Friday, March 22, 2024

How To Make The Perfect Margarita

How To Make A Margarita On The Rocks

How to Make the Perfect Margarita

A margarita on the rocks is the most traditional way to make a margarita cocktail. Making a homemade margarita on the rocks is simple. Basic recipes combine tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice to create a tangy, earthy, and slightly sweet drink. Instead of triple sec, some recipes balance out the drink’s tartness with simple syrup or agave syrup, a natural match for agave-based tequila.

While good tequila is important for a delicious margarita on the rocks scroll down to see how to choose the best tequila for a margarita fresh lime juice is just as crucial. Yes, squeezing limes by hand takes time, but the flavor is far superior to bottled lime juice. As for triple sec, it really depends on your budget. Grand Marnier and Cointreau are top quality but not the most economical options. There are many other, less expensive triple secs, including Bol’s Triple Sec, which will also make a lip-smacking margarita.

Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville Perfect Margarita

If youre wasting away in Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville Perfect Margarita is just the drink you need. Its the standard margarita recipe, but with the very best ingredients.

The Jimmy Buffett margarita recipe blends gold and white tequilas with triple sec, curacao and Roses lime juice. The resulting flavor is the same as a traditional margarita, except better.

Its just a particularly good combination of specific brand ingredients. This will be one of the best youve ever tasted.

Thats the whole idea of it, actually. Just to take the typical margarita recipe to a whole new level.

Part of whats great about this cocktail is how it inspires you to think about the margarita. It makes you break down the recipe in your mind, and really start thinking about what makes a perfect margarita.

Take, for example, the use of both Roses Lime Juice and fresh squeezed lime. Roses adds just a little touch of sweetness, and thats part of whats considered perfect about the recipe.

This is definitely one margarita recipe youve got to try. It will probably become your go-to margarita recipe. Or it may inspire you to tweak and try different things to see if you can create an even more perfect margarita.

If you enjoy margarita recipes, be sure to check out the list of and try a new recipe every day for more than a month!

Why Cointreau Makes The Best Margarita

Why use Cointreau in a margarita? Cointreau is a type of orange liqueur thats a cut above Triple Sec, which is often used in this drink. Whats the difference between Cointreau vs Triple Sec? Heres what to know:

  • Cointreau makes the perfect margarita. Its balanced between bitter and sweet, with warm spices that add complexity and nuance. It has a fragrant aroma and a smooth, clean finish.
  • Triple Sec has a more straightforward orange flavor with less depth. Its also cheaper, but we highly recommend the few extra dollars for grabbing a bottle of Cointreau.

What else can you make with a bottle of Cointreau? So many things! Try our Cointreau Drinks like the Sidecar, Cosmo, and more.

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History Of The Margarita

If you follow Ramshackle Pantry, you know that we strive to make some great recipes, like we are going to do in our current Margarita series. Another thing that we like to do is explore everything about a classic dish or cocktail, including history.

One thing about food and cocktail history is that it is often filled with myth and marketing, which can muddle the story of a dish. There is plenty of muddling that goes on with the history of the Margarita, and that is what we are going to try and wade through today. We are going to look at Margaritas history and try to uncover some of the origin stories for the classic cocktail.

The Original Margarita Batch

The Perfect Margarita

One gallon or about 47 4.5-ounce margaritas

The batch cannot be assembled simply by multiplying the ingredients by the number of drinks you would like to make. Additional sweetness in the form of simple syrup, and a little less tequila and lime juice is needed to make the batch work for 47 portions.

Dont forget to take into account the shaking of the drink, which provides the final and critical ingredient of any cocktail: the one ounce of water added by shaking. That is why it is so critical to shake a drink well and for the proper time.

INGREDIENTS: 32 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice 16 oz. simple syrup *

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How To Make The Perfect Margarita 3 Ways

Oct 27, 2020 | cocktails, cocktails at home, recipe, tequila

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If theres one drink recipe that is hotly contested, its the margarita. Everyone has their own way to make one and insists that its the best. Ive been making margaritas since I was a kid. No, not because I was drinking them, but I was helping my grandmother with her party hosting. My brother and I used to run around their dinner parties with white towels over our arms and take drink orders in little spiral-bound notebooks. And yes, because we thought it was fun. Over the years, my tastes have changed but I have always loved a good margarita. I bring you three of my perfect margarita recipes. You can decide which one is best.

Is Cointreau The Same As Triple Sec

Yep, kind of! Buckle up, because were about to rock your world. Triple sec simply means a relatively dry orange liqueur and Cointreau IS triple sec. Cointreau is just a brand of triple sec. Mind blowing, we know. We usually use Cointreau to make margaritas because its easily available and we love that its not very sweet and that it has a really lovely, orange-y perfume. Combier is another high-quality brand of triple sec that would be delicious in this margarita recipe. Just dont reach for the stuff on the bottom shelfyour head with thank you.

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How To Upgrade Your Margarita

There are so many ways you can upgrade your margarita recipe! Try out some of these varieties to shake things up a bit.

  • Spice up your salt rim. I like to add lime zest and a pinch of cayenne to the salt. You can also add a bit of sugar to the mix.

  • Try it with mezcal! A mezcal margarita is a very different experience but just as delightful. Mezcal is an Oaxacan spiritlike tequila, its from the agave plant, but has a smokier profile. It can make a lovely margarita with a complex flavor.

  • Add some fruit for a flavored margarita. This is a classic way to personalize your margarita. I love to add fresh berries in the summer, either muddled into a drink on the rocks or blended in a frozen margarita.

  • Cointreau is a type of triple sec, or orange liqueur, which is a classic choice for margaritas. But there are many types of triple sec out there that would be just as delicious. You can also try other types of orange liqueurs like Grand Marnier or Curacao, which will change the flavor slightly.

How Much Tequila Do You Use

The Perfect Margarita & How to Make It

This is truly a matter of preference, but the rule I’ve always lived by is that half of my margarita is tequila.

The ratio I’ve always used is four parts tequila, 2 parts lime juice, 1 part simple syrup, and 1 part orange liqueur. For me, that recipe is not only easy to remember but it’s the perfect balance of sweet and sour and wow. Feel free to adjust my margarita recipe to your own personal taste.

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Or Make A Cointreau Margarita Pitcher

Want to make 8 servings of this perfect Cointreau margarita? You can make a margarita pitcher instead. The important thing about a pitcher: youll need to add a specific amount of ice to help dilute the drink like a shaker would. Heres how to make a Cointreau margarita pitcher that makes 8 servings:

  • 1 ½ cups tequila

How To Make This Classic Margarita:

  • If you don’t already have simple syrup on hand, it’s super easy to make and it lasts for a long time if refrigerated. That being said, go make some simple syrup to have on hand right now!
  • To mix the margarita, you simply add the tequila, simple syrup, lime juice and orange liqueur to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for about 30 seconds to get it nice and chilled.
  • Pour the chilled margarita through the strainer into your prepared glass and enjoy!

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Cointreau Grand Marnier Or Triple Sec

This ones debatable. Personally, I say go with Cointreau. If thats not available, then Grand Marnier works just as well. Here in Florida, we have a tasty local triple sec by the Kozuba & Sons Distillery. If youre able to get your hands on some, its worth it. Its what we use, and we highly recommend it.

Really Shake The Thing

How To Make The Perfect Margarita

Bartenders go to town because thorough shaking not only chills the drink but also combines the ingredients so the booze doesnt sit at the bottom of the glass. Shake the cocktail until the outside of the container is frosty, at least 20 seconds. The rest is simple: Strain into a glass.

A version of this article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of Mens Health.

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A Mason Jar Margarita

The Spruce Eats / Claire Cohen

It has become popular to serve margaritas in a Mason jar with a ton of ice. The original margarita recipe was designed to be served as a short drink, with a volume of just 3 1/2 ounces. As with most classic cocktail recipes, it will barely fill many of today’s larger margarita and cocktail glasses, much less a Mason jar.

If you want to make a Mason jar margarita, you need a recipe designed for the larger volume. This modern version makes a drink that’s just over 6 ounces. With plenty of ice cubes and fresh fruit, it will fill the average Mason jar mug perfectly.

To make this margarita, shake 2 ounces tequila, 1 ounce triple sec, and 3 ounces fresh sour mix with ice. Strain it into an ice-filled Mason jar and add a few lime wedges.

This can also be mixed directly in your Mason jar. At first, cut back on the ice, shake or stir the drink, then fill it with fresh ice cubes.

If you’re a fan of mixing drinks in Mason jars, Shane Carley’s “The Mason Jar Cocktail Companion” is an excellent book. All of the recipes are measured in parts and many of the booze-heavy recipes have been adapted to the higher volume. Carley’s Mason jar margarita, for instance, mixes 3 parts tequila, 2 parts orange liqueur, and 1 part lime juice.

My Grannys Perfect Margarita Recipe

This was the first margarita recipe I ever learned. One of the best things about it is that you can easily keep the ingredients on hand and its fairly inexpensive. I started making it in my early 20s and hadnt made it for years, until now. It was actually one of my go-to cocktails until I bottled a batch and took it out on a friends sailboat. Lets just say the day ended with a broken boat trailer, gasoline spilled in a car , and a dead car battery from too much radio listening. The margarita recipe was blamed for all the chaos. Anyway, I digress. The important part is that this margarita is delicious but a little bit sneaky if youre not careful. I would suggest using an affordable tequila for this, like Olmeca Altos Tequila Plata.

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Does The Perfect Margarita Exist

There is a generally accepted perfect margarita recipe. It features tequila, lime juice, sweetener, and an orange liqueur. If you order a margarita in a restaurant, you are bound to get something close to that. However, with a drink that is as common in a Mexican restaurant as it is in any other bar, it gets switched up a lot. Many bars will serve it flavored with fruits, or spicy with jalapeño peppers, or even smokey with mezcal. Im a fan of all margaritas that arent too sweet. Plus, once you master the basic perfect margarita, its easy to create plenty of custom versions.

Old Fashioned Cocktail Ingredients:

How to Make the Perfect Italian Margarita : Margarita Recipes

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.

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Best Tequila For A Margarita

What tequila makes the perfect margarita? Well, you can use any brand: but we have a preference on the type! Heres what weve found is the best tequila for margaritas:

  • Tequila reposado makes the best margarita. Tequila marked reposado is aged from 2 to 12 months. It has a complex flavor, with notes of oak and vanilla.
  • Tequila blanco also works, but it has a more straightforward flavor with that signature tequila burn. Resposado makes a better drink every time!

How To Make A Margarita With Margarita Mix

If you have the time, make your margaritas from scratch. But if you’re in a hurry or if you’re making margaritas for a large crowd, using margarita mix can be a valuable shortcut. While you’ll miss the fresh lime flavor of a homemade margarita, you’ll be able to fill a pitcher in a fraction of the time.

Of course, not all margarita mixes are created equal. Avoid mixes that are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and other artificial ingredients. Instead, look for margarita mixes made with real lime juice, cane sugar, or agave syrup. With better quality ingredients in the mix, your margaritas will taste closer to the real thing.

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And The Best Tequila For Margaritas Is

…Whatever your favorite tequila is! Just be sure to make it blanco. You want that lean, mean, delicate finish to pair with the lime juicea margarita is a spritely cocktail! Zippy, perky, bright. Save the aged tequilas for another day. When we mix up our margarita, we usually reach for:

  • Espolòn Tequila Blanco. Just a really affordable, high-quality blanco tequila.
  • Hornitos Plata. This is Hornitos blanco tequila, and it makes a killer marg.
  • Trader Joes Tequila Blanco! A pretty darn good Casamigos dupe and were on board!

Ways To Ruin A Margarita

How To Make The Perfect Margarita

1. Cheap Tequila. The drink requires a good quality, 100 percent agave tequila.

2. Poor Technique. Always shake to chill, dilute and aerate properly. You want that beautiful froth.

3. Artificial Mixers. Chemically laden mixers be damned!

4. Plastic Limes. We all see them in the produce section. Dont be lazy. Theres no substitute for freshly squeezed limes. Period.

5. Not Enough Ice. Dont skimp on the ice. Its supposed to be refreshing, after all.

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Twists On The Classic

The Margaritas ingredients can be stretched into new forms offering lots of opportunities to experiment and get creative. It is similar to an iconic pop star constantly trying on new looks and personas, yet remaining true to its core. Spicy Margaritas are on the rise as drinkers palates embrace bolder flavors like chiles and other peppers. Spice can stand alone or be a great complementary element in any Margarita. Smoke is also a rapidly growing flavor trend. The flavor of smoke can be put into a Margarita in many ways including using smoky spirits, infusing syrups with smoky flavors, and directly capturing smoke in the glass. Here are our favorite variations:

Pineapple Anchorita

Is Triple Sec Required In A Margarita

Triple sec is one of the key ingredients in a margarita. It acts as the drink’s sweetener and adds a hint of orange flavor. You can use another orange liqueur, such as curaçao, and the Cadillac margarita uses the brandy-based Grand Marnier. Though definitely not an authentic margarita, some people prefer to skip the liqueur and use simple syrup with a squeeze of fresh orange juice instead . With these changes, you will need to play with the proportions to create a well-balanced margarita.

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Can I Use Bottled Lime Juice For Margarita

Yes, you can use bottled lime juice for margaritas. The lime juice will add a tart and tangy flavor to the drink.

If you want the best fresh flavor, I highly recommend drinking your own lime juice rather than store-bought lime juice. In the case of fresh limes, bottled lime juice can taste even better if you dont have them, the bottled variety can be purchased from a variety of stores. The drink was added to the cocktail to disguise the unappealing taste of cheap tequila, according to one bartender. Fresh Key Limes are the main ingredient in the cocktail menu at Mexican Taqueria Tolteca and Felipex26#39 s Tolteca. Key limes flavor is floral and aromatic, as opposed to regular limes. When it comes from the store, unrefrigerated lime juice is not accepted. You get less time to oxidize and avoid preservatives by squeezing it yourself.

If the recipe specifies one-third cup of juice, replace it with two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. If you cant get fresh limes, bottled lime juice can taste nearly as good in stores. Citric acid, concentrated juice, and other preservatives are also present in bottled juice. ReaLime is made with the highest quality limes possible. Bottled lime juice has a long shelf life and can keep for months after being labeled. If your recipe calls for it, try to use fresh lime juice. Fresh lime juice is more intense and brighter than bottled lime juice.

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