For Cinco De Mayo: The Perfect Margarita
Forget those prepackaged mixes and slushee machines. For the perfect Margarita, all you need is three simple ingredients and a little time:
- Quality Tequila
- Fresh Squeezed Limes
- Cointreau
Good tequila is a given. Go for a Tequila Blanco, sometimes called a silver. Patron Silver is a great choice. So is 1800 Tequila Silver.
Instead of the more common triple sec, I use Cointreau. Both are orange liquers, but the generic triple sec in my mind just isn’t as interesting a flavor. I think that the Cointreau has more of a natural orange flavor.
The biggest difference between Cointreau and Triple Sec, however, is that Cointreau generally has a higher alcohol content. Generic Triple Sec is in the 15% to 30% ABV range; Cointreau is 40% ABV.
Fresh lime juice is the key to the whole perfect Margarita, however. There’s just no substitute. If you plan on using lime from a plastic squeeze bottle, skip the Margarita and have a Budweiser instead.
I squeeze my limes by hand, but you also could use a
Once you’ve got the proper ingredients, mix them in the following ratio:
The perfect tequila ratio
- 2 parts tequila
- 1 part fresh lime
- 1/2 part Cointreau
Put the concoction in a cocktail shaker with some ice and shake vigoriously. I like this one on Amazon.
Here’s a rule of thumb: cocktails with fruit should be shaken, not stirred (and conversely, cocktails with no fruit should be stirred. Bond had it wrong). Shaking releases the flavor.
If you like, now is the time to rim the glass with salt. Put the salt in a plate. Wet the rim of the glass with water (or wipe it with a lime slice) and dip it into the plated salt. Some folk like to add some chili powder.
Strain the shaken perfect Margarita with a cocktail strainer (I have this one from Amazon) into a margarita glass.
Add a lime segment for a garnish. Mrs. GolfBlogger likes her’s with some crushed ice, but that’s not necessary.
Voilà! The perfect Margarita. One of my own creations is below:
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