The
basics of a Margarita is simple: Tequila,
orange liqueur, and lime juice. Using only these three ingredients
equals a true Margarita. The best ratio is 3:2:1. Shake
and strain that into a glass with or without ice. The sweet orange
liqueur should be all the sweetness a true Margarita needs. However,
due to America's sweet tooth, sugar (and lots of it!) has been
added in recent decades. Just look on the label of any sweet-n-sour
mix, Margarita mix, limeade, or sour mix you see on the shelves.
If you're addicted to this bastardized-type of a Margarita then
at least make your own homemade sweet-n-sour mix from fresh juice.
Learn here.
People always ask me about
triple sec. Triple sec is an orange liqueur made from
the skin of oranges. The word sec is French for dry.
Triple comes from the liqueur being distilled three times.
It's more refined than Curacao (cure-uh-SOW, rhymes with cow).
Curacao is also made from orange peels, but from sour orange peels
in Curacao
(a place in the Carribbean). It comes in orange, blue and
green. The green is made from unripe oranges that are still green
and the blue is simply coloring.
If given a choice, most bartenders would choose Cointreau (QWAN-tro)
as the best orange liqueur/triple sec to use in a Margarita.
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Grand Marnier (MARN-yay) is an orange liqueur
made with a Cognac (CONE-yak) base. If you use this in your
Margarita then you are making a cross between a Sidecar
and a Margarita because you are adding Cognac in your Margarita.
(A Sidecar is brandy/Cognac, orange liqueur, and lime juice)
|
As
far as the type of Tequila to use...well
just know that if you walk up to a bar and ask for a Cuervo
Gold Margarita then the bartender will know that you don't
know anything about Tequila. I talk about Tequila here
on my Tequila page, but briefly there are four types of
Tequila (well another was added in 2006 to create a category
for all the high-end Tequilas). The four Tequila types are:
Blanco. Joven, Reposado, and Añejo. Blanco
comes straight out of the still and into the bottle. It's
also called silver or white. Joven
is just a blanco that has had fake coloring added to it
to make it look gold (like Cuervo Gold). Reposados
and Añejo's have been aged. If you want
a great tasting Margarita then I suggest that you use a
silver/blanco or reposado Tequila that is made 100% from
the blue
agave plant. It will say so on front label.
The
smooth and aged Tequilas like an Añejo or the ultra
aged and filtered do not make a great Margarita.
You need that "bite" of the blanco/silver/white
or reposado. |
 |
The
Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess shows a great presentation
of Margaritas. Just click
here.
As
you can see, Margarita
variations can be endless. You can use different Tequilas, different
orange liqueurs, and different lime mixes. To make flavored Margaritas,
all you do is substitute the orange liqueur for other flavored
liqueurs (or flavorings) like melon liqueur (Melon Margarita)
or Chambord (Raspberry Margarita), etc.
 |
The salt used on a Margarita is kosher
salt. It's courser than regular table salt and contains
no additives like iodine. |
| The top three glasses are typical Margarita
glasses. However, you will find Margaritas served in many
glass types. |
 |
By
the way in my 4th published book, The
Everything Cocktail Party & Drinks Book, there
is a chapter titled, "Margarita Madness".
Here are the recipe names: Tequila Mockingbird Margarita, Strawberry
Mojitorita, White Sangriarita, Between the Hotel Sheets Margarita,
Swim-Up Bar Margarita, Beer Belly Margarita, Cranberry Cosmorita,
Lemon Raspberry Rita, Hypnotizing Margarita, Uno Dos Tres Cuatro
Cinco de Mayo Rita, Kiss from a Rosarita, Anita Rita Now, Tasting
Away in Margaritaville, Muy Bonita Rita, Le Femme Nikita Rita,
South of the Peachy Border Rita, Horny Margarita, Key Lime Pie
Margarita, Three Senoritas Margarita, and Tequila Sunrise Margarita.
Margarita/Tequila
Tips & Facts
• The steps in making
a Margarita on the rocks: 1. Gather everything you need. 2. Prepare
your glass by rimming with kosher salt then filling with ice.
3. Pour 2 ounces Tequila into a shaker tin half filled with ice,
then 1 ounce triple sec/orange liqueur, and 1/2 ounce fresh lime
juice. If you want it a tiny sweeter to balance the sour then
just add a spoon of sugar or simple
syrup (personally, I like it better this way). If you are
making it with sweet-n-sour then use a couple ounces. 4. Shake
and strain into the glass. Garnish with a lime.
•
If you're not sure if someone wants their glass rimmed with salt
or not, just rim half of it.
• When you order a Margarita don't
just say, "I'll take a Margarita, please".
This will instantly let the bartender know that you don't know
anything about Margaritas. Always order it like; "I'll
take a Margarita on the rocks with salt" (if you order this
way then the bartender will be grabbing the cheap Tequila from
the well--the well Tequila) or say"I'll take an 1800 Reposado
Margarita with Cointreau without salt", etc. Really
specify how you want it. 1. Call out the Tequila and orange
liqueur you want. 2. Say how you want it prepared (rocks, frozen/blended,
or up. 3. Normally, a Margarita's default comes with salt. If
you don't want it then say, no salt.
• Do not ever order the Margarita
"on special" or "the house" Margarita.. Chances
are they have mass produced it with very little alcohol. When
you call out your Tequila then they will be forced to make it
from scratch. You want this.
• If you do not have a strawberry to garnish a Strawberry
Margarita then use a lime garnish.
• To put salt on the rim simply moisten the rim with a lime
slice and dip the outside of the glass in salt. You don't want
salt on the top or inside to drop into the drink. Want to make
colored salt? Just pour kosher salt in a baggie, drop in some
food coloring and shake.
• Try not to order frozen or blended Margaritas. Ice is
just water that gets diluted in the whole blending process and
it waters down all the flavor. However I have an exception: If
you do insist on having a frozen Margarita, the best way to enjoy
it is to have the bartender blend it as a virgin Margarita then
pour the alcohol on top. It makes an incredible difference. You
will not regret it!
• If you order a Top Shelf Margarita
the bartender will choose a higher quality Tequila to make your
Margarita. However, it's still best to call out what you want
and not leave it up to the bartender. There's also a Margarita
called a Golden Grand Margarita. This means that the
Tequila used is gold and Grand Marnier is used for the orange
liqueur. Sometimes people call it a Cadillac Margarita.
•
The Margarita is Mexico’s National drink.
• As a bartender you will make thousands
upon thousands of Margaritas. If
you work in a warm climate or at a Mexican restaurant then triple
it.
• There is a lot to know about Tequila. This page just covers
the basics.
Julio Bermejo is known to be "THE" man when it comes
to Tequila.
• Bing Crosby was the first to bring 100% blue agave Tequila
into the USA. It was Herradura.
• There are several stories about who invented the Margarita:
1. A bartender named it after a girl named Margarita.
2. A bartender named Daniel Negrete, Pancho Morales that worked
at Tommy’s Place in Juarez.
3. A woman named Margarita Sames in Acapulco.
Margarita
Recipes and Links
Below
are some videos that may be of interest to you.
Click on an olive to see how NOT to make a Margarita
videos:
Margarita
Books
Has
this Margarita page been helpful? Do you have a question about
Margaritas for Miss Charming? Just email her here.
