Margarita Recipe

[blackzarg]

The weekend's coming up....just wondering what people's favorite margarita recipe is? What type of tequila? Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or plain old triple sec? Fresh limes or Rose's? Blended or over rocks?

Being a college student, I typically find Jose Cuervo Especial and some type of premade mix, but lately I've been into making my own. I've noticed that even using Jose Cuervo, plain triple sec, and Rose's makes a huge difference from the storebought stuff.

Has anyone ever tried the Kirkland Signature Anejo Tequila? The KS Vodka is superb and comparable to Grey Goose, so I thought I would give their Tequila a try. It definitely goes down smoother than Jose Cuervo, but I haven't been able to compare it to a bottle of Patron.

If I want a good margarita, should I invest in better tequila, better citrus liquor, or real limes?

Looking forward to the weekend!
:happy hour:

[quadman]

LOL well as I was typing away my long winded response and did a quick google search on a simple syrup recipe (I mean the way we made it at the King Cole, it would yield six liter bottles full of the stuff :eek:).... anyway, I ran across this article and if you would have read my response and then this article.... you may have thought I plagerized the thing. This is exactly how I feel about Margaritas and their ingredients.

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/06/the-margarita-recipe.php

Keep it fresh, good quality, and above all.... simple. Too much fluff and it ruins the drink IMHO. Save the Grand Marnier for the warmed snifter or as a floater on your Margarita if you must. But I've found as I've gotten older, that I like things that taste good and are balanced. Sometimes an all out assult on the palate is less enjoyable than it used to be.

And FWIW.... one of the first comments on the article mentions Agave nectar as a sweetener instead of simple syrup. I would likely make this change in a heart beat. Agave Nectar is a natural sweetner that is simply delicious AND good for you. Quite unlike processed sugar which you would use in simple syrup. Oh, and BTW.... simple syrup is a bar term for highly concentrated sugar water. It's simply white sugar dissolved into boiling water and then cooled and used in mixing cocktails. Most bars have the stuff in their rails.

[droht]

Fresh lime juice for sure, and you can play with the recipe to get it how you like it in terms of triple sec to lime juice ratio. I'd start with no sugar and see if you can make it work. Don't splurge on tequila, you won't taste the extra $ in the cocktail.

We used to have loads of fun with this kind of thing as a tasting party to get the recipe perfect. Try this one; now this one; now this one...

[alphaiii]

Agree with the other responses here... stay away from store bought mixes and Rose's lime syrup (I can't call it juice). They're sickly sweet, and and mixes are full of high fructose corn syrup...

Fresh lime is the best option, and agave nectar is a great natural (and low GI) way to sweeten it. If you're not opposed to artificial sweeteners, I've had good luck making a "simple syrup" with Splenda - which actually retains the water consistency and doesn't get syrupy.

Cheap triple secs are again, overly sweet and syrupy sugar drinks. I usually avoid the orange liqueurs altogether, but if I were to use one, prefer Citronge over Cointreau since it's cheaper, and over the cognac based liqueurs (ie. Gran Marnier and knockoffs) since it doesn't get in the way of the tequila flavors. Even with Citronge, I'd add a very small amount.

I tend to add some OJ to my lime juice though, instead of using orange liqueur.

I'm kind of a nutrition nut, so I am always avoiding sugary drinks, particularly if I am drinking alcohol also. My favorite way to make a margarita is fresh lime, fresh OJ, agave nectar, and tequila.

But face it, squeezing limes is a pain in the ass. So another, quick and dirty way my girlfriend and I came up with is:
Trop 50 OJ (again, watching the sugar), Nellie & Joe's key lime juice (http://www.amazon.com/Nellie-Joes-Fa.../dp/B0005XO85A ... I get it from a local store), tequila, and sweetened with just a touch of agave nectar or splenda.

This isn't as good as the real thing, but if you get the ratio of OJ to lime right, it's not too far off.

A note about agave nectar is that it won't mix well by stirring, so you'd want to shake it.

As far as the tequila, that's really preference. I prefer to uses blancos, but reposados work too. I never use anejo in a marg. since they're just too aged for me. In any case, 100% agave is absolutely the way to go - stay away from the mixtos like Cuervo.

Some under $30 100% agave options in my area are that I think would be good for margs:
Centenario Azul Reposado ($19.49)
1800 Silver ($17.99)...you could try the Reposado too, but I'm not a fan.
Corralejo Blanco ($28.99)
Oro Azul ($26.99)

If you have it in your area, I am told El Ultimo Agave is an outstanding tequila for under $20...some would even say it's a good tequila period.

I'm curious who makes the tequila that Costco has bottled under the Kirkland brand. It could come from a good distillery. If I recall, the Kirkland bottled Scotch is distilled by Macallan.

[blackzarg]

Thanks for the tips, guys!

That's a really tantalizing link, quadman! Haha, my mouth just begins to water thinking about all those flavors in a margarita described there.

I'll give the fresh lime juice a try first - that seems to be a unanimous recommendation.

Good list of stuff, alphaiii! I'm going to stop by BevMo and take a look at those

[bunnyma357]

People have always loved my Margarita's, which are of the frozen variety and are very slurpy-like - personally I don't care for them that much and prefer a Margarita on the rocks at a bar. Here is the way I make them.

Fill a blender totally full of ice, add 1.5 - 6 oz. cans of frozen limeade concentrate (I usually use Minute Made or the generic store brand). Use the empty limeade can as your measure add 1 can of tequila (doesn't really matter what kind - I use Sauza usually, but Cuervo or even Pepe Lopez is fine. I prefer dark, but light is fine also.) Then a half can to 2/3 of a can of Triple Sec and blend it on liquify.

The most important part for me is use fresh limes to wet the rims of the glasses and I use Morton's Coarse Kosher salt to salt the lip of the glass - fill a small plate full of salt and dip the lip of the glass that has been rubbed with fresh cut limes in the plate of salt - then add a real lime slice for garnish.

Try a few and adjust it to match the size of your specific blender pitcher. Very forgiving of proportions, so you can easily adjust to your own taste, again I find them a little to slurpyish, but actually have had people demand I make them at parties.

Jim C

[obie_fl]

I'm generally a Single Malt Scotch/Dry Martini kind of guy but If I feel the need for fruit, Margarita is my drink of choice. My recipe is pretty straight forward and what I would call the classic "Cadillac Margarita".

2 parts Tequila
1 part Cointreau (no sub of triple sec for me)
1 part Fresh Lime juice
Shaken over ice and poured strained straight up. (OK I usually pour the left over ice in after I'm halfway through the drink)
A float of Grand Marnier on top.
Oh and no salt for me and I usually drink it in an English pint glass not a Margarita glass..

As far as Tequilas go my only stipulations are 100% Agave and Blancos.
I'm buying mostly 1800 Silver. It is cost effective and to be honest in a mixed drink I can't tell that much difference between it and Patron.
I'm of the belief that the Anejos and Reposados should be left for real tequila drinkers... I'd rather pursue a single malt scotch.
I may have to try the Agave syrup mentioned.

Oh and frozen drinks are for girls. :tanks alot:

[m-fine]

Today is national margarita day!

[Maximum kahuna]

I thought every day is magarita day??????????????????