El Chonie

Name: El Chonie
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients: Citrus salt or kosher salt (optional; see Note); 1/8 cup/1 ounce tequila; 2 tablespoons/1/2 ounce simple syrup (see Note); Juice of 1/2 lemon; Juice of 1/2 lime; 1 12-ounce bottle chilled lager or other light-colored beer

Recipe from Matt Abergel

Adapted by Julia Moskin

El Chonie — Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: LIza Jernow.

Rating: 4(78)
Comments: Read comments

This is an unusually light and refreshing tequila-based cocktail, made so with lemon and lime juices and a pour of cold lager. It comes from Yardbird, in Hong Kong, a restaurant that is insanely popular with chefs the world over. With a salt rim, it has some of the tastes of a margarita, but it’s something you can drink all afternoon (maybe with a smaller dose of tequila). —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Where the World’s Chefs Want to Eat

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink

Citrus salt or kosher salt (optional; see Note)
⅛cup/1 ounce tequila
2tablespoons/½ ounce simple syrup (see Note)
Juice of ½ lemon
Juice of ½ lime
112-ounce bottle chilled lager or other light-colored beer

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Rim a highball glass with salt (see Note). Place glass in refrigerator to chill.
Step 2
In a large shaker, combine tequila, simple syrup, lemon juice and lime juice. Add ice and shake well.
Step 3
Strain into chilled glass. Top up slowly with beer, leaving a little foam on top. Serve immediately.

Tip

To make citrus salt, finely grate zest from a lemon or lime to measure about 2 teaspoons. In a bowl, combine zest very well with ¼ cup kosher or margarita salt. To rim a glass, spread the salt mixture on a small plate. Rub a little lime juice on the outside rim of the glass and dip into the salt, turning gently to coat. To make simple syrup, warm 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water in a saucepan over low heat until dissolved, then cool to room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5

78 user ratings

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Comments

capekorn5 years ago

@Ron Aaronson: 2 TB sugar equivalent to 1/2oz.SYRUP (not dry sugar)

Ron Aaronson6 years ago

2 tablespoons of simple sugar would be at least one ounce, not 1/2 ounce.

Sister Sue10 months ago

This is my new favorite summertime drink. Super simple and I always have lemons and limes on hand in the summertime. Don't overthink the measurements, just use a hefty glug of tequila, a drop of maple syrup, a dash of fine sea salt, and the lime and lemon juices. Shake with ice, strain into a beer glass, and quickly pour in a can of Beacon Brewery Sweetland Light (LaGrange, Georgia, baby!)

G1 year ago

The Yardbird cookbook calls for 30ml tequila and 15ml simple syrup so the 1/2 ounce is correct, not the 2 TBSP.

AS2 years ago

Very light drink. Added a jalapeno slice to add some spice and dimension.

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