While the ingredients are pure Margarita, the technique borrows from the Mai Tai –shaking with a lime hull is a Trader Vic trick that Paul McGee also employs at Lost Lake. The oils and pith of the lime peel give the drink a subtle boost. “For me, most Margaritas turn out to be a little flat because they’re a little sweet,” McGee says. “I like a drier, brighter profile.” Here, that also comes courtesy of a blend of two orange liqueurs, and a hybrid agave-cane syrup sweetener.
Lonesome Rose’s Classic Margarita
Paul McGee, Lonesome Rose | Chicago

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces blanco tequila
- 1/4 ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
- 1/4 ounce Combier Liqueur d'Orange
- 1/4 ounce Petite Canne Sugar Cane Syrup
- 1/4 ounce agave nectar
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 lime hull
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake with ice.
- Pour contents, including ice and hull, into a large rocks glass.
- Top with crushed ice or pebbled ice.