There is no better time of year to celebrate with a margarita than in February. By now, we’re all pretty fed up with winter and thankfully, February 22nd happens to be National Margarita Day. Last week, I was invited to an event with Grand Marnier at Montreal’s Atwater Cocktail Club. Hosted by Patrick Leger, Master Blender and Xavier Herit, the brand’s ambassador, we were treated to a tasting of some of the more exclusive blends of Grand Marnier, including: the Grand Marnier Louis-Alexandre ($88.75), the Grand Marnier Cuvée du Centenaire ($149.75) and finally, the Grand Marnier Révélation ($699.50). If you love cognac and the subtle flavour of orange, then you may want to add one of these bottles to your at-home bar.
More affordably, you could purchase a classic bottle of Grand Marnier (look for the red ribbon!) and use the luxe liqueur in a multitude of cocktail recipes, including the Grand Marnier Margarita which I learned how to make during a mixology session with the brand ambassador at last week’s event. The difference between Grand Marnier and other orange-flavoured liqueurs is that Grand Marnier is cognac-based while other brands use a neutral alcohol base. So if you want to elevate your margaritas, make them with a good quality tequila and Grand Marnier!
How to make The Grand Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 oz | Grand Marnier
- 1.5 oz | Tequila
- 0.75 oz | freshly squeezed lime juice
- 0.5 oz Agave Nectar or Simple Syrup
- Ice cubes
- Lime wheel garnish
To prepare your margarita
- Fill a plate with salt
- Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of a glass
- Cut a thin lime wheel for the garnish
- Holding your glass upside down, dip the wet edge into the salt
- Add the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker
- Shake and strain into the glass
- Garnish with the lime wheel (I used half of one because I think it looks more elegant)
Cheers and Happy Margarita Day!
(Please enjoy responsibly)
Some photos from the Grand Marnier, Grande Rencontre at the Atwater Cocktail Club
The Grand Marnier luxe tasting line-up: Révélation, Cuvée du Centenaire, Cuvée Louis-Alexandre
This is a Grand French 75, just replace the gin with Grand Marnier
*Note: This blog post is not sponsored, but I was invited to the event and gifted a bottle of Grand Marnier.
