Dont Salt The Entire Rim
Like your Margaritas with salt? Season away, but take care when rimming the glass. Excess flakes will inevitably fall into your cocktail, throwing off its flavors and balance.
Cocktailers like industry legend Dale DeGroff advise salting a segment of the glass rim instead of its entirety. It prevents your drink from ever getting too saline, and gives you the option of taking a sip with or without a mouthful of salt.
Generally speaking, if we do a rim we do half a rim, Don Lee, partner, Existing Conditions in NYC, says. That way everyone has the option. Make sure you are only salting the outside of the rim of the glass, too, Lee says.
Old Fashioned Cocktail Ingredients:
To make a maple-sweetened old fashioned cocktail, you will need :
- Whiskey: Bourbon or rye are typically for this cocktail. We usually use either Bulleit or Buffalo Trace bourbon.
- Bitters: We usually use Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
- Maple syrup: To lightly sweeten the cocktail.
- Fresh orange: Plus a vegetable peeler or knife, to slice off some of the peel.
- We occasionally like to add Luxardo cherries to our old fashioned cocktails too, which are definitely a bit of a splurge. But trust me, they are a million times better than the cheap, red-dyed, artificially-flavored maraschino cherries in the fruit aisle at the grocery store. They come in a pretty thick syrup, which we tend to tap off so as not to overly sweeten the cocktail.
- Ice: Any ice will do! We love making ours in these cubed trays.
You will also need:
- Vegetable peeler : Ive found that using a Y-peeler works the best.
- Cocktail spoon: Or you could just use a regular spoon.
- Rocks glass: Or whatever small glasses you have on hand.
What Is The Secret To A Good Margarita
I read so many posts with 100’s of 5 star ratings. So I thought okay these people really have the perfect margarita recipe down! Not exactly..
Here are my tips for the most delicious margarita that tastes just like the one’s I drank travelling!
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A Note About Measuring
In the recipe section, I referred to the ingredients as shots. Some recipes use ounces, cups, and shots, all in one. Holy confusion after youve had a few.
The very average-sized shot glass I use holds the same amount of liquid as a 1/4-cup measure, which makes it easy to make the recipe in bulk. X parts this to Y parts that.
While you could technically share the recipe as written, after having one, youll want another. So plan on it serving one, nicely. You can sip worry-free since theres no granulated sugar.
They go down so incredibly easy. Especially on vacation.
What To Serve With A Cranberry Margarita
If youre looking for something to serve with your cranberry margaritas, try these delicious recipes:
Baked Brie This easy recipe is a great appetizer to serve with margaritas.
Festive Cheese Platter We love to serve this for our holiday parties.
Cranberry Muffins These muffins are the perfect treat to enjoy with your margarita.
Easy Queso Blanco Dip Goes perfectly with chips and guacamole.
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Which Orange Liqueur Is Best To Use In A Classic Margarita
Orange liqueur is essentially vodka sweetened with sugar and orange peels. There are many brands of this liqueur on the market, but the most common brands are Cointreau, Curaçao and Grand Marnier.
For this margarita recipe I used Cointreau. Its the most commonly used and best orange liqueur for margaritas. The other two brands are a little different despite their orange liqueur label.
- Cointreau is considered a triple sec liqueur due to its French origins and mix of sweet and bitter oranges.
- Curaçao comes from the Dutch Caribbean island of the same name and is considered both a brand and type of orange liqueur. While traditionally rum-based, Curaçao produces a grain version too. Due to its tropical origins, the oranges for this liqueur are sweeter which is why its not considered a triple sec.
- Also, from France, Grand Marnier is considered a triple sec and Curaçao hybrid. Unlike the previous brands mentioned, its orange flavor is mixed with cognac.
This Post Will Teach You How To Make The Best Margarita Recipe With 11 Secret Tips
Hosting guests with the best margaritas theyve ever tasted makes you look legit in the entertaining department. The art behind making the best margarita comes down to precision and consistency, which brings me to my next point.
Ordering a margarita in a restaurant has me asking questions like, Are the margaritas here strong, not too sweet, with just the right amount of lime? I guess you could say Im picky, but who wants to pay $20 for a sour, watered-down drink?
And, YES, some places do charge that much, And, YES, you can judge a margarita by its looks. If you dont see a semi-brown swirl in the middle, that could mean theyve skimped on the gold tequila or Grand Marnier, which is NO BUENO.
The reasons above are how BOMB-ASS margaritas were born.
These 11 secret tips, along with the best margarita recipe, will lead you to a perfect drink that has a balanced combination of booze, sweet, and sour. And, just a hint, the tips do not include a store-bought margarita mix. Salud!
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Skip The Lime Garnish
You probably have one or two extra limes lying around after making all that lovely fresh juice. Dont slice them into wedges to use as garnishes, no matter how natural that seems.
Why? Because your drink is perfectly balanced at this point. By adding a lime wedge, you are inviting someone to squeeze it into their drink. That will throw off the citric balance of the cocktail, Mor says. Instead, he suggests expressing an orange peel on top, giving the drink a citrusy aroma without the threat of more acid. Margaritas, like most things in life, are all about balance.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Dont have a cocktail shaker? You can stir all of the ingredients in a separate glass, shake them in a mason jar, or simply pour all of the ingredients into the prepared iced glass. Shh! I wont tell.
- If you want something more than a traditional salted rim, you can add some Tajin seasoning for a Mexican spicy kick!
- If you prefer a sweeter margarita, you can add a bit of agave syrup or simple syrup to your liking.
- To make a spicy margarita, add a thin slice or two of a jalapeno or serrano pepper into the cocktail shaker along with the tequila and press down on them lightly with a muddler to release the juices and oils into the alcohol. Then add in the remaining ingredients and make as normal.
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How To Make A Margarita
Whether sipped by the pool, at a fiesta, or just because it’s Tuesday, are a guaranteed crowd-pleasing drink. An instant celebration, this refreshing cocktail of tequila, orange liqueur , and fresh lime juice is typically served in a festive glass with a salted rim. We’ll show you how to make a margarita in several different ways, and share favorite recipes to try.
There are plenty of ways to make margaritas shake them with ice, blend them into a frozen treat, or if you’re in a rush, short-cut your way to success with a margarita mix.
This handy guide shows you three ways to make a classic margarita at home, plus plenty of tasty variations, so you can plan your next cocktail party.
Tips For Making The Best Cranberry Margaritas
Here are a few tips to help you make the best cranberry margaritas:
Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
Use good quality tequila for the best flavor. You can use any type of tequila you like, reposado tequila or silver tequila.
Make the cranberry simple syrup ahead of time so its ready to go when youre ready to make the margaritas.
Rim the glasses with salt for a classic margarita look and taste.
Make sure to shake the cocktail for 20 seconds with ice.
If the drink is too strong, top it off with some club soda.
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How To Make The Best Margarita
The margarita is part of the daisy family of cocktails, which were popular in the early 20th century. In fact, ‘margarita’ is the Spanish word for daisy. Cocktails in the daisy family consist of spirit, citrus juice and something to both sweeten it up and to balance the citrus. Although many people think the margarita comes from Mexico or South America, the origins of a cocktail containing tequila, citrus juice and an orange liqueur can be traced back to the Café Royal Cocktail Book in 1937, well before this combination was published as a margarita. Named the Picador, its makeup is undoubtedly a tequila daisy, and at 2:1:1 parts respectively, it follows the classic formula of a margarita. A British invention then? Perhaps.
Simple Homemade Margarita Recipe
If theres one drink that should be so simple, but somehow turns so complicated, I think its a margarita. Theres blended, on the rocks, from a mix that comes in gallon-sized jugs sometimes with alcohol already added and sometimes without.
Some margaritas are made with just tequila and others with a smorgasbord of other booze added, including triple sec, Cointreau, Gran Marnier, Chambord, and more.
People shouldnt need to look up how to make a margarita because it shouldnt be so hard. Ive gone back to the basics, with the classic margarita ingredients.
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Our Homemade Margarita Recipe
The ingredients that really make a difference in a Mexican margarita are:
- Good Tequila the older the tequila the smoother it is try a good blanco or reposado tequila
- Triple Sec and La Belle you want both for deep flavor, or use cointreau or another favorite orange liqueur
- Homemade Simple Syrup this is to balance out the alcohol, or try with agave for a skinny margarita
- Orange Juice just a bit to add sweetness along with more bright, citrus zest
- Fresh Limes citrus-y acid from fresh lime juice to offer a tropical note
- Garnishes coarse or flake sea salt and slices of oranges and lime wedges for the rim of the glass
The other ingredients can be tweaked to your liking, but try to stick with fresh limes and good tequila.
Do I Need Bartending Tools
To get straight to the point, the answer is a resounding no. You don’t need specialty bartending equipment to make the best margaritas ever. You can get by with the kitchen basics you likely already have.
Whether or not you want to pull out the cocktail shaker is up to you. Using a cocktail shaker will also need a jigger to measure out your pours. However, the easiest way to whip up margaritas at home is to pull out a standard kitchen measuring pitcher and a spoon to stir.
A shaker serves two purposes: to mix and chill.
Measuring pitchers are already equipped with ounce-measuring markers. This eliminates the need for the extra jigger tool and that whole “shaking step” altogether.
And, as for the chilling aspect of the shaker, margaritas on the rocks are served over ice — that will chill your cocktail plenty.
You’ll also want to have either a . If you were wondering, a rocks glass is just fancy bar slang for a short, 8-ounce glass.
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Tips For Making The Best Homemade Margaritas
I prefer my margaritas boldly tart but sweet enough to balance the tartness, and Im not shy with the tequila. Youll need to find the exact ratio of ingredients that you enjoy best.
Small changes can have a big effect on taste. Like a half shot glass of lime juice or a small drizzle of agave can really make a difference. Play around with this fresh margarita recipe to find your happy place, pun intended.
You can doctor up the basic mixture as you like by adding other liquors or add a handful of strawberries, put it all in a blender, and youve got a frozen strawberry margarita in seconds.
Its also worth mentioning that you want to look for really juicy limes. In general, paler green limes and those with yellow spots, as well as those with thin skin are juicier than darker-skinned limes or those with thicker skin. Medium/large limes seem to release their juice easier than small limes.
Whats The Secret To A Good Margarita Recipe
Lime juice is key for making the best margaritas. AND, since juicing limes can be time-consuming and expensive, I always buy lime juice by the gallon. It stores well and its cheaper.
To keep your margaritas budget-friendly, check out First Street 100% juice. It sells by the gallon for just under $7 compared to most lime juice brands that sell by the gallon for close to $30.
If you need to purchase a smaller amount, sells a pack of two 32-ounce bottles, but youre paying a higher price. I cook quite a bit with lime juice, and I put it in my water a couple of times a day also, so I dont mind storing the gallon.
Healthline wrote a fantastic article on the benefits of lime water for skin, weight loss, and your digestive system if you need some extra incentive to purchase the gallon.
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Which Orange Liqueur Is Best For Margaritas
Triple sec and Cointreau are the two types of orange liqueur that are often used in margaritas. Theyre both acceptable to use, but I prefer one over the other depending on the type of margarita.
When making this classic margarita, I prefer using Cointreau because of its smoother finish and more balanced flavors.
When making blended fruity margaritas, I prefer using triple sec since its straightforward orange flavor is often diluted in the drink.
Sometimes Grand Marnier is used instead of triple sec or Cointreau, but it is not a traditional ingredient in a margarita.
How To Make A Perfect Salt Rim
Now, lets talk about the glass rim in this classic margarita recipe! The best type of salt to use is kosher salt or flaky sea salt because it has a nice chunky texture. Or try our Homemade Margarita Salt: the orange and lime zest makes the glass look perfectly look festive! Here are our tips to making the perfect rim:
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How To Make A Mojito:
So lets talk about how to make mojitos! For a single serving, simply:
That said, while making a mint mojito in a cocktail shaker is standard, I often take a shortcut and just muddle and mix everything together directly in the serving glass , which is just as delicious. )
The Best Margarita Recipe Is The One Customized To Your Tastes
A traditional margarita recipe is special in the pantheon of classic cocktails. Like the venerable daiquiri, the drink is primal enough that it can be made from commonly found ingredients yet has enough complexity to offer endless possibilities for riffing and customization. The basic recipetequila with triple sec and fresh lime juiceis forgiving for beginners but has enough room for experimentation that seasoned pros can add their own touches of flair.
There are a lot of riffs and variations of the popular cocktail , but as long as you have ashaken drinkwith tequila, lime, and orange liqueur, you are safely in Margaritaville. As someone who likes a more spirit-forward margarita, my go-to recipe is:
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How To Make The Best Margarita On The Rocks
To make the best margarita on the rocks, start with a simple, classic margarita recipe. From there you can always tweak the ingredients to make the classic cocktail to suit your individual tastes. Starting with the best ingredients is key. Opt for fresh-squeezed lime juice instead of a mix, and use premium tequila if you can. Choose a tequila made from 100 percent agave and a high-quality orange liqueur for flavoring. Keeping it simple lets you enjoy the pure flavor of the classic margarita on the rocks, without unnecessary added flavorings or sweeteners.
Place a handful of fine sea salt on a small plate.
How Do You Make Margaritas Taste Better
ALWAYS USE HIGH QUALITY INGREDIENTS. This means the best tequila and orange liquor you can afford.
USE FRESH LIME JUICE. Bottled lime juice will never taste as good as fresh.
USE A DRINK SHAKER. Shaking your margarita over ice and then straining it will give you a signature smooth and slightly frothed top.
NEVER EVEN LOOK AT A MARGARITA MIX. Those $5 bottles of “margarita mix” not only are loaded with chemicals, but they taste terrible.
SALT THE RIM! Salt balances tequila and is the finishing touch on a perfect margarita.
What have you tried to make your margarita taste better? Leave me a comment below!
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