The Infinitely Modifiable Margarita

It seems like everyone has their own margarita recipe. I’ve heard of people using everything from orange juice to ice cream. I’ve seen variations with every kind of fruit, different sugars and syrups, and all sorts of strange liqueurs— not to mention the perpetual question: frozen or not frozen? Perhaps there are so many variations because the margarita itself is such a simple and easily modified drink:

– lime juice
– orange liqueur
– blanco tequila

image1Yep, the most basic margarita has only three ingredients (four if you count the salt for the rim). With such a simple combination of sweet, sour, and spirit, it’s a small wonder so many variations exist.

Quick side note:
Under no circumstances should you ever use sour mix. Like ever. Limes and sugar are dirt cheap. There is no reason to use sour mix. EVER. Okay, back to the regularly scheduled post…

The margarita was actually the first cocktail I ever made, and naturally, I’ve been experimenting with it ever since. For the most part, I’ve stuck with the original flavor combination, but I’ve added a couple of embellishments:

Shake the following:
– 2 oz blanco tequila
– 3/4 oz Cointreau
– 3/4 oz lime juice
– 1/2 oz agave nectar
Strain into an iced glass with a salted rim, top with a splash of reposado or anejo tequila, and garnish with a lime wheel.

Two important notes on technique:

image3(1) Selecting a tequila.
When making cocktails, I always want a good midrange spirit, and tequila is no exception. Tequila is made through distilling cooked agave, and I’m a big believer in sticking to 100% agave tequilas (as opposed to mixtos which combine other elements). Even so, not all tequilas are created equal. One way to tell the quality of a tequila is to pour a small amount in your palm and check to see if it’s sticky; if the tequila rubs right off of your hands with little to no residue, that’s the good stuff. For margaritas, we don’t need that rare bottle off the top shelf, but we don’t want something that’s practically syrup either. The Hornitos I used in this recipe is not top of the line, but it’s serviceable (even if a bit sweet). That’s one reason I like adding a splash of Rudo Anejo to round out the flavor.

(2) Salting glasses.
There are two ways to do this. If you have enough notice, you can chill a glass ahead of time, which will create natural moisture along the lip of the glass when you pull it back out of the freezer. Alternatively, you can run the expended lime hull along the lip of the glass to introduce moisture. Another handy technique note: make sure you only salt half the rim of the glass so that patrons can choose whether or not to drink from the salted side. And make sure to keep that salt on the outside of the glass!
The margarita is one of the most widely consumed and widely varied cocktails around, so enjoy experimenting with this one and finding a flavor combination that works best for you.

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