Picador (1937)
Tequila, Cointreau and fresh lime in a 2:1:1 balance, adapted from the Picador in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book.
- Original yieldYield
- 1 cocktail1 cocktail
- PrepPrep time
- TotalTotal time
Estimated active and elapsed time, including squeezing the lime and chilling the glass while measuring.
Published
Original recipe: 1 cocktail
The story behind the recipe
Tequila, orange liqueur and fresh citrus make a familiar-looking group. In W. J. Tarling's 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book, they appear under the name Picador: half tequila, a quarter Cointreau and a quarter fresh lime or lemon juice. It's a compact recipe with a useful detail tucked inside it: the orange liqueur and citrus get equal measures.
Recognizing a family resemblance
The Picador offers a recognizable tequila–orange–citrus arrangement under another name. It is an earlier related formula, though this entry alone doesn't establish the Margarita's inventor or a direct line between the two drinks. Its own proportions are reason enough to bring out the shaker.
Read more about this recipe
Three ingredients, three specific choices
Our adaptation selects blanco tequila and lime from the source's lime-or-lemon choice. The 40:20:20 ml quantities keep its 2:1:1 balance at a practical size. We retain shaking and supply present-day service details: mixing ice cubes, straining and a chilled coupe.
Cointreau is the particular orange liqueur Tarling names. Alongside its citrus flavor, it contributes sweetness and alcohol. Another triple sec could preserve the measured ratio while changing those contributions, depending on the product. Keeping the named liqueur makes a useful starting point for exploring the balance: you know which bottle supplies the orange element, even if you later choose to try another.
Fresh lime supplies the sharp citrus element, with some variation from fruit to fruit. Measure the juice rather than relying on a count of limes, whose size and yield differ. When you're mixing for more than one person, squeezing and measuring the juice together helps keep the servings consistent before you divide them between shaker loads.
What changes beside a Margarita
The International Bartenders Association's Margarita specifies 50 ml tequila, 20 ml triple sec and 15 ml freshly squeezed lime juice. The Picador uses equal Cointreau and lime; the IBA Margarita uses more triple sec than lime and a larger share of tequila. That is a change of balance, as well as a different name on the recipe.
The IBA also lists an optional half-salt rim. The Picador entry has none, so this version keeps the glass plain. It lets you try the tequila, orange and citrus relationship before deciding whether to introduce another serving choice.
Changing the ratio or the citrus
For two servings, the two-to-one-to-one relationship stays the same while each measure doubles. Reducing the juice alone changes the balance. Swapping lemon for lime changes the citrus choice. Our guide to cocktail ratios through time explores those decisions alongside the Martini and Manhattan, where the Picador shows how the citrus share separates it from a Margarita.
Make it your wayOriginal: 1 serving · Makes 1 cocktail
Original recipe: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
For 1 cocktail. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 1 cocktail.
- Blanco tequila40 ml
- Cointreau20 ml
- Freshly squeezed lime juice20 ml
Measurement notes
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 40 ml blanco tequila
- 20 ml Cointreau
- 20 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
Equipment
Cocktail shaker
Jigger or measuring glass
Hawthorne strainer
Coupe glass
Instructions
Chill the coupe and squeeze the lime
Fill a coupe glass with ice cubes and water to chill. Squeeze and measure the fresh lime juice.
Measure the ingredients
Measure the blanco tequila, Cointreau and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Add enough ice cubes to fill the shaker about two-thirds full, leaving room for them to move.
Shake until cold
Seal the shaker and shake until the outside is thoroughly cold, about 10 to 15 seconds. Empty the chilling ice and water from the coupe.
Strain and serve
Strain into the chilled coupe with a Hawthorne strainer, leaving the mixing ice behind. Serve immediately without added ice, a salt rim or garnish.
Estimated calories 160 kcal
Nutrition portion: whole recipe · Original yield: 1 cocktail
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, USDA SR Legacy (2018), representative labels for Cointreau L’Unique (40% ABV). About 160 kcal per nutrition portion (whole recipe). Uses a representative 40% ABV clear spirit for the blanco tequila and the named 40% ABV Cointreau option. Actual ingredients and preparation affect the estimate.
Recipe notes
When adjusting quantities
Ingredient amounts scale; shaking time, chilling time and shaker capacity do not. Shake in batches with room for ice to move.
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
For a lemon variation, keep the measured citrus amount at 20 ml when comparing the flavors.
Mix shortly before serving. A larger batch needs the same room for ice to move, so divide it between shaker loads rather than filling the shaker to its rim.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Sources and attribution
Adapted from W. J. Tarling, Café Royal Cocktail Book, 1937 Coronation Edition, Picador entry.
W. J. Tarling, Café Royal Cocktail Book, 1937 Coronation Edition, Picador entry. The contemporary comparison is the IBA Margarita.
Recipe details
- Recipe tradition
- Vintage
- Course or meal
- Drink
- Cuisine
- British
- Source decade
- 1930s
- Browse category
- Drinks & Cocktails