Margarita Recipe
A classic Margarita.
How to Make a Classic Margarita
The Margarita is one of the most universally loved cocktails and consistently ranks among the top drinks in North America. While many people associate Margaritas with sunny vacation destinations in Mexico, it's a great year-round cocktail to know how to make at your home bar any time of year.
Even people who don't otherwise like tequila seem to enjoy it when it's in a Margarita. The combination of sweet, sour and blue agave from the tequila work so well together that it's a very easy sipping drink (so beware).
There are many variations of the Marg, but this is the recipe of the classic original as a starting point for your Margarita cocktail adventures (should you choose to go down that long and winding road). This Margarita recipes follows the 2:1:1 cocktail ratio of two parts spirit, to one part sour and one part sweet. In this case, the Triple Sec adds the sweet.
An easy Margarita recipe for the home bar.
Margarita Ingredients
2 oz tequila blanco/silver
1 oz triple sec (or alternate orange liqueur)
1 oz fresh lime juice
If you feel you need more sweetness to your Margarita, add 1/2 oz agave syrup (or simple syrup).
Margaritas are served in a glass rimmed with kosher salt. For that reason you'll shake your Margarita ingredients separately and then strain it into the serving glass, which you should rim in advance with salt (and to which you've added a few ice cubes).
The Margarita is often served in a Margarita glass, but it's quite common to see them served in just about any type of glassware you can imagine. So feel free to use what you have on hand and get creative with your visual presentation. Use a lime wedge to moisten the rim of the glass and then twist it in medium-coarse kosher or sea salt to salt the rim. I often prefer to salt half the rim and not the entire circle. This makes it accommodating to guests who do not want to sip through a ring of salt.
Next, add the tequila, Triple Sec (or Cointreau) and lime juice to a shaker with ice and shake for 15 seconds.
Strain the mix into your serving glass, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
By Mike Belobradic
Wine, Spirits and Beer Virtuoso
Grand One Lounge