Chapala
Tequila, orange and lemon juice, grenadine and a dash of orange-flower water, shaken. Trader Vic's 1947 tequila sour — named for the lake near Guadalajara, and one of the first tequila cocktails in an American book.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a rocks glass with ice, or chill a coupe.
Add the tequila, orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine and orange-flower water to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Strain over the ice or into the coupe, and garnish with an orange slice.
A thoughtful finish
- Two drops of orange-flower water, not dashes; it is a perfume and takes over in quantity.
- Real grenadine; the pomegranate is what makes the drink taste of fruit rather than sugar.
- Vic served it over ice; it is also good up.
Common mistakes
- Too much orange-flower water.
- Artificial grenadine.
- A mixto tequila.
A few good questions.
What does a Chapala taste like?
A tequila sour with orange, pomegranate and a whisper of orange blossom — fruity, tart, a little floral.
Who made it?
Trader Vic, in 1947, among the first tequila cocktails printed in an American bar book.
Why 'Chapala'?
For Lake Chapala in Jalisco, near Guadalajara, a lakeside resort in the 1940s.
Can I skip the orange-flower water?
Yes; it becomes a tequila sour with grenadine. The two drops are the signature.
Variations
- Tequila Sunrise — Tequila, orange juice and grenadine.
- Margarita — Tequila, orange liqueur and lime.
- Tequila Daisy — Tequila, lemon, orange liqueur and grenadine.
- Jack Rose — Applejack, lime and grenadine.
Where it comes from
1947 · Oakland, California · Victor 'Trader Vic' Bergeron · Trader Vic's
Vic Bergeron printed the Chapala in his 1947 Bartender’s Guide — tequila with orange and lemon juice, grenadine and orange-flower water, shaken — naming it for Lake Chapala in Jalisco, the largest lake in Mexico and a resort of the era. It is one of a handful of tequila drinks in the early tiki books, from a time when tequila was a curiosity north of the border, and it shows Vic’s habit of dressing a sour with a floral note. It was forgotten until the tequila revival and deserves better: a tequila sour with orange, pomegranate and blossom is a very good drink.
Sources
- Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, 1947 (book)
- Jeff Berry, Beachbum Berry Remixed, 2010 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Chapala, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 17% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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