[Doug G]

After a hot day on the slopes, a margarita sounds good....

The basic, real margarita, from scratch, is something like this:

Juice of 1/2 lime
2 shots tequila
1 shot orange liqueur
On the rocks.

So for the tequila, they say the silver (joven, or young) is really the stuff. This is unaged, and tastes of the tequila agave plant. Aged (reposado, or anejo) tequila is more for drinking straight, while tequila gold is generally a fake aged tequila; they add caramel color to make it seem aged. We tried some Cuervo Clasico Joven - good stuff, not too expensive, smooth and with a good flavor.

Then for the liqueur, triple sec is the usual, but a more robust, botanical flavor can be had with Orange Curacao. Good stuff. (Cheap triple sec is mostly just about sugar). Grand Marnier or other orange/cognac liqueurs are good but pricey. Something called Damiana liqueur is also supposed to be good, it's made out of some plant from Baja California instead of oranges. Or else blue curacao.....

So now that I have researched the perfect real margarita, please give us your sweet, fruity strawberry slush margarita recipes for the girls!

[climbhoser]

I've tried said "orange" flavored margs, and I have to be honest, I prefer the flavor of the original triple sec marg.

Even more so I prefer tequila with lime juice on the rocks, no triple sec (the true orginal "marg"). As for joven vs. reposado or anejo tequilas, I know most people would rather drink an aged tequila like a fine wine. However, once aged beyond four weeks all you're really getting anyway is barrel flavors that "smoke" out the subtleties of the agave. Myself, I prefer the flavor of silver or joven tequilas far more than the dirt taste that odler tequilas have taken on.

Hence, I'd rather use an aged tequila, what I call a "neglected" tequila, for a marg, though I WON'T pay the price and usually use the cheapest, tastiest joven I can find.

If I wanted to taste a barrel I'd lick it myself

[skizix]

[Doug G]

[climbhoser]

Well, literally "resposado" means "rested." In my opinion they probably are a wee 'smoother' if that's the term you woud use. Some of the sharper aromas form the agave plant have left the building, and the addition of the wood flavoring (whatever wood) masks a lot of those biting flavors in silver tequila. However, those flavors are what I like about a young tequila, and why I absolutely prefer to drink it.

As for the Rio marg, what happened to the one they used to do with Everclear?

Oh, and triple sec is an orange liqeur, yes, but it's generally mellower and less sweet, not so overpowering. I also like a marg made with sweet and sour, almost better completely than a triple sec marg. What I don't like is orange and sweet overpowering the flavor of the lime juice and the flowery aromas of my young tequila. tequila is definitely a good 60-70% of my marg...strong, yes, but good.

oh, and I use the best tasting cheap tequila I can find because I reserve the good ones for drinking straight

[benny]

If you're thinking about buying decent tequila for mixing then I recommend going a step farther and using Cointreau in lieu of Triple Sec. Substantially more expensive but way tastier. YMMV


On the other hand, if you're having 50 of your closest friends over for margos the enhancement is likely to be lost on many.
_________________
"The French, it's like they pull baguettes out of their ass!"

[Otto Too]

IMHO Gran Gala is as tasty, if not more, than the Cointreau at a much lower cost .

[skizix]

[benny]

[climbhoser]

Oh, I had many Rio margs whilst "attending" CU. However, the best marg I've had on the Front Range is the house marg at the Mission Bell in Manitou Springs.

That and the one in my blender

[2 left feet]

no salt.
_________________
Everyone will start to cheer
When you put on your sailin' shoes
- Lowell George

[stinkymonday]

Corazón Blanco - Cointreau - squeeze of lime and a rim of salt. Quit complicating things.

[Bob T]

In the interest of complicating things in a really tasty way: Nantucket Off-Shore Simple Margarita sour mix. Finally, a sour mix that doesn't taste like propylene glycol. Just like you would make if you had the time to squeeze all those limes (and a few lemons) and stir up a simple sugar solution. Kinda pricey, $8 for a quart, but it slays in the sour mix category.

Also, a cheaper orange liquor to offset the expensive sour mix: La Belle Orange cognac. Just a splash.

[Margarita]

I used to have a recipe for margaritas, I think they involved beer, that I would freeze solid in a big bucket. They melted pretty evenly and all you had to do for that slushy texture was thaw the bucket. No, it wouldn't taste great if I drank it every day, but it sure is cause for joy and praise when brought out halfway through a grand trip in August. Anyone have such a recipe? I sure do miss it.

[bmiller]

The juice of one lime and one lemon
two shots of this

half a shot of Cointreau or GM
Shaken with ice
Repeat