277277 Tue Mar 29 10:12:26 -0800 2005 15 31 Home Cooking 0 1464702 I hope I've got this on the right board. I'm throwing a party on Saturday and I've done sangria to death. I thought margaritas might be a good alternative. My problem is that I'm a margarita purist. When I make them for just hubby and me, they're nothing more than fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, tequila, triple sec and simple syrup. I have no desire to spend God knows how long juicing lemons and limes to make a large batch. But, I also have no idea which mix to use in its stead. Does anyone here have a recommendation for a margarita mix that's not cloyingly sweet and might be an acceptable substitute to the real thing? Gracias!! Tue Mar 29 10:12:26 -0800 2005 0 Christina D 1 1464717 My favorite margaritas (at a few select restaurants I know) are all made with either a frozen, or fresh pastuerized, straight lime juice, but not limeaid or Roses. Maybe because we're in NY, so we don't have an abundance of fresh, juicy limes anyway. The brands I know are Sun Orchard (fresh) and Neilsen's (frozen). I've seen them at specialty stores Tue Mar 29 11:33:45 -0800 2005 1464702 0 coll 1 1464723 I've tried liquid and frozen concentrate mixes from Cuervo, Sauza, Bacardi, Margaritaville, Mrs. T's, etc. They're all consistently terrible. There's one mix that I love, but the name completely escapes me right now and I can't find it on safeway.com. Maybe someone can help. It's in a clear long-neck bottle (like every other mix), but the liquid is noticeably not uniform. If you let it sit, the particles in the lime juice settle to the bottom. Not to say that it's pulpy, but it's definitely real lime juice. The label is tan, with a drawing of two down-home lookin' cowboys on it. Dr. so and so and Boone? It's driving me crazy. The name is very silly. Help? You could just go to a big supermarket and try to find it. Some of the smaller markets don't have it. It has a long description on the back about why it's the best. And really, it's the best I've come across. It tastes like lime juice in a bottle, very little sugar added, no strange chemical taste like with Mrs. T'.s Tue Mar 29 11:51:52 -0800 2005 1464702 0 nooodles 2 3497727 http://www.thebigwave.com/mixes/margarita.html You're thinking of Dr. Swami and Bone Daddy's Margarita Mix - the best on the market, in my opinion. Sun Mar 16 08:28:54 -0700 2008 1464723 175177 barkeepgrace 1 1464729 First, nix the triple sec - its too sweet and hides the flavor of the tequila. Then, replace the simple syrup with agave nectar (see link below), its not too sweet, compliments the flavor of the tequila and is better for you than sugar. Regarding margarita mix, nothing is as good as fresh lime juice. Tommy's Heavenly Mix comes close, but its not available nation-wide. When I don't have time to juice my own, I go to the nearest Latin neighborhood and look for a market with fresh juice or a juice stand. My most frequent ploy when I can't make a perfect margarita is to not make margaritas at all, but to make a cocktail native to the Guadalajara/Tequila region (which the margarita is not) - either a Paloma or a Batanga. Both drinks are made the same way, the only difference is the mixer. Paloma - grapefruit soda, juice of 1/2 a lime, pinch of salt, tequila Batanga - kosher Coca-Cola, juice of 1/2 a lime, pinch of salt, tequila Take a glass, put ice in it, add a pinch of salt, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime, add tequila, give the glass a shake to mix the ingredients, fill the remainder of the glass with soda. Stir. Enjoy. At my last tequila party, guests preferred the Palomas to the Batangas 2-to-1. But my husband loves the Batangas so we still make them on occasion. In Mexico, they tend to use either Fresca or Squirt; here in SF, I tend to use Trader Joes brand grapefruit soda which is much less sweet. Link: http://www.madhavahoney.com/agave.htm Tue Mar 29 12:11:28 -0800 2005 1464702 0 Pssst 2 1464874 Tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar may be good, but it ain't a Margarita anymore. The problem is in adding the simple syrup. Triple sec is a sweet liqueur; adding simple syrup to the equation is going to result in a powerfully sweet, unbalanced cocktail. Go with 2 ounces of tequila, 1 ounce of triple sec, 3/4 ounce fresh lime, shaken very well over ice, and served traditionally straight up. And when you salt the rim of the glass, rub a lime wedge *only* on the outside of the glass, then dip the rim into kosher salt. That way, you don't get half a teaspoon of salt dissolving in your drink. Incidentally, I'm guessing that Mexican Coca-Cola is kosher? I'm not a big fan of American Coke, but if I get my hands on a Mexican one, it's heaven in a bottle. Wed Mar 30 00:22:20 -0800 2005 1464729 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester) 3 1464889 I always use Grand Marnier instead of triple sec, I float it on top or even serve on side in a shot glass. Not as cloying as triple sec. Wed Mar 30 06:49:18 -0800 2005 1464874 0 coll 3 1464917 My margaritas are anything but cloyingly sweet. I use equal parts citrus juice to tequila (reposado) and 1/2 part Triple Sec. The simple syrup is a very small component of the overall mix and is added just to the point of avoiding the pucker. Wed Mar 30 10:10:58 -0800 2005 1464874 0 Christina D 1 1464732 I have gotten one from Williams Sonoma made by the Old El Paso Chili Co. that is pretty tasty. They use some Meyer lemon juice it that adds an interesting note. Tue Mar 29 12:26:13 -0800 2005 1464702 0 Candy 1 1464733 It's not exactly authentic, but we like margaritas made with Minute Maid limeaid concentrate. It has the advantage of being cheap, easy to find, and fairly straightforward -- no weird chemical taste as from the mixes. Another thought is to use your recipe with a decent lime juice -- there's one that's sometimes available at Trader Joe's (Aunt Nellie's, I think). Tue Mar 29 12:29:28 -0800 2005 1464702 0 Dizzied 2 1465469 Ok check this out. This one blows all away. For this margarita, use zero tequila. substitue it with Everclear. Also use apple juice and triple sec. i will not give the increments that, will be for you to figure out as I did. Enjoy! Mon Apr 04 12:27:32 -0700 2005 1464733 0 Margarita MASTA! 1 1465496 I'm not a fan of margarita mixes; they are too sour and/or sweet for me, and I think margaritas look nicer when they are more gold in color than green. The best margarita recipe ever: http://www.thecookingguy.com/recipes/rec_tcgs_margarita.html I've made them without fruit (using Rose's to rim the glass for salt), and they still turn out great. Mon Apr 04 14:08:54 -0700 2005 1464702 0 gina 1 3497770 Depending on where you are, Trader Joes sometimes carries a fresh margarita mix--in the refrigerated juice section--that's pretty good. Oops, just noticed this is a 3 year old thread. Sun Mar 16 08:46:41 -0700 2008 1464702 39874 chowser 1 4114916 The best Margarita mix is definitely from Steve’s Frozen Chillers, I’ve tried them all. http://www.stevesfrozenchillers.com Sun Oct 19 16:56:30 -0700 2008 1464702 233706 davetux01 1 4149346 I can't say I agree with any of the suggestions so far. Here's my 2 cents: half lemon juice and half lime juice, pinch sea salt, optional sugar (I usually leave it out, although I have tried and enjoyed the agave nectar suggestion) include zest from both fruits, (I think I do about 4 tablespoons of zest per half cup of juice) let the combination steep in the fridge overnight. Strain it, shake with a tequila blanco with Grand Marnier or half Grand Marnier, half Damiana. Lime and salt rims. Tue Nov 04 12:26:08 -0800 2008 1464702 178098 wwiggins 2 4152418 Emeril has a "tin can" margarita. It's not as good as fresh squeezed, but is vastly more convenient. And still pretty tasty. Use one can of defrosted limeade concentrate. Mix with one can of tequila and one half can of triple sec. Mix or blend, works well both ways. Saves you the lime squeezing carpal tunnel and still has a nice end product. Wed Nov 05 18:51:14 -0800 2008 4149346 219993 LA Buckeye Fan