Mr. Athena here…
Hey - some people enjoy the ride that 3-6 margs gives them. It’s not for everyone though. It takes practice and the focus of a tiger. The mental strength of an Einstein. The courage of Henry V at Agincourt. The light-heartedness of a jester.
Don’t get down on yourself for not being up to it - yet. It takes practice, genetic pre-disposition, and a certain intensity that is uncommon in our times.
Yes, please. One for me and my alter-ego. He likes his straight. I like mine free.
Here you are, two glasses. This is a sipping tequila, don’t just toss it back, it’s quite smooth. That’s one way to tell the good tequila from the dreck, you can sip it and not get that ::shudder:: that the cheap stuff gives you.
I need to call it a night soon, I am playing golf early in the morning. I’ll just leave the bottle here on the table. And you definitely shouldn’t drive after this, please feel free to crash in one of the spare bedrooms.
Well, you sir, seem to have neither made a fool of yourself, nor lost control.
Since I had been posting as if I were totally sloshed I felt that I oughtta say something so as not to be glamorizing total shitfacedness.
My post was in no way an indictment of responsible drinking habits, and in fact I’m an enthusiastic supporter of the activity.
No offense intended.
Hey, I gots the mad Marg Skillz, too. Have you forgotten? Sometime you’ll have to get together with Jill and I and we will ply you with our respective margaritas.
Cointreau is a triple sec, Scylla. The finest of triple secs, IMNSHO. Fine, go back to your margarita slushies, leave the real drinks to me. 
The Gaudere Margarita:
Two parts Sauza Hornitos
One part Cointreau
One part fresh lime juice
Shake well with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
::Sigh::
Would you use Laphroiag in a whiskey sour?
Cointreau is not a triple sec, IMO (I’m not arguing the fact, just the essence.)
Cointreau is Cointreau and it oughtta be served neat or over ice.
If you want to ruin it by making a cocktail, do it right.
Use four parts tequila (good stuff, please,) two parts Cointreau, one part lemon juice, and shake it. Don’t rim the glass.
I maintain that a top shelf Margarita is an inherent contradiction. It has to be a little sleazy.
If it ain’t made in the blender like Buffet says, it ain’t a Margarita.
I don’t even call the above a margarita. It’s an affectation of one.
If you wanna mix Cointreau, make a Mai Tai, or a Cosmopolitan to do it justice.
(2 years bartending in New Orleans.)
::sputter:: Lemon juice in a margarita!? Are you quite mad? And recommending Cointreau in the pansy-ass fern drink likes of a Mai Tai or Cosmopolitan! Now, those are drinks that are screaming for a cheap triple sec. (Though if you use blue Curacao for a Mai Tai it becomes is an intriguing deep emerald green. Unfortunately, so will your lips and toungue, and it is difficult to carry on a serious discussion of the nature of art while people are staring at your mouth and giggling.)
In the early 30s the Margarita was a drink that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of the Manhattan, the Martini and the Rob Roy. But alas, like its tropical sister the Daquiri, it has been bowderized by cheap bars and mass-produced mixers into a slushy, flat imitation of its former glory. But there are those of us who refuse to let such an exquisite balance of liquours die out, and stalwartly hold to the classic proportions and appropriate ingredients. So long as I live, so too will the true Margarita. ::bows head. cue stirring music::
there was an article in the san francisco chronicle a while back that said that the origin of the margarita, while some think it is apocryphal, can be traced to a hard drinking socialite in mexican exile name of margarita whosis, who invented said cocktail in the thirties. equal parts white tequila, not gold, cointreau, and lime juice, shaken and strained into a martini glass. no crushed ice, no salt, no sweet and sour mix. damned good when made that way, i must say, but not for the weak of heart. iirc, the socialite said they were ‘afternoon’ drinks only. told you she was a hard drinker.
scylla, i liked you better when you were drunk. [insert smirky-face emoticon here]
Amen.
2 parts Herradura Anejo, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part fresh squeezed lime juice, 1 part fresh squeezed orange juice. Shake in a tumbler with crushed ice, strain into glasses.
Liquid love.
If you like them to be more tart, use 2 parts lime juice and no orange juice.
Scylla, I have faith in your drink making skeelz. How about a taste test?
All ya need to do is come down to Texas and we can be debating the finer points of 'rita creation in no time!
Of coure, debate in this case seems to quickly segue into off-key singing of Cash and Buffet…
Gaudere:
Ha! Ha! Sharrod you are!
I’ll have you know that the registered and patented original Margarita is made with lemon juice and only garnished with a slice of lime.
You can check it out at Cointreau’s website http://www.cointreau.com.
Your Margarita is a mere pretender, a salt rimmed glass of pretensions used to steal the joy of the Margarita from the proletariat and lock it away in some academic ivory tower of effete snobbery
Discuss art indeed.
My oh my. I salute those of you who put two shots of tequila in yer margs. As it is, with one shot of Tequila and one shot of Cointreau/Grand Marnier, they kill me. I dunno what would happen if I started drinking the three shot versions.
Y’know, Scylla, I’d reeeaaaallly like to agree with you on the cheap liquor thing, but I just can’t. Mr. Athena and I got into making our own after wondering if it was possible to find cheaper solutions that would taste good. Indeed, the entire quest started in search of the cheap margarita. Alas, after many taste tests, we came to the conclusion that yes, it did make a difference when we used the high end ingredients. Seeing as around here a good bottle of Tequila starts at around $29, and Cointreau is $35, these margs are NOT a cheap drink. I heartily wish that we had found cheaper brands that produced the same quality, but so far, no luck.
No, I wouldn’t use Laphroiag in a whisky sour, because a whisky sour is properly made with a blended whisky. But I would use a high end blended, no problem. Ah… whisky sours… you got me going on another direction now!
My margaritas make me happy. I think they are as good as can be.
Obviously other people are different. They’re margaritas are also different, and they make them happy.
Let’s not fight about it.
I think it’s wonderful that we live in a diverse world of multiculturalilty.
I think all margaritas should be embraced regardless of juice, color, creed, nationality or religion, and, I think it’s a sad statement when we look down on margaritas who though know fault of their own come from less privileged circumstances.
Well, you guys really know what you’re talking about here
I’m definately going to have to get my ass to a Dopefest when I’m older…
[sub]I’m telling you,this board has corrupted me. :D[/sub]
Mr. Scylla, hats off to you. Reading the OP, I wanted to say that Cuervo and triple sec is a lowbrow marg. I wanted to say, wait 'til you try the good stuff! I wanted to say, Patron Gold on the rocks, with 1/4 of a lime. I wanted to say, never with triple sec, that icky, sticky, sweet stuff. That’s what I wanted to say.
But, on reading the remainder of your posts, I discover you are a true aficianado. That you enjoy a lowbrow marg while recognizing it for what it is, a little sleazy. That you are discerning enough to drink your fine tequila straight up. That you no doubt realize that Porfidio anjeo is like honeydew vine water, with the complexities of a single malt scotch, or a Blanton’s bourbon. That you tended bar in New Orleans for two years.
So, here’s to sleazy margs, and fine tequila, and feeling all warm and happy inside.
Will you mix me a sazerac, please?
Athena is close and Gaudere is closer.
Scylla, my question to you is, if you like “good tequila,” what are you doing drinking Cuervo? First, the tequila has to be 100% agave. Cuervo is I think 51% agave and who knows what kind of rot gut they add to that. At the very least 100% agave tequila is less likely to make you sick (though drink enough margaritas and you’ll get sick regardless). I agree with Athena that a silver (blanco or plata) is best for a margarita - Herradura or Suazo Hornitos (those are the cheapest good silver tequilas). My favorite is Gran Centenario Plata from Mexico. If you just want to sip a straight tequila, then you can try a gold… something like Tres Generaciones.
Cointreau is better than Triple Sec, in my opinion, but if you really want a “soulfully honest” margarita, you use “Controy” which is the orange liquer you can only get in Mexico. It comes in a green square bottle. This is what they use in the bar on Mexican trains. Triple Sec is okay, though. This isn’t the most important part of the drink.
Limes - yes, at least no one has suggested Roses Lime Juice. You must use fresh squeezed limes. Here’s where I depart from Gaudere’s recipe: I think lemons work fine. They sometimes use em in Mexico, they use em in Maria’s in Santa Fe. If you can’t find good limes, use lemons.
At least Scylla got the proportions right - 1/3 of each of the above ingredients. The ice is a personal choice thing. Some people put an equal amount of ice in the blender and mix it all up. I like to serve it on the rocks. Some people mix 3 parts tequila/3 parts lime juice/1 part orange liquer, but that isn’t for sissies.
I don’t like salt on the rim but I accept that many people do.
I know how to make a margarita. But I usually prefer a Campo Viejo rioja wine.
Salud.
And admirable sentiment, Scylla, but there’s been ample precedent on these boards for “food fights”, e.g. the mighty Iron Chef battles. You even served as Chairman for some 'em!
As a matter of fact I fondly imagined you slurping down margaritas with your “Chairman Scylla” pink silk easter bonnet tipsily askew.
No. NO! I say you guys need to duke it out, serving forth your best to a panel of judges. ::buffs nails demurely:: Just by purest chance I’m available to sip your offerings–just in the interests of Fighting Ignorance, y’understand.
Ladies and gentlemen–start your shakers! Moosh those limes! Mix da booze!
(Gad, what a shameless ploy to cadge free drinks!)
Veb
**
Jose makes good tequila. It ain’t rotgut. And, I have to confess a little misguided vanity. My bartending experience s have convinced me that most, but not all connossieurs are full of shit. Jose makes good reasonably priced booze. Two Fingers tequila is the straight, real thing, bottled in Mexico from 100% agave. Yes, it’s better, but, the differences are not significant.
Both Cuervo and Fingers are a consistent product, bottle to bottle.
I enjoy tasting or sipping high quality liquors, but know just enough to know that for the most part, they are wasted on my coarse palate. I’m happy with Cuervo, and occasionally fingers. Jack Daniels is a fine old bourbon, and I drink Coors Lite, or Bud, and the occasional St. Pauli Girl.
Can’t tell you why, but the more pedestrian beverages always agree with me more, feel more honest and straightforward.
Bullshit. Take the alcohol out of any tequila, and you could drink it by the gallon without getting sick. This is pure affectation. It’s the alcohol that makes you sick, and it’s the alcohol that gives you a hangover. On a message board devoted to fighting ignorance, I can’t let that pass by.
THe belief that it’s somehow some other chemicals or properties of “bad booze” that doesn’t occur in “good booze” is simply ignorant vanity.
The only exception to this would be if you had something so rotgut that it contained ethanol, and then you’d probably go blind as well.
I disagree. I think the stronger flavor and presence of a gold is needed. Limes are an overpowering flavor. You need a more robust gold to counter it. The smoother or subtler white is overwhelmed and you end up with an expensive, yet uninspired and bland drink.
I’ll note your recommendations. As you might guess, my liquor cabinet is stocked with common brands, with but a few notable exceptions, 5 bottles of Sarajevan Slivovitz that I need to figure out what to do with.
I had that once in Cozumel on vacation. They say don’t drink the water, so I had a huge margarita, and the bartender told me about the treat I was in for. It was a nice Margarita (they serve them big down there.) I staggered happily around Cozumel the rest of the afternoon and bought a bunch of chess sets. I’d love to try the controy by itself.
Glad you concurr.
[quote]
Limes - yes, at least no one has suggested Roses Lime Juice. You must use fresh squeezed limes. Here’s where I depart from Gaudere’s recipe: I think lemons work fine. They sometimes use em in Mexico, they use em in Maria’s in Santa Fe. If you can’t find good limes, use lemons.
[quote]
Not strictly a Margarita, then, but I agree there’s nothing wrong with lemons.
I should hope so.
[quote]
I don’t like salt on the rim but I accept that many people do.
[quote]
It’s mostly a decoration, but presentation always counts, IMO. Note that I say “less is more.”
I will mention one thing that kind of pisses me off. All this waxing eloquently about what brand of tequila or triple sec is best is kind of stupid.
You can use the most exclusive, superlative liquors imaginable, but if your limes are for shit, your drink is going to suck.
I can’t get Mexican limes around here, but I’ll tell you true that if you’re using those big rich dark green limes you find in the grocery store, your Margarita is inferior to mine.
You want your limes small, beaten up, past their prim, and discoloured. The more stressed the lime, the better the juice. I like to let a little pulp get in there.
When all is said and done, it must be conceded that the lime (or lemon) is the dominant taste of the drink, and therefore the one that must be most carefully attended to.
Scylla I have nothing but respect for you and can’t wait to read anything you post but now whenever I see your name it will be forever associated with the mental image of you “abusing your limes”.
I had a really great marguarita in Cozumel too at some little bar upstairs down the road from Carlos and Charlies.
(bolding mine)
Um… would you care to review this statement?
Don’t try to tell me you were drunk.
mischievous
A mere typo.