The Billionaire Margarita is the name one New York hotel bar has given to its $1,200 margarita. A few years ago this would have shocked me as excessive, but little in the world of high end booze pricing makes sense anymore, with rare bottles of Scotch routinely commanding five or even six figures, and most of the world’s highest end champagne being sold for spraying, not drinking. Visit the nightclubs in the Wynn Las Vegas and a $1,200 margarita might seem like a bargain - the Las Vegas Journal Review wrote up a trio of Wynn options for $3,000 (the Menage a Trois), $5,000 (the Five Star) and $10,000 (Ono Champagne Cocktail). Two different bars in the MGM Grand, the nation’s largest hotel, created drinks pricier than the Billionaire Margarita.
Historically, it’s not the priciest margarita - heck, it’s not even the Big Apple’s priciest margarita. According to food website The Daily Meal, Manhattan’s 230 FIFTH Rooftop Lounge launched its own $1,200 margarita way back in 2013, which adjusted for inflation, runs nominally higher.
What makes such drinks so expensive? The answer typically is really rare and costly ingredients, especially very old whiskies and brandies, which are fine in made up drinks like a Five Star, but odd when they are ingredients not found in margaritas. The most famous South of the border cocktail was allegedly invented at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, Mexico in 1941, when a bartender created it in honor of regular customer and later namesake Margarita Henkel, daughter of the German Ambassador to Mexico. It contained nothing but tequila, fresh squeezed lime juice, and depending on the version of the story, either Mexican controy or similar French Cointreau liqueur. Interestingly, Hussong’s Cantina has grown and now has one other location, in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Here you can get an average but historically significant margarita for about ten bucks. Since then folks (including Hussong’s) have added various ingredients such as sugar, other fruit juices, sliced hot peppers, and most commonly triple sec, but no real version of the margarita includes ice cubes made from Lois Roederer Cristal Champagne - except the 2013 recipe described by The Daily Meal. But the biggest problem with this particular margarita is that it is frozen, and I’ve never tasted a frozen margarita worth twelve bucks, let alone twelve hundred.
By these standards the Billionaire Margarita is pretty straightforward, even if does include cognac, hardly a conventional margarita ingredient. It was created by Jayson Goldstein, Director of Food & Beverage for The London Bar, set within The London NYC hotel, and this is the only place you can try one (let me know how it is). Premium ingredients include Louis XIII cognac and Patrón en Lalique Serie 1, a limited release $7,500 tequila from Patron in special bottles made by Lalique, of which only 500 were produced (though the name suggests Serie 2 is not far behind). The London NYC will offer its Billionaire Margarita as long as the Patrón en Lalique Serie 1 remains available. Of course, if you can actually find all the ingredients at retail you could save some cash making these at home, but then you would also have to spend 5-7 days making your own from scratch Cara Cara Orange bitters, a laborious step Goldstein has graciously done for you. Here is his recipe for one London NYC Billionaire Margarita:
1.5 oz. Patrón en Lalique Serie 1 Tequila
.5 oz. Louis XIII Cognac
.5 oz. Organic Blue Agave Nectar
Fresh Key Lime Juice
Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
10 Dashes Housemade Cara Cara Orange Bitters
Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake vigorously.
2. Strain into coupe glass rimmed with Maldon sea salt.
3. Enjoy!
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