Toreador Before the Margarita

Let’s imagine we could go back in time to the first half of the 1930s. Now let’s step into an English cocktail bar: with a little luck we might come across the Toreador. We would only find it here and not, for example, in the United States – which also plays a decisive role in the history of mixed drinks.

The Golden Age of Tequila-Based Cocktails

The reason is related to the popularisation of tequila around the world, which began precisely on the European side of the ocean, across the English Channel. It is no coincidence that the first written mention of the Toreador appears in a book published in 1937 by the then newly formed United Kingdom Bartenders Guild. It is entitled Café Royal Cocktail Book and was penned by William J. Tarling, nicknamed Bill.

It contains a dozen tequila-based recipes, many with names reminiscent of Mexican bullfights. We have the Picador (considered to be a possible forerunner of the Margarita), the Matador, the Bullfighter and, indeed, the Toreador: this is prepared by shaking together tequila, apricot brandy and lime or lemon juice. No garnish is suggested. Unfortunately, Bill Tarling only mentions the ingredients and proportions, without telling when the cocktail was created or who invented it.

A Funny Story About Tequila

So today we are still in the dark, all the more so because it has remained a niche drink, unjustly little-known and little-celebrated.

We can, however, add one detail: the Café Royal Cocktail Book ends with a long glossary. There is also an entry dedicated to tequila: it explains that it is “a pale yellow spirit distilled from the Mexican cactus. It has a distinctive flavour and in Mexico is enjoyed as an aperitif. It is successfully used in cocktail”. As evidence of how recent the importation of tequila was,

Tarling makes a mistake: it is an alcohol obtained by distilling agave, which is not a cactus. No harm done: some confusion was understandable at the time.