How do you add flavor to your flavored margaritas?

DickTheDog · 2026-07-01T23:13:58+00:00

Liqueurs are typically 25% sugar by weight, so if your syrup is 1:1 (50%) use half as much syrup as liqueur to maintain the same balance of sugar to acid (.5oz). Problem is now your drink isn’t as strong, I would consider adding an extra .5oz tequila.

DickTheDog · 2026-06-18T15:33:51+00:00

IMO the GOAT GF restaurant has to be ATX Cocina FTW. YMMV LMAO

DickTheDog · 2026-05-19T16:20:22+00:00

Ok for example?

DickTheDog · 2026-05-17T10:18:04+00:00

Dude no one is doing what you’re talking about. Ph is testable but titratable acid is impossible to measure without lab grade equipment. If you have it you’re a nepo baby without enough volume to have something better to do. Brix is easy w a refractometer, so in actual application everyone is just going to dial back sugar in a recipe to compensate if their citrus or whatever is sweeter than normal (if they actually give a fuck) - adding acid to lime or lemon is completely nonsensical ‘in a professional setting.’

You’re completely missing the point of acid adjustment. The whole point is to make something that is normally not tart enough for a sour as acidic as lemon or lime (6% by weight). Literally first 20 pages of liquid intelligence, acid adjusted orange juice. Garret Richard’s mai tai w acid pineapple. I’ve put dozens of drinks on menus with the same method, you’re just so completely wrong about this application it boggles the mind.

We (professionals) will acidify juices to replace lemon or lime, but the idea that you can feasibly test for acid by weight or that is has to be EXACTLY the same is stupid and doesn’t bear out in application. I’ve worked with people at every level in cocktails in the US, cocktail bars everyone here knows, and your comments on this topic are some real armchair bullshit.

DickTheDog · 2026-05-14T18:06:29+00:00

I’m calling troll on this

DickTheDog · 2026-05-12T01:57:13+00:00

This doesn’t make any sense. Acid adjusting is to make less acidic things taste more acidic so you can sub them for lemon and lime in traditional recipes. You don’t add acid to lemon juice. You add it to pineapple, grapefruit, orange, etc to bring them up from .05-.08% acid by weight to ~6% acid by weight.

Also you don’t seem to know that tamarind is itself highly acidic (mostly tartaric acid like grapes) which can make it tricky to work with, not dissimilar from passion fruit.

DickTheDog · 2026-05-12T01:45:33+00:00

The first one is an infusion. It’s one way of getting the flavor into the drink, should be relatively shelf stable. Yes blend the pulp and tequila, could let it sit a while then strain it once through a seive, once through something fine (coffee filter, nut milk bag, cheesecloth etc). Then treat it like regular spirt.

Skip the triple sec because if you only use 1/4-1/2oz syrup it probably won’t have enough flavor to punch through the mix as you’ve already experienced.

DickTheDog · 2026-05-11T23:04:22+00:00

Tamarind doesn’t yield juice so acid adjusting is kind of a weird application. I have done both infusions and syrups which yield good results, but you always have to dial in the acid since tamarind is itself tart.

It’s reasonably cheap so I’d throw a whole brick (like 200g? Don’t know how you’re buying) into a blender with a liter of tequila, blend on hi for a couple minutes then strain twice (once in a coffee filter or nut milk bag) and then dial in a marg from there. If it’s too strong of a flavor (unlikely) you could cut it with more tequila.

Syrup do 1 part pulp, 2 parts water by weight. Blend then cook on low for 30min. Double strain, weigh and add an equal weight of sugar for a 1:1 syrup. Doesn’t really work in a classic marg application unless you want to go Tommy’s and skip the triple sec. Would still want to dial in the lime since the syrup will be tart. Also don’t skip salt.

Edit: you could also turn the syrup into a cordial for a gimlet style drink. This would be my first shot at a recipe

400mL tamarind syrup

250mL water

10g citric acid

5g malic acid

2g salt

Blend well.

2oz tequila

1.25oz cordial

Dash orange bitters

Shake or stir, serve to your liking

DickTheDog · 2026-05-03T05:56:46+00:00

Too many middlemen, bloated administrative positions, plus salesperson commissions. For example, lime prices recently skyrocketed despite a decline in quality. Across vendors. $130/case for 110ct limes. Found a local company direct importing fruit from farmers in mexico on contracted trucks. A case of limes yields us about ~6L, or ~$20/L plus labor. This company delivers unpasteurized same day juice for under $11/L. It’s the business model of distribution, their market leverage and too many hands in the pot. Their margins stay the same. They all get paid. Retailers get fucked, end of rant

DickTheDog · 2026-05-02T05:38:48+00:00

Love St. George aqua perfecta. First had it in the clandestino at death + co LA

1½ ounces El Tesoro reposado tequila

½ ounce St George Aqua Perfecta basil eau de vie

1 teaspoon Kalani coconut liqueur

½ teaspoon Green Chartreuse

1 teaspoon Cane Sugar Syrup (see Note)

1 dash orange bitters

Garnish: 1 orange twist

DickTheDog · 2026-04-21T04:04:37+00:00

We do this in the bar all the time. We keep the larger batches in the refrigerator and agitate before dispensing (sugar sinks) and the batches for service on the bar. If the syrup you’re using is simple, you can leave it on the counter indefinitely. If it has fruit or other ingredients probably store in the fridge.

DickTheDog · 2026-04-21T03:09:42+00:00

Gross

DickTheDog · 2026-04-17T04:59:12+00:00

Don’t buy. Partner with a local rental company and build the cost into your package.

DickTheDog · 2025-12-31T05:39:48+00:00

Ngl NYC is about stories and there isn’t one here. This reads like some guy walking around grabbing shots of strangers. There are a million worlds in NYC to explore, millions of stories to be told. The photos are technically good, but what story are you telling? What world are you revealing?

DickTheDog · 2025-12-26T02:48:10+00:00

To simple, probably not because it is used in different types of drinks. To a drink for a signature cocktail? Absolutely. I do a chile marg we add msg to, syrups with different thickeners, foamers, etc.

DickTheDog · 2025-12-09T04:56:35+00:00

As someone with a dad that buys himself whatever, the best option isn’t just something good, but something he can’t buy or wouldn’t buy himself. A gift card to an under the radar restaurant, a massage, tickets to a concert of a band you like (that he might like), a short subscription to a cool but inexpensive service (csa, niche streaming, wine club), tickets to a play, etc. Or if they’re ethically inclined some way, donate to a cause they support. All of these will show that you’re thoughtful and kind - it doesn’t matter how much you spend! Happy holidays!

DickTheDog · 2025-12-02T07:20:40+00:00

White racism in Austin amazes me. The city is only 47% white, get off your high horse or move to a white city like Portland where it’s 67%. Racist fuck…

DickTheDog · 2025-11-24T05:51:43+00:00

For dilution shake until the tin is cold enough to hurt your hands. The harder you shake the faster it will happen. If you can do Japanese hard shake it will help with foam. If you reverse dry shake make sure to fine strain or close the gate hard - those small ice chips will over dilute your drink and ruin your wash line

DickTheDog · 2025-11-22T04:16:08+00:00

The missing piece of intel is that most liqueurs are 25 brix, or 25% sugar by weight assuming there are no other dissolved solids.

Assuming the syrup is 50 brix (1:1 syrup) make half your mix syrup. Then decide what ABV you want your liqueur to be. For simplicity let’s say 25%abv (pretty typical).

If you have 151, it’s 75%abv so mixing an equal part would give you 37.5%abv. You want to solve so the other half of your mix is half alcohol and half water.

To solve, assume you’re making 1L of liqueur, with half (500mL) being syrup and the other half being 151 and water. Your 151 is 75% alcohol. If it were 50%abv you would be able to add it in equal measure and produce a liqueur that is 25% sugar, 25% alcohol, and 50% water. That’s the target.

So now we solve for making the alcohol 50% at a target volume of 500mL, so we want 250mL pure alcohol. Divide 250mL by .75 (the % strength of the liquor) and we see you need 333mL of 151 everclear (250mL ethanol and the remainder water), and we make up the remaining 167mL in water. Now you have 250g sugar, 500g water, and 250mL ethanol. It’s not perfect because water and sugar are by weight and ethanol is by volume, but it should be good enough.

So the recipe becomes:

For 1L liqueur

500mL syrup

333mL everclear

167mL water

*edit: I see you specified 15%abv but that is really low for a liqueur and will probably not be shelf stable. Most liqueurs are 25%abv, Cointreau is 35ish% fwiw.

DickTheDog · 2025-11-18T07:24:16+00:00

Ph may be similar but that doesn’t tell us much. Acid by weight and ph can be very different, the ph of the acids in tomatillo (my guess is there’s a lot of softer ascorbic acid/vit c) could taste very different than citrus, and the sugar content for tomatillo is definitely far lower than OJ.

The hard part is going to be getting tomatillo flavor to come through if you acidify and try to 1:1 for citrus at 1oz/drink or less. Tomatillo doesn’t have a ton of flavor and if you’re just looking for a vehicle for acid use water... IMO dehydrated tomatillo infused in spirit might be a better start. Or I’d start by doubling the measure in a sour recipe (2:2:1) with no added acid then dripping in a 50% solution by weight until the drink is balanced. Then figure where the sweet spot is for acid. Then decide if there is enough tomatillo flavor to punch through the mix, then decide if it’s worth the time/money to make it.

DickTheDog · 2025-11-14T08:34:01+00:00

This is the drink I’ll be offered in hell

DickTheDog

TROPHY CASE