The Margarita

[Perrito-Incognito]

Hello,
I'm sitting here sipping a margarita I just made. Thinking about this drink's evolution is something I do from time to time. What started out as a fairly simple tequila sour has become a culturally hijacked, spirit-branded, hyped-up colossus of an industrial complex. I believe margarita's are like, uh, opinions. Everybody's got one. From the Minutemaid frozen limeade concoction to the ultra top-shelf reposado, truffle-infused, pomegranate bastardazation seen on more bar menus than I care to count... (okay, I like the Mexican martinis in Austin. Went to school there and can't help it.)

However you prefer your margarita, I'm glad you like it. It's great isn't it. I mean, you made it, so you must like it. I'm not here to tell anyone their margarita is wrong, or not authentic, or any high-browed positions like that. If you put pomegranate juice in there we may have to talk. I'm here to praise the one in my hand. It's the one I love and make every summer once the weather gets warm enough. It's the one I sit on the back deck and can sip no matter how hot it gets. It's the one I make for my wife (and who loves it, God bless her) so she can relax after a hard day at work. It lets me taste the tequila. It let's me wonder at the astoundingly vibrant flavor of freshly squeezed lime juice. AND it doesn't force an overtly orange sickly sweetness down my gullet when I take a sip.

Think about your margarita. Make sure it is the one you like. Make changes if you can't taste the tequila or if it is out of acid/sweetness balance. When truly made to your personal taste, I can think of no better drink for the deck (land lubber or maritime) on a warm to hot summer day.

I debated about sharing my recipe. It's no better and no worse than yours. It's just mine. Here it is.

Perrito's Personally Preferred Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila (nothing expensive but just decent quality. I like Sauza).
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (may have to adjust depending on the oomph in your limes)
3/4 oz triple sec (this gets dicey. I've split this with some Cointreau or some other orange liquer on occasion, but a decent triple usually does it for me)

Take spent lime and rub on outside of a shortish glass and 'dab' it into shallow plastic container of your kosher salt. Doing this first gives the salt time to dry onto the glass.
Add ingredients (throw in spent limes if your impressing your friends) to ice-filled shaker
Shake like crazy, keep shaking, shake some more, I didn't say stop..... there that's just right
Strain into the rimmed glass filled with ice. (or you can remove the strainer and let a few cubes plunk into the margarita)

Garnish with lime squeeze if entertaining or feeling special.
Give it a try if you like. You may like it, you may not. I make to proud exclamations about its taste. Play with the ratios, and practice, practice, practice.

Cheers,
P

 

[FrankBama]

Wonderful. Your Margarita is similar to the one I make. It's a perfectly simple cocktail that's been ruined by the sugary slushy "margarita mix" industry. I usually make my own Margaritas because most restaurants and bars simply don't make them like this.

I do something like 2oz white tequilla (I like Heradura). 1oz Cointreau, and juice from one lime. These used to be a little strong for the misses so I would add a small splash of orange juice to hers. Now she's hooked on the real deal.

Another tip I recently picked up instead of rubbing the lime on the glass. Put some tequila in a saucer, and roll the lip of the glass in it and then dip the glass in salt. The salt sticks better. After the glasses are moistened I pour the saucer tequila into the shaker.

 

[The Knize]

I use either reposado or blanco. I think I probably prefer blanco. Casa Noble used to be my favorite, blanco or reposado, but it seems to have slipped in recent years. Don Julio or El Tesoro de Don Filipe are among my favorites. I do not skimp of the quality of the tequila. With the other ingrediants being of very high quality, it does not seem to me that excellent tequila is a waste.

I use Cointreau most of the time, too, although there are a couple triple secs these days that are nearly as good. Two to one ratio is about right.

I use half lime and half lemon juice. I absolutely agree that the oomph varies greatly in lemons and limes but especially limes, so one should adjust. I also use some agave syrup to sweeten. The intensity of various agave syrups vary, too. I suppose most of the time I use half agave and half table sugar. Sweetner also depends on the oomph of the lime/lemons and on the sweetness of the triple sec. To me Cointreau is not all that sweet.

I put a bit of salt directly in the shaker. I don't like salt around the rim.

I completely agree that a good margarita is a thing of beauty. Heck, good tequila is a thing of beauty, to me the equal of most excellent, top-end spirits, including whiskies/whiskeys.

 

[lpe492]

Nice post. My coin style is 3 parts tequila, 2 parts lime, 1 part triple sec.

My marg of choice is 3 parts Patron Silver, 1.5 triple sec, 2 parts Freshies lime. Freshies does a great job for an authentic mixer, IMHO.

One trick I learned is to dip the rim of the glass in triple sec before salting. It sticks better than lime juice.

 

[OldAF]

The Margarita is a challenge for me to make for whatever reason, likely the variable quality of the fruit. The IBA specified ratio is 7(tequila):4(cointreau):3(lime). I usually half that but really I just do what it takes to get a balance between sweet/sour. Sometimes a sweeter orange (like O3) does it or maybe squirt of agave nectar. It really is nice when you hit the perfect balance. I salt half the rim so the drinker has a choice. I use a blanco most of the time and the only requirement is it must be 100% Agave. My go to is Lunazul.

 

[Perrito-Incognito]

Cool. Great tips. Use the Cointreau, triple sec, or tequila to moisten rim if salting. I will definitely give this a try. I too do half the rim so you can get salt only when you want it, thanks for mentioning that OldAF.
I've heard of Lunazul, but never seen it in my area. Will keep my eyes open.

 

[gmrv4]

After having lots of bad Margaritas out at bars and restaurants I realized I needed to make my own. Although I was well versed in what I didn't like, I still needed to figure out what I did like in a Margarita. Amazingly enough, after much experimentation, I have landed just about where you did on your favorite ingredients and ratios.

A good Margarita is really a joy, just took a long time to get there.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

P:
The Mrs. and I love Margaritas..classic or otherwise with a generous amount of salt on the rim of the glass.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/203027-Great-Margarita?highlight=

"Drinking is a way of ending the day". Ernest Hemingway

 

[Perrito-Incognito]

After having lots of bad Margaritas out at bars and restaurants I realized I needed to make my own. Although I was well versed in what I didn't like, I still needed to figure out what I did like in a Margarita. Amazingly enough, after much experimentation, I have landed just about where you did on your favorite ingredients and ratios.

A good Margarita is really a joy, just took a long time to get there.

You are the man! This is exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote the initial post. It is near to impossible to get something as suitable (probably for most drinks, but esp. the margarita) as you would preprare for yourself. The sweet and sour mixes and other ingredients used in average bar margaritas really spoils the potential of the drink. I know some bars work to deliver a quality drink with good ingredients, but they are the exception.
It's fun to make a great margarita for a guest in one's home and watch their face as they taste a quality margarita.
Best wishes on this special day,
P

 

[ksb63]

Amazing people are actually making a real margarita. They are so much better than the sugared up monstrosity that you are served in most bars. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that those who frequent b&b wouldn't do it right.

 

[nrv216]

My brother and I went on a Margarita crawl of Chicago last year! All authentic drinks although some were as large as fishbowls. Very delicious and very intoxicated after hitting seven places.

nrv216