This recipe was first published as part of our feature on black drinks.
This is a twist on a Margarita, with the unique sourness of tamarind working with smoky tea-infused tequila. The spice and savoury taste of the “gunpowder” masala add another dimension to the cocktail, while the colour (from the tamarind syrup) imbues the drink with a war-like quality. Gunpowder masala, a common ingredient in Indian cuisine that is also known as dry dal chutney, is a combination of spices that may include red chillies, tamarind, hing powder and roasted and ground sesame.
50ml Don Julio Blanco tequila infused with lapsang souchong tea*
25ml Lime juice
20ml Burnt tamarind syrup**
10ml Cointreau
Shake all the ingredients with ice, then fine strain into a coupe glass coated with gunpowder masala. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
* Infuse a bottle of tequila with 2-3 teaspoons of loose leaf tea until the smoky taste is present, but without too much bitterness (about two hours).
** Roast tamarind until the skin is burnt and crisp, then separate with water. Use this to make a syrup with rock sugar, as you would a standard syrup.
