Margherita Margarita

Recipe: Brian Summers , Cosetta , Santa Monica

Photo: Shelby Moore

June 23, 2025

Bar consultant Brian Summers wanted to create a playful cocktail as a tribute to Chef Zach Pollack’s Italian-California cuisine at Cosetta in Santa Monica. “Given how well umami flavors play with citrus, especially in the context of a cocktail that’s historically enjoyed with a salty element, combining the flavors of the Margarita and the Margherita Pizza just made sense to me,” Summers says. He uses blood oranges and sun-dried tomatoes in place of orange liqueur and rims the glass with basil salt, and the result is a pizza lover’s Margarita.

Ingredients

2 oz. tequila plata
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. agave syrup (3:2 agave nectar to hot water)
2 blood orange wedges
2-3 small dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes (See Note)

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:rocks
Garnish:basil salt half rim and sun-dried tomato

Preparation

Rim half of the glass rim with basil salt and set aside. Add sun-dried tomatoes and blood orange wedges to the shaker. Add the lime juice and agave syrup. Muddle. Add the tequila and dry shake (without ice). Add ice to shaker and hard-shake. Remove the wedges and tomatoes and strain the cocktail over ice into the prepared glass and garnish.
Basil SaltAdd fresh basil and kosher salt to food processor in equal parts by volume. Blend on high until well incorporated.
NOTEDo not use sun-dried tomatoes stored in oil.