Yes, I know this is a cocktail and this is a cooking blog, but it’s my fucking blog and there’s only one post on it so far anyway so who cares. This is a cocktail that started as a joke but turned out pretty damn good so I’ve actually been making it pretty often now. It started when an old coworker had tweeted about somehow getting the East River in his margarita.
This led me to thinking about making an “interestingly” salty margarita.
- 2 oz Añejo Tequila
- 1 oz Triple Sec
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- Celery soda
- 1 Egg white
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp powdered ginger
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
This drink is made in two parts – the body of the drink, and the foamy topping. The drink itself is a pretty straightforward margarita – two parts tequila, one part lime juice, and one part triple sec. I used añejo tequila and it doesn’t have to be fancy – in fact, it shouldn’t be fancy since you’re not going to sip it. The other addition here is a pinch of powdered ginger. That represents the “Dave” in the cocktail. Put all four ingredients into shaker with ice and give it a thorough shake.
Oh right – the really weird key ingredient here is the Dr. Browns™ Cel-Ray celery soda. I had no idea that celery soda existed, but I was looking for a funky soda for this recipe and came across it in the supermarket. I guess it’s mostly a NYC thing, but I was able to find it out in Jersey. You can probably find it overpriced online as well.
To make the foam, you’ll need to use a raw egg white. Yadda yadda health & safety, if you don’t feel comfortable here taking the risk of consuming raw egg just skip it. The foam here is representative of the gross salty seafoam that would form on a tidal estuary like the East River. It’s used in place of salting the rim. With the egg white, add in the salt and cream of tartar, and a splash of the Cel-Ray soda. Use a coffee frother to whip it up for a minute or two until it makes a nice, stable foam.
Strain the margarita from the mixer into a glass. Pour in some of the Cel-Ray soda, I never measure it, just eyeball it. It’s just to give it a little extra fizz. Then scoop some of the salt foam on top. At this point it’s good to go, but visually benefits from being topped with a contrasting salt, so far merlot salt has been my favorite.
And there you go – sip it and enjoy!