Margarita Recipe

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My friend is hosting a party and asked me to come up with the ultimate Margarita. Since he's never had one that didn't contain the high-fructose frozen conentrate mix. I told he we could so better. Are there any mixologist that can offer some advise on a recipe? TKS
 
No mixologist here but at a place I used to work at I used to make an Hoja Santa agave simple syrup that went into what I think was just fresh squeezed lemon juice then muddled in serrano chile. When my other half makes it at home she likes to let the base steep with cucumber and mint overnight. Not sure if that still counts as a margarita but it sure is tasty.
 
4-2-1 tequila to fresh lime juice to triple sec/orange-brandy liqueur, with healthy squirt or two of agave syrup. shake, pour over ice, no salt. i use Cabo Wabo silver and Gran Gala, most of the time, though Dekuyper O3 orange liqueur is both good and cheap (my favorite combo). if using triple sec, i suggest a little extra lime juice.
 
I'm no mixologist either, but a well made margarita during the summer is one of my favorite drinks.

I've made and had variations of Rick Bayless's recipe here. http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=1 But, instead of just limes (generally, Key Limes) for the limeade mix in the recipe, a combination of limes and lemons tasted better, especially if you can still find Meyer lemons. Because the juice can vary in flavor, the sour mix was made roughly to taste - just slightly sweet (the recipe includes a recommended amount of sugar that you may need less of) - and thinned with some water per the recipe.

To make the actual margarita, use 1 1/2 oz of good silver tequila, approximately 1 oz of limeade/sour mix (to taste) and a float of Gran Torres orange liqueur (which is great if you can find it - it's about half the price of Cointreau and has better flavor than Grand Marnier, IMHO), shaken with ice. You can rim the glass with salt if you like.
 
4-2-1 tequila to fresh lime juice to triple sec/orange-brandy liqueur, with healthy squirt or two of agave syrup. shake, pour over ice, no salt. i use Cabo Wabo silver and Gran Gala, most of the time, though Dekuyper O3 orange liqueur is both good and cheap (my favorite combo). if using triple sec, i suggest a little extra lime juice.


That's pretty close to what I do -- my starting point is more like 2:1:1, using a good silver and Cointreau. I usually go scant on the Cointreau, though, which gets it closer to 4:2:1.

I don't add any sweetener before tasting -- and if it needs a little, a little agave syrup is perfect. No salt. Stick with Key/Mexican limes if possible -- better flavor than big Persians.

For an inexpensive mixer tequila, Milagro is very good for the price. I also like Corzo quite a bit.

I made some margaritas the other day with grapefruit juice and an anejo (Corzo, I think), and they were really good.
 
i make them with anejo, on occasion, and i use blood oranges and meyer lemon. really good!
 
Sorry if this is deviating too far off topic, but has anyone made a whole fruit margarita? I have a Vitamix and I'm thinking if I can puree whole strawberries/limes with tequila and ice that it would make a much better frozen margarita than using syrups and mixes.
 
Sorry if this is deviating too far off topic, but has anyone made a whole fruit margarita? I have a Vitamix and I'm thinking if I can puree whole strawberries/limes with tequila and ice that it would make a much better frozen margarita than using syrups and mixes.

i have a KitchenAid blender that is great for crushing ice, but that's about it.
 
i have a KitchenAid blender that is great for crushing ice, but that's about it.


I use 3/2/1

3 tequila (milagro, corralejo, centenario, or other tequila of your choice)
2 cointreau
1 lime juice
+ a good squirt of agave nectar

shake with ice then serve with ice in margarita glass or whatever else glass you fancy
 
Sorry if this is deviating too far off topic, but has anyone made a whole fruit margarita? I have a Vitamix and I'm thinking if I can puree whole strawberries/limes with tequila and ice that it would make a much better frozen margarita than using syrups and mixes.

Kyle:

I've futzed around with using other fruits before. The problem with using whole fruit is the pulp - it makes a drink thicker and the pulp can separate if it sits for a while.

I haven't done the blended thing before, but if you're going to use fruit, make sure the fruit is super ripe and flavorful because the lime (or other citrus) tends to dominate other flavors, if you really want a fruit margarita. I did watermelon (it was okay; not a strong watermelon flavor), strawberry (it was stronger flavored than the watermelon). But, personally, I ended up much preferring a traditional style (citrus) margarita.

I would also consider separately pureeing the fruit, then putting it through a medium mesh (to limit the pulp but not eliminate the pulp) or a fine mesh strainer (to nearly eliminate any pulp) to get some pulp out since you're thinking of blending it with ice. The pulp will thicken the drink, but since you're blending it with ice, which will thicken the drink anyways, you may end up with a really dense drink.
 
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i like my margaritas more sour than that, but otherwise it's very similar.
 
We use a standard 4.2.1 but add 1 st germain is the elderflower liquor.
 
I usually do a 3.1.1 combo and skip any additional sweeteners. I might try out the 4.2.1 with no syrup for my wife next time though; she tends to love really tart drinks.
 
@ Kyle - I have made the Whole Fruit Margaritas in my Vitamix, and my wife and I are big fans of how they turn out.

https://www.vitamix.com/Find-Recipes/W/H/Whole-Fruit-Margarita

I don't know how traditional they are, but we do find them tasty. Have made several times with consistent results so far and we will probably try experimenting with future batches (different fruits, Agave syrup vs. sugar, etc.) I wouldn't try this without a Vitamax, Blendtec or the like as less powerful blenders do not pulverize the fruit enough and leave too much pulp. Chewy margaritas are not to my liking :D
 
Great to know. I have a BlendTec. So you just removed the skin on the fruit? It wasn't too pulpy?


@ Kyle - I have made the Whole Fruit Margaritas in my Vitamix, and my wife and I are big fans of how they turn out.

https://www.vitamix.com/Find-Recipes/W/H/Whole-Fruit-Margarita

I don't know how traditional they are, but we do find them tasty. Have made several times with consistent results so far and we will probably try experimenting with future batches (different fruits, Agave syrup vs. sugar, etc.) I wouldn't try this without a Vitamax, Blendtec or the like as less powerful blenders do not pulverize the fruit enough and leave too much pulp. Chewy margaritas are not to my liking :D
 
Yes, I just remove the skin/peel from the fruit. The orange I generally just peel, but the lemons and limes don't peel as well for me so I use a knife. I probably do end up removing a little more of the pulp that way. You don't even reed to remove the seeds, though I generally pick out a few when I notice them after cutting the fruit in half.

I haven't had a problem with pulp other than the one time I didn't blend long enough. It will look "ready" after a few seconds, but the 40 seconds or so on high the recipe mentions does the trick.
 
tres generaciones plata
patron citronge
fresh squeezed lime juice plus zest
truvia (organic sweetener that has an earthy taste)
crushed ice

makes for a very clean and refreshing drink
 
I skip the orange liquor/contreau. I just use tequila (I like Partida, either blanco or reposado), fresh lime juice and agave. Elderflower or ginger liquor can be a nice addition, or infusing one of those or your tequila with a jalepeno can be nice too.
 
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