Green Beast Margarita

Often playing with ingredients like hot sauce, brine, or vinegar to add a savory edge to cocktails, Hong Kong-based Lorenzo Antinori, founder of F&B consulting company Lorenzo Antinori Studio (and former beverage manager of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong), looked to products from Mexico to create a geographical tie to tequila for his spin on the classic margarita. “Coconut cream is often used as a thickening agent,” he says, “but an avocado gives you a similar creaminess and is pretty neutral in flavor.”

When blending the ingredients to make this drink, you want the consistency to be on the thicker side, so it slides out slowly  when poured. “If it’s runny, it’s wrong,” Antinori says. Instead of going full citrus, he swapped out orange liqueur for floral elderflower liqueur to keep the cocktail well-rounded. “Try to keep any equipment you’re using, especially glassware, as cold as possible,” recommends Antinori, who says the versatility of this cocktail makes it perfect for any larger format glass, whether that be a tumbler, Hurricane glass, or even a coupe. 

The avocado should be on the riper side, and the juice should always be fresh. Antinori usually blends everything together with ice for 10 to 15 seconds, pauses for about 5 seconds, and then pulses for another 5 to 10 seconds to allow more air to seep into the mixture, giving it a smooth, light texture. For a bit of smokiness, divide the tequila base in half with mezcal.

“It’s a fairly quick drink to make, and you can even treat it like a frozen margarita,” suggests Antinori, adding that the garnishes for this drink are just as easy. Cracked pepper on top adds another layer of texture to the cocktail, but you can sprinkle something aromatic like smoked paprika or dried cilantro leaves, which tie back to the Mexican theme. “Right now, savory cocktails are really having a moment — you can see that with the comeback of the dirty martini,” he says. –– Lane Nieset