283590 Fri Mar 03 12:02:55 -0800 2006 22 31 Home Cooking 0 1514140 Around my house, Friday night is marked by a quick run to the Taco Wagon, and shaking up a couple of perfect Margaritas. After many years of experimenting, several years ago we arrived at the very simple formula of... 1/3 Fresh Squeezed Lime juice 1/3 Triple Sec (Bols) 1/3 Tequila (Sauza Hornitos) It's a ratio recipe so you can make any amount you wish Pack a Pint Glass with crushed ice, and fill with the above mixture. They are also great strained up in a chilled Martini glass if you prefer. Salt or not is up to the individual. I feel strongly about not using gold tequila, or brandy based orange liquers, which always seem to give a carmelized character. Also, we have found that there is great variation in the quality of Triple Sec. What's your recipe? Fri Mar 03 12:02:55 -0800 2006 0 Sam B 1 1514141 Very hard to go wrong with fresh-squeezed lime. Our ratio is 5:3:1 (Lime, Tequila, Triple Sec), we always have it strained/up. A high quality 100% Agave Silver (Blanca) gives a nice fresh brightness to it. But I appreciate the character that using a Reposado (such as Don Julio) gives. -=$>Dave<$=- Fri Mar 03 12:09:52 -0800 2006 1514140 0 JugglerDave 1 1514142 the CI recipe is great, but a little extra effort. I was looking for the poster who first turned me on to it and recipe, but couldn't find it I'll paraphrase from memory: 1/2 cup lemon juice w/ zest 1/2 cup lime juice w/ zest 1/2 cup sugar (i use 1/4 cup as I usually have meyer lemons on hand) pinch of salt let marinate 4-24 hours. (24 is best... always fresh squeezed. strain, mix w/ 1 cup tequila, 1 cup triple sec. serve w/ crushed ice. makes very delicious, and very strong margaritas. Fri Mar 03 12:11:24 -0800 2006 1514140 0 withalonge 2 1514167 this is my favorite margarita as well. i generaly use sauza reposada for it. fwiw, the original recipe calls for super fine sugar. Fri Mar 03 13:40:27 -0800 2006 1514142 0 mark 1 1514143 I only use white tequila in margaritas. Reposados and anejos taste completely off. For three (which we share between the two of us), I juice 4 small or 6 large limes, add a shot of simple syrup, blend with a third blender jar of ice, and add tequila afterwards and blend again. I find the blender does a better job of evenly slushifying the ice cubes if I don't start out with too much liquid. It's hard to say favorites because price has so much sway over my decisions when it comes to making mixed drinks, but: Lapiz, Herradura, Corralejo, and Pura Sangre white tequilas have all been great in margaritas. The Pura Sangre was the best bargain. On sale for $15 at Bevmo, then found some more at a local discount liquor store for $17. I think it retails between $30-45, and tastes like it. I don't always add triple sec. Which is your favorite? Fri Mar 03 12:12:52 -0800 2006 1514140 0 nooodles 2 1514146 Honestly I don't think there are any really good triple Secs in existence, but have found that the really cheap versions taste extremely artificial. Bols is the one we use the most, and it works just fine. Fri Mar 03 12:28:24 -0800 2006 1514143 0 Sam B 2 1514156 I'm in the Herradura Silver fan club, as well. Fri Mar 03 13:17:43 -0800 2006 1514143 0 Christine 2 1514171 I had an amazing margarita at Cafe Poca Cosa in Tucson that used Licor 43 (said in spanish- cuarenta y tres), an orange vanilla liqueur. The bartender paired it with Lapiz tequila, and a mix of fresh squeezed orange and lime juices. Wow. I have yet to have a better margarita. Where on earth have you found Lapiz tequila? I thought that stuff went out of production years ago, and have been trying to track it down ever since. Link: http://thecosmicjester.blogspot.com Fri Mar 03 13:51:34 -0800 2006 1514143 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester) 3 1514271 I'm pretty sure we got it at the Bevmo on Geary in San Francisco. But I'll ask my boyfriend, who is the real tequila hound. It is hard to find; wherever he got it it was the last bottle. Try pura sangre. I didn't do a side by side with the Lapiz but I found the Pura Sangre much more fragrant than the Corralejo, which would hopefully put it in the same league as Lapiz. Lapiz is fantastic, but it's so expensive I'm loathe to mix it with anything at all. Fri Mar 03 22:27:23 -0800 2006 1514171 0 nooodles 1 1514170 Two parts tequila One part Grand Marnier One part fresh lime juice On the rocks, no salt Fri Mar 03 13:48:53 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Junie D 2 1514413 That's the proportions we use. No sugar, no simple syrup, no OJ, etc., etc. We use Triple Sec. If the limes are especially tart, I may add a little more Triple Sec. Most margaritas are waaaay too sweet - this proportion is perfect. Sat Mar 04 22:56:51 -0800 2006 1514170 0 judybird 1 1514214 My wife makes what she calls the "Killer Maggie." Fresh squeezed lime juice (we're lucky to have a lime tree in the backyard), teauila (she likes gold), Cointreau, Grand Marnier and a splash of OJ. All is stirred in a very large glass with crushed ice. As far as ratios, normally twice the tequila as the other two liquers however sometime it takes at least one or two to get the conbination exactly right. They are wonderful. And, if you're only going to used that bottled lime juice, just don't bother. Fri Mar 03 16:44:45 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Monty 1 1514220 My brother-in-law found a recipe somewhere that called for the usual tequila-lime juice-triple sec combo, plus a dash of orgeat, or almond syrup. This seems to round off the edges a bit and add a slight perfumed quality that's kinda nice. I think the most enjoyable margaritaville experience I ever had was at a bar in a shopping mall outside of Lihue, on Kauai, sitting around with my wife's family. The margs were of the smoooooth kind, and we went through I think eight or ten pitchers of'em in the course of an afternoon... Fri Mar 03 17:06:42 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Will Owen 1 1514241 These all sound good & are making me thirsty. For something different, not a margie but great, try fresh squeezed blood orange juice with the tequila you love best. Really great combination of flavors. Fri Mar 03 19:09:16 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Babette 1 1514294 What a great discussion! Yes!! to Hornitos. My favourite tequila for the dollar. No!! to "silver" and "gold" (silver plus caramel) tequila. Here is where I'm gonna stick my neck out. Triple Sec is better than Gran Marnier as the brandy is overpowering. But... fresh squeezed lime juice makes the orange flavour redundant and is only lessened by it's presence. So what you really need need is a high quality sugar syrup that complements lime juice. There is only one: Maple Syrup. The real stuff from Vermont or Quebec. Try it 1st , then dis me if you must. 2 oz Hornitos Reposado Tequila 1/2 oz Maple syrup 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice Shake with ice Pour over ice into a glass rimmed with lime juice & course, flaked sea salt Drink several. Say "mmmm"! Use the best qualiity ingredients at every stage. Use a blender and be dammed for all eternity. Link: http://www.bigsmoke.ca Sat Mar 04 02:31:43 -0800 2006 1514140 0 adam 2 1514343 That may be good but w/o out the orange liquor its a tequila sour of some kind, not a margarita. I totaly agree on the Gran Marnier. I complain about the price but always suck it up and buy Cointreau. Makes a big difference in my margaritas, sidecars, corpse revivers (#2), and so many other drinks. On the tequila sour front, the hot thing in Ca for a while has been to use agave nectar + tequilla +lime. My local hippie/organic/bulk store carries 2 kinds so you should look around to see if you can find some of this. Sat Mar 04 13:18:53 -0800 2006 1514294 0 Nathan P. 3 1514375 o.k. I have to ask, what is a corpse reviver? recipe please? :) megan Sat Mar 04 17:54:24 -0800 2006 1514343 0 withalonge 4 1514388 crush 3 ice cubes 2 oz brandy 1 oz calvados 1 oz sweet vermouth apple slice garnish I have no idea what it has to do with Tequila or Margaritas Link: http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/archive/c/corpse.htm Sat Mar 04 19:34:35 -0800 2006 1514375 0 Adam 5 1514608 That looks tasty- probably make a good dessert. I was referencing a different corpse reviver #2 as another good use of Cointreau to justify getting a bottle for better margaritas. CR #2 3/4oz gin 3/4oz cointreau 3/4oz lillet blanc 3/4oz lemon juice a few drops of absinthe sub Link: http://cocktaildb.com/recipe_search Mon Mar 06 12:39:05 -0800 2006 1514388 0 Nathan P. 1 1514295 What a great discussion! Yes!! to Hornitos. My favourite tequila for the dollar. Fie on "silver" and "gold" (silver plus caramel) tequila. Here is where I'm gonna stick my neck out. Triple Sec is better than Gran Marnier as the brandy is overpowering. But... fresh squeezed lime juice makes the orange flavour redundant and is only lessened by it's presence. So what you really need need is a high quality sugar syrup that complements lime juice. There is only one: Maple Syrup. The real stuff from Vermont or Quebec. Try it 1st , then dis me if you must. 2 oz Hornitos Reposado Tequila 1/2 oz Maple syrup 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice Shake with ice Pour over ice into a glass rimmed with lime juice & course, flaked sea salt Drink several. Say "mmmm"! Use the best qualiity ingredients at every stage. Use a blender and be dammed for all eternity. Link: http://www.bigsmoke.ca Sat Mar 04 02:32:04 -0800 2006 1514140 0 adam 1 1514312 Your recipe sounds great. I do find that most triple sec is crap, so my recipe is more 2:1:1 Tequila:Triple Sec:Lime, more or less to taste, of course. This is definitely one of those things that is so much better homemade! In bars, you are invariably given sour mix--I think a properly made rocks margarita needs no sweetening. Sat Mar 04 10:50:51 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Meg 1 1514399 I usually go a little lighter on the orange liqueur in my margarita recipe ratio: 1 part tequila (El Tesoro Platinum for blanco; Herradura Reposado for rested) 1 part lemon/lime juice (fresh squeezed; one lemon for every two limes) 1/2 part Patron Citronge (an 80 proof liqueur made from sweet and bitterweet orange juices mixed with cane sugar) Shake vigorously with cracked ice and strain over ice cubes in a glass with a lightly salted rim. The shaking infuses the liquid with tiny shards of the cracked ice for a nice twist to the typical "on the rocks" margarita. Sat Mar 04 20:26:45 -0800 2006 1514140 0 cf 1 1514687 I enjoyed reading everyone's recipes. I tend to drink margaritas when I'm out but at home I drink Palomas which are tasty and easier on my tummy since there's less citrus. Nooodles below mentioned Pura Sangre. Pura Sangre is produced by Tequileno in Guadalajara and is a good 100% agave tequila. They have decided to enter the lucrative upscale tequila market in the United States. What does that mean? -- Bevmo and other stores around the country are their selling existing Pura Sangre stock at BELOW WHOLESALE prices - the Anjeo regularly $60 is selling for $20 and the Blanco & Repo regularly $45 is selling for $15. Tequileno is relaunching Pura Sangre, replacing paper labeled plain bottles with a fancy blown glass bottle. And presumably raising prices. The only difference is the bottle and marketing budget. My advice: Get the old bottle Pura Sangre while you can. Its a great deal. Mon Mar 06 16:10:10 -0800 2006 1514140 0 Pssst