There’s a classic tequila drink Australian bartenders have known for at least a few years, but American bartenders have only caught onto it recently. It’s the toreador, a cocktail with tequila, lime juice and apricot brandy — a twist on the classic margarita and, according to American drinks publication Punch, “a relative obscurity in the States”.
“Most proper cocktail bars in Australia would be able to mix one up for you but I don’t see it on too many menus,” says the Melbourne venue’s owner and bartender, Hayden Lambert. “At Above Board, we started exploring the recipe in 2019 and 2020. We took the standard recipe and tweaked it to our house style.”
Jeremy Blackmore, co-founder of Mucho Hospitality Group which owns Sydney bars Tio’s, Cantina OK! and newly-opened Centro 86, says the toreador is one of those cocktails passed around the bartender community.
“I definitely didn’t learn it from reading the original text so it must have been from some of that late-night bartender osmosis,” Blackmore says. “I’ve seen it in lots of places from tequila bars in Melbourne and London to cocktail clubs in Singapore.”
The cocktail first appeared in William J. Tarling’s ‘Café Royal Cocktail Book’, a bartending guide released in 1937, reports Punch. Tarling was on the council of the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild.
George Berkarian of Cardea bar in Sydney’s Barangaroo discovered the toreador when he first started exploring twists on classic cocktails. He says it’s more suited to those who enjoy sweeter margaritas.
“It uses apricot liqueur instead of orange liqueur and includes reposado tequila which sets it apart,” he says. Lambert adds: “The difference is it’s less citrus-heavy and fruitier and there is no salt rim, a great option for people who just aren’t into margaritas.”
The apricot brand in the toreador makes it a lot richer than the orange of triple sec in a classic margarita. Blackmore describes the resulting cocktail as slightly rounder and smoother but less intense. He also recommends using a rounder, richer tequila.
Berkarian says the toreador’s relative popularity in Australia is also due to our appreciation of reposado tequilas. They are tequilas that have been aged or rested, typically in barrels.
“Australia has bartenders from all over the world who bring their unique cultures and flavours and flair to the craft,” he says. “In the US they tend to use more blanco tequilas and regular brands.”
Lambert believes its popularity has to do with Australia and its bars having apricot brandy readily available, which you don’t see in many other bars around the world.
“I also think we have a penchant for fruitier and sweeter-style drinks for the most part,” Lambert says. “The availability of solid apricot brandy and recipes are being rediscovered with the speed of the internet.”
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