In some ways, the story of the modern Margarita is the story of tequila. In 2018, when we last blind-tasted the drink, we were pleased to find that the Margarita had long since moved on from the mixto tequila that had plagued it in the preceding decades in favor of versions made with 100 percent agave. At our recent tasting, not only was every tequila made from 100 percent agave, eight out of 11 were additive-free. The more the industry embraces the very best tequila, the more the Margarita improves. Today, the Margarita has never been better. 

When the Punch editorial team convened on a recent Wednesday at Manhattan’s Superbueno with owner Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez and Milady’s head bartender, Izzy Tulloch, we were in search of the ideal combination of “booze, citrus and salt,” according to Jimenez. “It’s all about how you balance those three.” For the first element, we were looking for a tequila with that quintessential peppery bite and green, vegetal tones. As for the lime, “it’s gotta have some zip,” according to Tulloch, meaning it had to be fresh and there had to be enough of it to be borderline mouth-puckering. For the salt, and whether or not it belongs on the rim of the glass, all agreed with Punch editor-in-chief Talia Baiocchi: “You gotta have it.”

Though the personal preferences of the judges each aligned with the more austere build of a Tommy’s Margarita, i.e., a Margarita that gets its sweetness from agave nectar in the absence of orange liqueur, only two of the 11 submitted recipes adhered to that model, and neither took the top spot. Instead, two of our three favorites took a hybrid approach—each called on orange liqueur, albeit in a quantity less than that of the lime, a notable departure from the typical even split between those ingredients.

The unanimous winner was Christine Wiseman’s Margarita, which builds on two ounces of Cascahuín blanco tequila, an ounce of lime juice, half an ounce of Cointreau and half an ounce of agave syrup (in a 1:1 ratio of agave nectar to water) served in a glass with a half salt rim and a lime wheel garnish. “It’s got zip,” confirmed Tulloch, but it also had the appropriate amount of body without being too sweet. And even though it contained orange liqueur, which can sometimes lend an unpleasant confectionary note to the drink, it was the tequila that shone through. “The tequila is so beautiful,” said Jimenez. “[This one] really stands out from the rest.”

Second place went to Natasha Bermudez, whose Margarita calls for Tapatío blanco tequila, three-quarters of an ounce of lime juice, and a half-ounce each of Cointreau and light agave syrup. The judges found the tequila was present and “stuck around,” in Tulloch’s words, sporting a classic peppery quality that we were all looking for, backed by the archetypal citrusy, salty notes of a classic Marg. The judges’ only qualm was with the Tajín rim, which counterintuitively made the drink taste sweeter—almost too sweet. Sal de gusano, an alternative garnish recommended by Bermudez, might’ve been preferred.

Third place went to Yana Volfson’s Margarita, which uses Tapatío 110 as the base, paired with an ounce of lime juice and a half-ounce each of Giffard and Combier triple sec. It drank on the leaner side (it was the only one in our top three without agave syrup), which was preferred by several judges, and had “literally perfect flavor,” said Tulloch. 

On the whole, the entrants painted a picture of a classic cocktail reaching its greatest potential. An appreciation of high-quality, unadulterated tequila paired with a more lime-forward construction has built up the drink into a fail-safe order. Now, according to Tulloch, the Margarita “is like pizza: Even if it’s bad, it’s still a good drink.”