Mirror Margarita becomes standalone brand

by Kate Malczewski

Deano Moncrieffe and Emma Murphy, founders of London agave bar Hacha, have transformed the venue's signature Mirror Margarita into its own bottled cocktail brand.

The drink, a clear twist on the classic Margarita, quickly became popular after Hacha first opened in Dalston in April 2019. It is now on the menu at Hacha's new venue in Brixton, as well. "Many of our customers come to Hacha specifically to try the Mirror Margarita, or have found out about Hacha through first hearing about it," Murphy told The Spirits Business. What started out as a sleek cocktail served in a rocks glass also proved to have potential as a ready-to-drink (RTD) serve. In November 2019, Moncrieffe and Murphy released a bottled version, which they sold at their Dalston venue. And when Covid-19 lockdowns made RTD cocktail offerings an important stream of revenue for bars in 2020, they began offering the bottles on the bar's website and delivering them nationwide. Now, thanks to continued demand for the cocktail, they have taken things a step further, giving the bottle a sleek design update, launching a website dedicated solely to the Mirror Margarita and revealing big ambitions for the brand. "The natural progression was for it to have its own identity to give it space to grow outside of Hacha," explained Murphy. "We've worked hard to give it life as a brand rather than simply an in-house serve, with a logo, photography, limited edition bottles and flavours, as such it helps keeping people talking about it." Indeed, the duo plan to unveil a variety of seasonal variations and line extensions, starting with a Smoked Salt & Green Apple variant set for release this week. The rest are "a closely guarded secret", Murphy said. The 500ml Mirror Margarita bottles clock in at 18% ABV and come in two flagship versions: one with Patrón Silver Tequila, Hacha’s sour mix, cane syrup and mixed grapefruit oils; and another with The Lost Explorer Espadín Mezcal, cane syrup, kaffir lime and eucalyptus. Both will be available through the new website, mirrormargarita.com, and will continue to be sold at Hacha's Dalston and Brixton venues. Murphy and Moncrieffe also aim to gain retail listings for the brand. Ultimately, Murphy views the Mirror Margarita as an extension of the bar's mission to educate consumers on all things agave. "For those less open to trying agave spirits neat, the Margarita is a fantastic gateway to explore the category," she said. "Our Tequila and mezcal versions are so different in flavour profile, it takes you on a real flavour journey to compare the two." She hinted that Moncrieffe is developing versions of the drink with other agave spirits such as raicilla and sotol, too: "Eventually you'll be able to taste your way around the category all through one cocktail."