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Perfect Margaritas

You can make the perfect margarita and be the envy of your friends - in less than five minutes - even if you have never made a drink before!

It’s Friday evening and we’ve got about half of our first meal pulled together this week.  To celebrate, let’s begin the weekend with another drink, this time one with much controversy.

Consistent with our overall approach, we won’t be relying on anything out of a package.  We’re going to shun all the frozen, powdered and liquid “mixes” (at the end of the day, these are all preserved, over sweetened and full of artificial ingredients, and taste accordingly). The real thing is far easier and the results superb.

 Of course, once we decide to go looking for a real margarita, you will find that a simple Google search will turn up thousands of hits that bear little consistency.  To sort through all that, I’ve consulted with many master mixologists to get their secrets.  It all comes down to the ratio and the ingredients. 

        Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ ounce Herradura tequila
  • 1 ounce Cointreau
  • 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
  • ½ ounce simple syrup

         Procedure:

Pour ingredients into a shaker (learn to use a Boston shaker if you want to play with the big boys). Add ice, and shake until the shaker is too cold to touch.  Strain into a martini glass or over ice in a chilled rocks glass.  Enjoy being the envy of the bar.

           Q&A

Q: Can I use different tequila?

 A: Perhaps, but do use tequila that is 100% agave. Impurities in things like coloring (caramel) produce the really bad hangover headache.

 Q:Aren’t Cointreau, Grand Marnier and triple sec really all the same?

 A: No. And it does make a difference.

 Q: Isn’t RealLime real lime juice?

A: No. It’s preserved old lime juice that doesn’t taste the same. Get a lime tree.

 Q: What is simple syrup?

 A: Equal parts water and sugar, brought to a boil and allowed to cool just after the sugar is melted.

 Q: What happened to the salt?

 A:I don’t like it and many people who forego salted margaritas never go back. If you must, use a slice of lime to wet the rim of the glass and press onto a plate of table salt.

 Q: What happened to the margarita glasses?

 A: Real margaritas don’t use them.

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April 17th, 2009 | Category: Drinks, Mexico |

22 comments to Perfect Margaritas

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