-anejo tequilas. Later, I learned the trick in this martini recipe – a touch of Cointreau Noir.

The recipe below:

• Pour an ounce of Cointreau Noir into ice-filled Martini shaker then drain liqueur so it “sticks” to the ice.  Pour three ounces of Maestro Dobel, stir thoroughly, serve in classic Martini glass, garnish with orange twist and rejoice.

I thought the tequila did well for the martini – even as the color might have made me doubt at first. But indeed I did taste that it was an aged cocktail at heart and had good texture. The tequila itself isn’t cheap ($79.99 at BevMo! for a 750 mL bottle) but I could definitely taste why. And I could see why you could get away with this particular tequila in a martini – it’s aged yet clear. Delicious and potent.

Palihouse
8465 Holloway Dr
West Hollywood, CA 90069-4258
(323) 656-4100