Alejandra’s Hibiscus Margarita is popular but not too sweet

Yesareni Rico

They say there’s no problem that margaritas and Mexican food can’t solve. Thankfully, my only problem on this sunny afternoon is finding a really good happy hour while I’m in North County. It’s the perfect opportunity to finally scope out Alejandra’s, which Bartender Yesareni Rico says opened nearly a year ago to the day. I’m prone to ordering anything named after the house, so Alejandra’s Margarita is my cocktail pick. “It’s the most popular one — it’s not too sweet,” she assures me. “I love margaritas, but not the sweet ones, so I really do like this one.”

It’s got all the makings of a classic margarita — with a few visually obvious tweaks. “We burn rosemary for garnish, we use a black salt rim, and add hibiscus purée, with a big ice cube.” The backlit marble bar-top brings out the ruby red hue of the hibiscus-infused concoction. “We use Codigo Rosa Tequila and Naranja Orange Liqueur. We don’t use sweet and sour in any of our margaritas, so they’re pretty much skinny.” Music to my hips, since I plan on having more than one. Rico continues, “It’s pretty strong… but the rosemary smokiness helps balance the sweetness of the hibiscus. On a hot day, it’s nice and light, almost like spiked Jamaica water.”

She pulls out the bottle of rose-tinted blanco tequila to show me. “It sits in a French white oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrel. That’s what gives it the pink color. There’s a little cherry to me, a lot of agave, so the sweetness of the agave comes on the gums. You get a little bit of spice, too.” The spirit is produced in the town of Amatitán in the valley of Jalisco, Mexico. Says Rico, “The quality is good because of the type of water that comes through Amatitán, that makes the distilling and filtering process better.”

Rico refers to Codigo as “an innocent tequila — there’s no additives. It’s very smooth on the palate. It smells like money…” She answers my confused look, explaining “It’s a joke. It means, that’s a tequila that you’re going to pair with a dish that might cost $40-50. That’s why I say that.”

On that note, I ask for a worthy dinner recommendation. “I would probably do the short rib. It’s kind of like birria… slow-cooked, it’s very tasty, super juicy and tender. I feel like it would pair well with the sweet and savory.”

Alejandra's Fine Mexican Food and Cantina

Alejandra’s

Hibiscus Margarita

• 1 ½ oz Codigo Rosa tequila
• ¾ oz Naranja Orange Liqueur
• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz Perfect Puree Sweet Hibiscus
• Rim with black sea salt
• Torched rosemary sprig for garnish

Add ingredients to a tin with ice, shake well and strain over a large cube into double rocks glass that has been half-rimmed with black sea salt. Garnish with lime wheel and torched rosemary.