Classic Margarita and Red Pepper Margarita

Master mixologists Gabe and Elad of Bar Lab teach us how to put a twist on a classic cocktail & Miami favorite: The Margarita.

Elad: Hi, my name is Elad. Gabriel: My name is Gabriel. We have a company called Bar Lab. Elad: We’ve been mixing cocktails in Miami Beach for over a decade. Gabriel: Miami Beach has a cocktail culture of its own. Elad: And we are to show you what it’s all about. Gabriel: This is Miami Beach cocktail culture. Elad: So what do you got for us? Gabriel: I got here margarita, one of my favorite cocktails in the world and it’s pretty simple. It’s lime, a little bit of agave, triple sec and 100% blue agave tequila. Elad: Nice. Gabriel: Don’t get wrong with that. Elad: So what’s the twist? What’s it going to be? Gabriel: I think what we want to do -- we want to do something very different, very usual, very Miami like to keep on Miami culture so we’re going to use red peppers, the sweet red peppers. We’re going to cut them to a couple of little chunks and now we’re going to mortar these chunks. Elad: Nice. Gabriel: And then we’re going to put a little bit of alfalfa. Elad: Wow. Gabriel: Then we’re going to put a little bit of lime. Elad: Nice. Gabriel: A little bit of agave juice. A little bit of triple sec and we will put about an ounce of 100% blue agave tequila. I’ll just put a little bit more. Elad: Shake it baby. Gabriel: Put a little bit of ice. There you go -- beautiful color. You can see a little bit of the red pepper and we’re going to garnish it with a little bit of alfalfa sprouts and -- Elad: That’s money. Gabriel: There you go, the alfalfa margarita. Cheers. Elad: So Gabe what’s so special about the margarita? Gabriel: There’s many versions they all started. For the one version between 1938, Carlos Merida and he came to drink after a showgirl that use to come visit at the bar. She didn’t like to drink hard liquor so he mixed it with triple sec, a little bit of lime juice, a little bit tequila and he named it after her, margarita. Elad: Wow! What an amazing story man. So I’m going to stick up with the traditional margarita and you’re going to have the alfalfa margarita. Gabriel: And this is of course part of Miami Beach cocktail culture.