During dinner last night at Frontera Grill, wife suggested that we spend the rest of the summer working on perfecting the margarita, first with the traditional flavors, and then maybe branching out...
The margs that we were drinking at the time are supposedly these:
And seriously, just looking for lime-orange-tequila/mezcal recipes, none of this exotic pepper or mango-passionfruit stuff. Want to master the basic before I start going exploratory.
Shot of Tequila, splash of triplesec, fresh lime juice to balance the flavors, ice, salt. Done. Some margarita recipes I’ve seen - even for a basic cocktail - have a truckload of ingredients. That muddies the water, in my opinion. The fewer ingredients the better is my motto for cocktails.
I'd say the same thing.....fresh lime juice, orange liqueur (triple sec, grand marnier, cointreau), silver tequila. Keep it basic, fresh and use decent booze
As with cooking a basic recipe, it's about the ingredients. Cheap tequila, bottled lime juice? Mediocre drink.
So, my first take is to get very good tequila and fresh squeezed lime juice. Then experiment. Do you like a blanco or a reposado or even an anejo? Try a mezcal too, perhaps something like this https://www.wine.com/product/union-u...-mezcal/530896.
Start with the classic proportions... too much lime? Alter. Not enough? Adjust.
Serve them up. Not over ice, not whipped with ice... up. Which means you'd want a cocktail shaker so you can fill IT with ice, pour in things, shake, then strain into an up glass.
Last edited by rickgregory; June 30, 2021, 09:12 AM.
I honestly do not know enough about spirits to know what tequilas we like... my wife does not like straight spirits ("tastes like wound cleaner"), so sipping various to determine what we like seems a bridge too far... Is there a good source to explain it all?
What we had last night was a reposado (Espolon)... with Royal Combier liqueur.
Subtle differences won't matter. I'd find a blanco and reposado that are well thought of and decide which you like. Of more impact is the lime juice - fresh squeezed vs bottled is a very noticeable difference.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
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Here’s a simple margarita recipe I make - my wife thinks its one of the better margaritas she has had. Simple and a good base to go off of perhaps. Like mentioned above, the cocktail shaker is key, changes the drink quite a bit.
I find myself less and less likely to make margaritas at home. I prefer Palomas and Tequila Soda. Also, the Caipirinha is an amazing summer cocktail if you have some cachaça.
I love caipirinhas. My niece first turned me into them at my surprise 40th birthday party over a quarter century ago! I always have cachaça in the liquor cabinet!
For a change of pace we use an organic mix (cane sugar not corn syrup) with silver tequila and add chunks of watermelon or blueberries. Blend with ice and serve frosty.
The Tajin seems to be coming up lately... I got a bottle for a pulled pork I want to try... use the Harry Soo LA Brisket technique, only for pork shoulder...
My favorite over the last few years is a simple ratio:
3 parts tequila
2 parts fresh citrus juice
2 parts orange liqueur
if you like St. Germain this is pretty good too:
2.5 parts tequila
2 parts fresh lime juice
1.5 parts St. Germain
You can use all lime juice or any combination of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc. to your liking. Shake with ice and then pour over fresh ice for the best result.
This is my kind of Margarita. Back in the day, the only tequila that was around in student circles was the one that doubled up as paint stripper and you really needed the salt and lime to get rid of the taste. Until I was introduced to Don Julio by a Mexican friend working in the UK. A good tequila in Margaritas is essential and really makes a world of difference. Simple is best, none of that sugary syrup or other mixers to poison my drinks
BarbecueBob agreed. When I was younger the only tequila we had tasted like sweat sock juice mixed with lighter fluid. These shots were taken with a shudder, salt, and lime. While on vacation in Cabo we met a couple from Texas. He bought a round of tequila shots. I braced myself for the usual punch in the mouth but this stuff was amazingly smooth. I was just introduced to a whole new world.
We're partial to frozen Margarita's up here, this recipe is from my sister in Texas and is very non-traditional
6oz limeade
6oz beer
6oz tequila
6oz crushed or cubed ice
2-3 tbsps concentrated orange juice
Blend it smooth and enjoy
I don't have a favorite Tequila but have gone to Gold Tequila's when buying.
I use limeade because the limes we get up here aren't that juicy by the time they're trucked up here, it would take 12-15 limes to get the required juice.
I pass on the salted rim....not good for the blood pressure.
Sounds cheesy but it's awesome. Incredibly foolproof way to make frozen margaritas.
Good lime juice makes big difference for me. If you're not into squeezing limes yourself then recommend this: https://lakewoodorganic.com/collecti...unce-pack-of-6
I also like to substitute this for cointreau/triple sec, but obviously less traditional: https://anchoreyes.com/
I have two of these machines, one at my residence and one where I vacation. I even took one to Yosemite when I spent a week there. Awesome machine, very durable. Makes the process of making frozen drinks painless.
May have to look that machine up, it looks like the way to go rather than tieing up freezer space.
Just read an article about Margarita's in a food and drink magazine, another sub for Cointreau/Triple sec would be Blue Curacao.
In this article it was added as a skim on top of the drink and allowed to infuse dropping down into/thru the drink
Yeah, Blue Curacao is a fun orange liqueur... brought some back from the island once... I'd be concerned about the final color of the beverage, though.
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I like both an Anejo or Reposado, Gran Marnier (orange liqueur) fresh lime juice, a splash of fresh orange juice. Shaken with ice until super frothy, salted rim. No slurpees for me.
I like Patron, Cazadores, Sauza Hornitos. I need to broaden my tequila knowledge. Bottom line, if you will sip it straight, use it for a margarita. Don’t use paint thinner like Cuervo, etc.
when I do get all "hipster" like, I will steep prickly pears in a Reposado and use that for the margarita. Don’t knock it until you try it!
3..2..1! 3 shot tequila, 2 shots fresh lime juice (if limes are too expensive or not really ripe I go with the organic lime juice at my supermarket) 1 shot Cointreau. A splash of agave syrup shake and done. This will give you a perfect 8 oz rocks glass of zippy doda! Making it for a large group change the measurements to cups it works great
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