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Matt Martinez III and a Matt's Margarita on the rocks. (Entree Dallas)
In 1985, Matthew Martinez III was just barely a teenager, though he was well aware of his father’s calling in the restaurant industry – it was his grandfather’s calling, too, and would eventually become his own. So as he watched Matt’s Rancho Martinez open under the watchful eye of his father, Matt Martinez, Jr., he naturally paid close attention.
Today, Martinez III oversees all three (and soon a fourth to replace the former Lakewood restaurant) of the Matt’s in the Dallas area. With Cinco de Mayo and Spring’s sweet breath of warmth encroaching, he let us chat with him for a few minutes about the Margarita – how it’s changed, how he prefers to drink them, how his customers like theirs served, and what life might be like without them.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with us, Matt. To start, how do you make a Margarita at Matt’s?
Well, ever since I was born the heritage that I was taught was that the Margarita was made just with Tequila, Triple Sec, and fresh lime juice, and that was the Margarita that you would get in Mexico if you were to order it, and I suppose that drink is what traveled across the border into Texas originally.
But it’s kind of evolved, and as a restaurant we started using a simple syrup back before 1952 (when his grandfather, Matt Sr., opened Matt’s El Rancho in Austin). So since then it’s been just pure cane sugar and water for the simple syrup and then we still use fresh lime juice with the triple sec. It makes for a sweeter Margarita, which people seem to be able to drink more or enjoy more; either way, it’s just not as tart. The old style is almost like a martini, if you would, with a hint of sweetness. Today, we make both kinds still in our restaurant – we call the original version a Mexican Martini, and the Margarita is made with the simple syrup.
Which style do you prefer personally?
I still enjoy it the old fashioned way, but every once in awhile I’ll throw a splash of the simple syrup in there. It just depends on the mood for. Sometimes you like it on the rocks, and then sometimes you like it frozen if it’s hot. I like to change it up, but traditionally I would say that I enjoy the Mexican martini the most often, and I will usually drink it in a rocks glass.
So you’ll dive into a frozen Margarita every once in awhile?
I think it has its place – I really do. I know some people think it’s not officially the real deal, that’s it’s not good because it’s not traditional, but as far as just pure enjoyment, there’s so many people out there that don’t really care about history; they care about the way it tastes, the way it feels, what they enjoy. And that’s really what’s important when drinking anything, really.
So how important is the Margarita itself, as a cocktail, to your business? If it suddenly ceased to exist, how would that affect Matt’s?
It would affect it greatly (laughs). It’s beer and Margaritas here, and mostly Margaritas; probably a 75:25 ratio, maybe more when we get to the hot weather and the frozen Margaritas become such a big deal. If all my frozen Margarita machines went out of business, then I probably would, too.
What are some tips you’d give to folks looking to make a better Margarita?
Well, make sure you use a good tequila, and there are a lot of good ones out there – just make sure you use 100 percent agave tequila from whichever house you like, whether it be Herradura, Patron; I’ve always been a fan of Three Generations. And definitely use fresh lime juice.
With the simple syrup, you’re really starting to see a lot of different things – back when I was growing up, you didn’t see agave nectar. I’m sure there was nectar in the agave back then but they just weren’t bottling it up. And so now, there’s so many products online today that can improve the different drinks of today. Just the different styles of doing the agave nectars can be all natural but it’s a sweet, almost like a simple syrup, um it’s just kind of a cool way of doing things these days. But like I said, I personally prefer the old fashioned way of doing it, just with tequila, lime juice and triple sec.
So, would it be possible to try a Margarita for the sake of research?
Definitely. Would you like the original style or the simple syrup?
Absolutely.
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For more information on Matt’s, visit their website.