🍋 Tandoori Margarita

Tequila, mezcal, tandoori-smoked pineapple, fresh lime & tajin rim

Tequila + Mezcal
20 min
Shaken
Rocks Glass
~16%
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Ingredients
  • 45ml blanco tequila
  • 15ml mezcal
  • 30ml tandoori pineapple purée (see tips)
  • 20ml fresh lime juice
  • 15ml agave syrup
  • Tajin + salt rim
  • Ice
  • Grilled pineapple slice & tajin dusting to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    Make tandoori pineappleMix 2 tbsp yogurt + 1 tsp tandoori spice paste (or 1 tsp each kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander, garam masala) + pinch of salt. Coat thick pineapple slices. Grill or broil on highest heat for 3–4 min each side until charred. Cool, then blend to a smooth purée.
  2. 2
    Rim glassMix tajin and coarse salt on a plate. Wet the rim of a rocks glass with lime and press into the tajin salt.
  3. 3
    ShakeCombine tequila, mezcal, tandoori pineapple purée, lime juice, and agave syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds.
  4. 4
    StrainStrain over a large ice cube in the prepared glass.
  5. 5
    GarnishAdd a grilled pineapple slice and a dusting of tajin.

About This Cocktail

Tandoor ovens — the clay cylinder ovens fired to 480°C that cook naan and tandoori chicken — impart a distinctive smokiness that is impossible to replicate in a domestic oven. Ambassadors Clubhouse's bar programme found a way to bring that flavour to a margarita by marinating pineapple in tandoori spice paste (yogurt, kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander, garam masala) and grilling it over high heat until charred. Blended into a margarita, it adds a smoky-spiced tropical dimension that you won't find on any other cocktail menu.

Variations

Full MezcalReplace split with 45ml mezcal for maximum smokiness — pairs with the tandoori char even more dramatically
Frozen Tandoori MargaritaBlend everything with ice for a frozen margarita — the tandoori pineapple purée makes an exceptional frozen drink
Zero-ProofReplace spirits with coconut water and add ½ tsp liquid smoke — surprisingly effective, the tandoori flavour carries the drink
Bartender Tips

The tandoori pineapple purée can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for 3 days. It also works brilliantly on its own as a mocktail ingredient with sparkling water and lime. The split of tequila and mezcal is important — the mezcal's smoke echoes the char on the pineapple without dominating it. For a full mezcal version, reduce to 45ml mezcal only.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse, Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Spirit
Tequila + Mezcal
Method
Shaken
ABV
~16%
Tequila & Mezcal All 69 Indian Cocktails Indian Mocktails (87) Cocktails A–Z
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Address
Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Style
Indian cocktail bar & lounge
Accolades
Midtown's standout Indian cocktail destination

Ambassadors Clubhouse brings an aristocratic sensibility to Indian cocktail culture — drinks that draw from the era of Indian diplomatic gatherings, colonial-era clubs, and Mughal court traditions. The menu is sophisticated without being austere, featuring regional Indian ingredients in cocktails designed to be talked about as much as drunk.

Visit ambassadorsclubhousenyc.com