Every month, we’re teaming up with one of our restaurant or bar partners to bring you a Bottles cocktail of the month. August’s cocktail, El Jefe ‘The Boss’ Margarita, comes from Morgan Hurley of Mex 1 Coastal Cantina. Get to know the pro behind the bar with our quick Q&A for Morgan:
Name: Morgan Hurley
Hometown: I was born in Burlington, Vermont, but raised on Isle of Palms most of my life.
Years of Experience Behind the Bar: I have been bartending for over a decade around Charleston.
Establishment that made you want to bartend: I bartended on Folly Beach at the beach tiki bar Blu in the Tides Hotel. I am a huge surfer so tending bar overlooking the ocean was a treat. Plus half the clientele were people on vacation, so they usually were laid back and having fun. It was also seasonal so in the dead of winter I would travel to the Caribbean on extended surf trips.
Strangest drink order you’ve ever received: We all know how hot it gets in the summer in Charleston. At the tiki bar, at least once a week someone would order a glass of red wine in the middle of the day when it’s 110 degrees. Not my style.
What you drink at the end of a long shift: I usually go for a cold IPA and a sipper of a good blanco tequila. Not a shot of tequila, but something to sip and enjoy.
Desert Island Drink of Choice: It’s a tie between a real deal banana daiquiri with a dark rum floater or a La Pirata from Puerto Rico, which is a rum based drink similar to a Painkiller, but served in a coconut.
El Jefe is a classic, go-to margarita that’s refreshing and satisfying. Stop by either Mex 1 location (West Ashley or Sullivan’s Island) to try it, and visit Bottles Mt. Pleasant through the end of August to pick up the ingredients and a recipe card to recreate El Jefe at home. Cheers!