A Great Margarita Drink Recipe
My quest for the best, started years ago, after too many nights of licking salt/sucking limes and this one Fat-Boy Slim concert that went awry, (never mix Cuba Libres, white Russians, and Tequila shoots in one sitting). I was about ready to retire from the agave’s sweet nectar for good; I was at the point where the smell sent me reeling towards the porcelain god, in a hurry! Then a lovely dinner date with my wife led to a discovery that haunted me for months. A now deceased restaurant called “Cancun” here in Miami, Florida, served us two of the most delicious Margaritas we ever placed our salt encrusted lips against. I’m huge into a dish called “Mole Poblano”; a chicken dish covered in a sauce of the same name, made from semi-sweet chocolate and mild, dried poblano peppers (which Cancun was brilliant at making). It got to a point though, where my wife and I went there just to drink the amazing Margaritas and stumble home afterwards. There happens to be another “Cancun” restaurant further north in Miami Lakes, the original. Go there if you get a chance while vacationing in Miami. One day we made it to our little slice of heaven and the bartender must have left because low and beholdâÂ?¦the Margaritas tasted horrible, way too strong, and the “mixer” was severely watered down, to the point that it didn’t even resemble a true margarita! We were truly dismayed! Why had the Agave gods forsaken us?!?! Then one day, as if in a dream (maybe a drunken stupor) I was visited by the Goddess of the Agave. She spoke unto me and this is what she spakethâÂ?¦
“Take thee oh mortal these ingredients in handâÂ?¦”
2 parts Tequila
(cheap Tequila, why waste the good stuff!)
1 part Cointreau (or triple sec�whatever)
3 parts Margarita mix
(read on for a sweet-ass recipe)
A sprinkle of Azucar (sugar to you gringos!)
Mix well.
I like to use a shaker personally
(makes me feel all rat-packed-out)
Now comes a decision that is purely up to your personal taste. Many people believe the only way to drink a Margarita is frozen. If you are one of these people then please go away!! Thank you�
Seriously, a frozen margarita simply requires taking the proportions mentioned above and tossing them in a blender with a decent amount of ice (personal preference again, some like slushy some like brain-freeze, go figure.)
1 cup Tequila
�½ cup Cointreau
1�½ cup Margarita Mix
Some sugar (to taste)
Enough ice to fill the blender �¾ ways to the top
Blend carefully, pulse for a while, holding the lid on with your spare hand. Don’t ever hold down any of the buttons for too long (that smell is the motor burning!)
Personally, I’m an “on-the-rocks” kinda guy.
2 shots tequila
1 shot Cointreau
2 shots Margarita mix
sprinkle sugar
Pour over ice
Now let’s talk about presentation. The wife and I went out to the local Bed Bath and Beyond to find some Margarita glasses. The wife is an artist so her sense of design and adventure led to the fine FINE purchase of our current concoction containers. The glasses look like a frozen drink glass, much like a martini glass in that they have a stem and a goblet section, though unlike a martini glass, the goblet section is wide/rounded at the bottom instead of being a tapered “V” shape. The “kookie-ness”, or should I say artistic appeal (forgiven me honey ?) comes from the glass-work of the stem area, the stems look like cactus. Makes me laugh every time! (more so after about the third drink)
Nothing complements a Margarita more than a well salted rim! You can purchase special Margarita salt, a “shaved” salt flake that comes in rim shaped containers. If you like, regular salt works fine, but the flake variety adds an extra level of authenticity that in my mind makes it a better application.
How to apply salt to your rim: you have to wet the rim first, water will work fine, but lime juice holds better. Once wetted, you should turn the glass upside down, and then rest it on the rim in the Margarita salt container. Give a gentle twist or two for even dispersal and lift away. Tap the goblet section with a flick to knock off any extra salt, and pour yourself a refreshing cocktail! Another method, for those of you who like a ton of salt, would be to turn the “lime-juiced” glass on the side and lightly tap the edge of the rim on top of the salt piled in the container. Rotate the glass by rolling the stem between your fingers, two or three inches at a time, tapping lightly as you go, until the entire rim is coated. This is also the best technique to use for regular granular salt since you’ll have to shake some out onto a plate before application. I bet you thought I forgot the most important part of the “perfect” margarita, huh? Fear not my “alchy” friends! Read onâÂ?¦
The mix is what makes a Margarita worthy of admiration. There are recipes for handmade mixes (as in your hands will hurt while drinking the fruits of your labor), hybrids (premix + a little extra) or you could just use a store-bought bottle of mix. Me personally, I like the hybrid, but I’ll show you the homemade I make for large parties.
Homemade mix:
Limes, limes and more limes
(or substitute limeade, from minute maid)
Fresh squeezed orange juice
(just a little, to intensify the Cointreau)
Sugar
Water
The key is the fresh lime/orange; it really makes the Margarita “POP” with flavor. I mix the lime juice with the orange juice, 5 to 1. Add the sugar/water to taste.
When it’s just me and the wife, I take it easy by making it simple. Mix the store bought mix with one lime’s worth of juice and with every version save the lime you squeezed. Once you mix the Margarita, hold the lime remains in one hand, the rind part in your palm, take a glass in your other and rub the inside of the lime around the lid before dipping in the salt; it’s much easier than trying to squeeze extra lime juice and dipping the rim in the liquid (saves the majority of the juice for the drinks).
That’s it! So give it a try. Make yourself a mess o’ Margarita’s. Grab your pitcher, glasses, salt and a platter, find a nice place to sit (you might not feel like getting up) and enjoy the fiesta, or siesta (depending on how much you make!)
