Mean Margaritas: And Other Tequila Cocktails - Tapa dura

However you like your margarita, there is a twist to satisfy in this perfect companion to mixing with that most legendary of spirits - tequila. From roguish beginnings in rural Mexico, tequila now graces the most elegant of cocktail bars and is used in a huge array of cocktails, of which the margarita is king. All you need to create a delicious Classic margarita is a good-quality tequila, orange-flavoured liqueur, and lime. And yet within the boundaries of these 3 basic ingredients you can create a huge variety of flavours, from Premium margaritas using celebrated rare tequilas, to the fruity Flavoured Mangorita or Prickly Pear. Or try the Substitutions - well known cocktails with a tequila twist, such as the Tequila Colada. With over 50 vibrant recipes, Mean Margaritas, by award-winning mixologist and best-selling author Ben Reed, celebrates the cocktail that so captures the spirit of fiesta.

Ben Reed has mixed cocktails all over the world. Former bar manager of the Met Bar and Woody's in London he was then appointed Executive Director of IPBartenders and is now a freelance consultant. Ben has made many TV appearances. His column `Barfly' ran in The Times Magazine and he has been in a wide range of publications, including Vogue, Red and GQ. His previous books include The Art of the Cocktail and The Cocktail Hour, both published by Ryland Peters & Small. Ben lives in Queen's Park, London.