Margaritas for Two
[ul]
[li]Lime cut into wedges[/li][li]Kosher salt[/li][li]3 oz Silver Tequila[/li][li]1oz Agavero[/li][li]1oz Blue Curacao[/li][li]Juice of 3 limes[/li][li]Juice of 1 lemon[/li][li]crushed ice[/li][/ul]
Moisten the rim of two chilled Margarita glasses with a lime wedge. Press the rims into the salt. Fill the glasses with crushed ice. In a shaker, combine the remaining ingredients with ice and a pinch of kosher salt. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass. Garnish with lime wedges.
I rather like this recipe. For years, I avoided tequila. I am now quite fond of it. What kind of Margaritas do you prefer?
6 oz Mid Grade Tequila
6 oz Lime-Aid Concentrate
6 oz Beer
splash Orange Juice
Try it before judging. It’s a lot better than you might imagine. Also, experiment with the beer. Obviously one that is light in color is best. I’ve found that hefewiezen works well.
I have a real minimalist approach–equal parts premium silver tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice. It does end up being real citrusy, but I happen to like that; and the equal proportions sure make it easier to correctly concoct them after you’ve already had a few.
I drank two of those margaritas last Friday to celebrate changing jobs. I normally have one drink each evening. The two drinks got me quite drunk, drunk enough that I could not have reliably made another Margarita.
3 parts Tequila
1 part cointreau
9 parts Freshie’s Lime Juice
Shake like a bastard in my shaker, which makes it nice and frothy.
Salt the rim.
Pour over ice.
Garnish with lime and cilantro spring if you have guests.
Lately, as I posted about a week or so ago, I’ve been using Tonic instead of Lime juice.
Can’t fail salting technique: If you buy the salt in the little sombrero, I’ve found the best way to salt the rim is to pour a little water into the rim of the sombrero. Dip the glass into that which wets just the top part, and then put the glass into the salt. You get just enough and nothing more.
I’m with Hunter: the best margaritas combine premium tequila, Cointreau or Grand Marnier, and fresh-squeezed lime juice, in equal thirds, shaken and poured over ice. Anything less is a disappointment.
They use “lime sour” or “lime syrup”. Or lime juice with simple syrup.
I’ve tried a margarita with just plain lime juice. Not so great.
Funny thing is. . .really good tequila can make a funky margarita, too. The good stuff tastes “woody” like some scotches. Better for uses where it’s not blended with something sweet.
I disagree. Premium tequila is for drinking on its own. It’s a waste to use it in margaritas.
Glad to hear that I’ve established a reputation around here.
Actually I’ve been modifying that recipie a little recently, reducing the amount of the concentrate to cut the sweetness a little. Also, sometimes I mush up a bananna to put in there. Experiment yourself though. It’s fun.
I beg to differ. Mr. Athena and I did extensive research on this very topic, attempting to create a great margarita using lower end brands of tequila and orange liqueurs. Believe me, we would have LOVED to find a way to make 'em taste the same using, say, Cuervo instead of Patron. It’s very easy to tell the difference between a margarita made with top end liquor versus the standard stuff. Try it.
Once again, I beg to differ. Fresh squeezed lime juice is the way to go. If you’ve ever been to a high-end margarita place in the southwest, you’ll notice that fresh lime juice is a staple on the menu.
I’m firmly in the Athena camp. In fact, we discussed our Margarita recipes not long ago.
The only deviation from her recipe I have is I use 2 parts (GOOD) Tequila, 1 part Cointreau, and 1 part fresh squeezed lime juice. With this higher Tequila ratio, the importance of using a good tequila is even greater.
You could slam some Jose Cuervo, Triple Sec, and Rose’s Lime juice together, but trust me, it ain’t gonna come close to a premium Margarita.
I’m sure it is. That doesn’t mean they’re not also putting simple syrup in the drink.
And Rose’s or Freshie’s is just basically lime and syrup anyway.
Probably the two best ways to go with it are this:
If you just using some orange liquer, tequila and a little lime juice, you probably want better tequila. You’re going to taste it more, and there’s not much sweetness in the drink to clash against the earthiness the tequila.
If you’re actually using syrup or lime sour or sweetened lime juice or whatever, not only is it a waste of money to use good tequila, I think it’s a funny taste. . .analagous to mixing single malt whisky with coca-cola. It doesn’t make sense.
Cheaper tequila is more neutral tasting, though harsher. The harshness has to be cut with some sweetness.
I don’t think of (1) as any more a true margarita than (2), though. That’s because I think of a margarita as a sweet, party drink. . .not for drinkers. Not to poo-poo them. I drink them, but usually, when I want a margarita, it’s because I want a large, sweet drink, not a fine cocktail.
And therein lies the root of the issue. I know what you mean; I’ve had my share of big sweet lime and tequila based drinks, but when I say Margarita, I want a fine cocktail. Depending on where you are in the country, you’ll get either the sweet thing or the fine cocktail; in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, chances are good that you’ll get the cocktail version, and that’s where I perfected my recipe. Up here in da UP, you’re lucky if you get anything other than mass-produced “Margarita mix” and some sort of Tequila-ish substance made somewhere far north of Mexico.
As far a sugar syrup, meh. It completely depends on the limes; if you can get good, high quality limes, sugar syrup isn’t needed. I admit, though, at times I supplement the lime juice with orange juice or other sweeteners. Still, the best marg in my opinion is made with simply good Tequila, Cointreau or Grand Marnier, and fresh squeezed high quality limes. If you can’t get one or another of the ingredients, you can make something good by adding sugar or other sweeteners. But we’re talking about the BEST margarita in this here thread.
We seem to be arguing about sweetness and tequila quality. May I suggest the two are related? If you’re paying the bucks to buy premium tequila, then by Jove you want to taste the stuff in your drink. Adding a lot of sugar masks the taste of the tequila. Thus, high-end tequila works best with pure lime juice, and no added sugar unless your limes are REALLY sour. This type of cocktail tastes primarily of tequila and citrus, with no syrupy sweetness whatsoever.
If you want a sweet drink, then by all means use lower end tequila and more sugar. I’d never, for example, mix Rose’s Lime Juice and Patron - it makes no sense. But if you’re in the mood for something sweet, sure, go ahead, use the sweet stuff. I think I agree with the others in this thread, though - if you want sweet, don’t splurge for the good tequila. It won’t come through.
The more I think about it, the more I think we’re talking about two distinctly different drinks.
yeah, it’s odd how no one, anywhere in this thread, broke the drink down into two separate things relating the need for sweetnes to the quality of tequila until you just did it.
