Since the traditional one is a tad too strong for the number of drinks we typically end up having, Mr. Legend and I have finally settled on a compromise recipe. It consists of 1 1/2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz Triple Sec (or Cointreau, if we’re feeling wealthy at the liquor store), and 8 oz of our own margarita mix. That mix consists of 16 oz lime juice, 16 oz lemon juice (just because the lime juice is both expensive and sometimes hard to find), 3/4 cup sugar (dissolved in water to make a syrup) and enough water to bring it up to 3 quarts. That translates to (about) 3 oz of lime/lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 5 oz water per margarita. We shake it up and serve it over crushed ice in a 16 oz glass with a salted rim. It’s not a connoisseur’s margarita by any means, but it ensures that we’ll be sober enough to tuck the kids into bed at 10.
We make lime juice and lemon juice by cutting the fruit in half and juicing them into the cocktail shaker with a wooden reamer. I like to use both because I appreciate the extra sharpness of the lemons and the limes don’t yeild all that much juice so using just lime juice is more time consuming. We do have Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice, but I usually reserve that for kiddie cocktails or cocktails that specifically call for it. It is fairly cheap at the liquor store and always there. When we make Mint Juleps, we use that in Loren’s drink in place of the Bourbon. It is nothing like Bourbon, but it makes for a pretty drink and it doesn’t taste bad.
We get out lemons and limes at Jerry’s Fruit and Garden. Last time I paid a buck for 20 limes and a buck for 10 lemons, but I have seen them there as high as 4 for a dollar for lemons and 5 for a dollar for limes, but not often.
I do like the compromise of having them over crushed ice. No where as anoying as the blender, but nicer than large cubes.