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This simple tequila-cola cocktail is so sharp that it comes with a knife.
About the cocktail
Yes, that’s a knife sticking out of this cocktail, and it’s there for flavour. Doesn’t make sense? It will. The Batanga cocktail is a very intentional drink. Nothing is there that doesn’t need to be, including a knife. Especially the knife. But first, the tequila, which is the base of this three-ingredient drink and also the name of the town in Mexico where this cocktail was invented. The other Batanga foundations are just as strong. Created in 1961 by Javier Delgado Coron (AKA Don Javier), the owner of La Capilla, the oldest bar in Tequila, this cocktail comes from a bartender with more than six decades of experience. Plus, the bar name translates to ‘The Chapel’, which surely counts for some sort of higher-power flavour. Back to the knife, and rationalising it is easy. Just like cake-batter beaters, the flavour on the blade is too good to waste. Coated in lime residue, the knife stirs together the tequila, lime juice and Coca-Cola, and brings its own zesty oils. The result is a frosty, well-balanced, sour cola blend, brilliant for its flavour-grabbing goodness, and all helped by that salted rim you’ll be adding to the glass.
Watch: How to make a Batanga
Ingredients
60mL blanco tequila 20-30mL lime juice (½ lime) 90mL Coca-Cola Glass: highball or vintage Coca-Cola glass Garnish: used lime half, plus lime wedge, cutting knife and salt flakes for rim
Method
To prep your glass, cut the lime in half and rub it around the rim Dip the rim in plenty of salt flakes Fill the glass with cubed ice Add ingredients to the glass and stir with the knife you used to cut your lime Garnish with the used lime half and knife
Dan’s top tips
Like any simple cocktail, each element of the Batanga is very well-considered. So, it (almost) goes without saying, this is a time for good quality ingredients. Especially tequila. La Capilla uses mixto tequila, but we recommend a 100% blue agave blanco tequila. If you were to trade the tequila for rum, then you’d have the Cuba Libre. Less clean-cut than tequila, but another good moment to flex a knife. If you’re not already squeezing your lime juice fresh, this cocktail demands it. The fresh acidity is an essential cut-through to counter the sweet Coca-Cola and the salt. Firmly pressing down and rolling the limes with pressure before slicing and squeezing will make this job much easier. As this was originally a guacamole-driven drink (that feature knife was traditionally used to prep the avocado dish first), naturally that, and corn chips, are a perfect food pairing here. But if you’re after a bigger feed, serve the Batanga cocktail with a spicy Mexican meal like birria tacos, enchiladas or chicken tinga. Hot sauce is welcome.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Raye Scerri (videography), Bridget Wald (styling), LSS (production)
