There are a few clear facts that we can be sure of when it comes to Paul McCartney. He’s one of the world’s greatest songwriters. He gave The Beatles the majority of the number-one hits. He endures as one of the most beloved figures in music history. And he loves a margarita.
Moreso than that, Macca famously loves a margarita, with plenty of anecdotes out there of venues shaking up his favourite tipple or other big names joining him for a toast. Liam Gallagher has the best one. “I’ve met him a few times he’s been absolutely a dream,” the singer told NME. “The last time was at the Royal Albert Hall. He goes, ‘Why are you always in a rush? Sit down, sit down’. I sit down and he goes, ‘Do you like margaritas?’”
But this is where the slip-up happened. “I said, ‘Yeah, but I had something before I come out, I don’t eat at this time of night’,” Gallagher remembered. “He said, ‘They’re fuckin’ drinks, you stupid prick’. I thought he was offering me a pizza.”
But McCartney wouldn’t have been offering up any old margarita. No, he has his own signature recipe that he’s called the ‘Maccarita’. It’s said that venues he’s playing at are sent a note ahead of time, making sure they have the ingredients for the drink, including his favourite tequila.
“You don’t want to drink too many of these,” the Beatle said in a video where he and his daughter Mary shake up a batch. “The thing is, because it tastes so good, they’re very morish,” he added. From the videos of McCartney dancing at Margaritaville with a glass in hand, he clearly doesn’t always follow his own advice.
But when it comes to his advice on ingredients and opinions on flavours, he’s well and truly in the right here. The ‘Maccarita’ is a fruitier twist on the classic cocktail, swapping out the predominant lime flavour for the zestier notes of orange.
The base stays the same, with a good blanco tequila. But McCartney adds in both Cointreau and Triple sec, which are both orange liqueurs, to double up on that flavour as well as adding an extra alcoholic kick. He still adds the juice from one lime, but his signature move comes when he also adds the juice of an orange. With a salted rim to garnish, it sounds delicious.
Whether he’s playing at the biggest venues in the world, making some public appearances or spending time with his family, this is Paul McCartney’s drink of choice. “Cheers everyone,” McCartney says, toasting all his fans with his custom tipple.
How to make Paul McCartney’s signature ‘Maccarita’
Ingredients:
3 shots blanco tequila
1 shot Cointreau
1 shot triple sec
Juice from one lime
Juice from one orange
Salt for rim (Optional, but better who are you to defy Macca’s tips)
Method:
1.Juice your fresh lime and orange.
2.Use your lime to swipe around the edge of your glass before rolling in salt to cover the rim.
3.In a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice along with all your alcohol and juice.
4.Shake well until your cocktail jug feels ice cold.
5.Strain into your glass.
6.Try and stay standing by the end of the night.
