speakeater.
Mixologist · 1990 · San Francisco

Tommy's Margarita.

Julio Bermejo made the Margarita honest. He pulled out the orange liqueur, swapped sugar for agave syrup, used 100% agave tequila instead.

Spirit
Reposado tequila
Glass
Rocks
ABV
~22%
Prep
3 min
Era
Mixologist
Quick answer

The Tommy's Margarita is a mixologist cocktail from San Francisco, 1990. Built on reposado tequila, served in a rocks, around 22% ABV. Julio Bermejo made the Margarita honest. He pulled out the orange liqueur, swapped sugar for agave syrup, used 100% agave tequila instead of mixto.

Ingredients

What goes in a Tommy's Margarita?

Method

How do you make a Tommy's Margarita?

  1. Add all to a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake hard until very cold.
  3. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
  4. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Pair it with dinner Fish tacos or grilled shrimp ceviche. Acid on acid, agave on grilled.
Bartender's notes

What should you know before making a Tommy's Margarita?

History

Where did the Tommy's Margarita come from?

Julio Bermejo made the Margarita honest. He pulled out the orange liqueur, swapped sugar for agave syrup, used 100% agave tequila instead of mixto. Three changes that ruined the bottled-mixer industry. Bermejo's restaurant Tommy's Mexican in San Francisco's Outer Richmond is now a cocktail pilgrimage site; the bar has poured over 40,000 of these.

According to Julio Bermejo, Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, San Francisco, 1990.

Variations

What cocktails are similar to a Tommy's Margarita?

Tommy's Mezcal
Replace tequila with mezcal joven. A smokier, earthier version.
Spicy Tommy's
Add a slice of muddled jalapeño to the shaker. Skip the simple syrup; let the agave carry sweet.
FAQ

Common questions.

What is in a Tommy's Margarita?

Two ounces of 100% agave reposado tequila, one ounce of fresh lime juice, half an ounce of agave syrup. Shaken with ice and strained over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

What's the difference between a Margarita and a Tommy's Margarita?

The classic Margarita uses orange liqueur (Cointreau, triple sec) and sugar or simple syrup. Tommy's swaps both for agave syrup and 100% agave tequila. Cleaner, less sweet.

Who invented the Tommy's Margarita?

Julio Bermejo at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco's Outer Richmond, in 1990. Bermejo is also a leading voice in tequila advocacy in the United States.

What tequila should I use for a Tommy's Margarita?

100% agave reposado. Tapatío Reposado, Siembra Valles Reposado, El Tesoro Reposado. Mixto tequila (51% agave or less) is not acceptable.

Kyle Schulgen Founder, Speakeater
Builder of Speakeater, the cooking app for people tired of asking what's for dinner. Hand-transcribes pre-Prohibition cocktail manuscripts as a hobby, ships them in the app's cellar.
Last updated: 2026-05-02

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