First, some ground rules: margaritas are to be served on the rocks with salt. If you want your margarita frozen, then you should go ahead and move along now; I'm sure to question your choices on everything else. If you don't want salt on your rim, well, I can look past that, but just know that you're doing it wrong.
Ingredients
- 2 parts Silver Tequila[foot]I've been using and enjoying El Jimador.[/foot]
- 2 parts Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
- 1 part Simple Syrup[foot]2:1 Sugar:Water[/foot]
- 1 part Orange Liqueur[foot]I can vouch for El Patron Citronge. Grand Marnier makes an incredibly smooth margarita, but may be a bit too top shelf for a mixed drink.[/foot]
- Lime Wedge (optional)
Directions
- Rim a rocks glass with salt. Fill with ice.
- Add tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Add a liberal amount of ice and shake vigorously for ~20 seconds.[foot]This is imperative. A stirred margarita is nowhere near as good as a shaken one.[/foot]
- Strain into prepared rocks glass.
- Finally, float the orange liqueur on top and garnish with the lime wedge.
This makes a balanced margarita. Neither the alcohol, tartness, nor sweetness is dominant over the others. Want a stronger drink? Increase the amount of tequila. Sweeter? Increase the simple syrup or orange liqueur, depending on your tastes. More tart? Increase the lime juice. The given ratios make an ideal margarita for me, but certainly adapt for your or your guests' taste.
