Cocktail Hour: Margaritas -- got a good recipe?
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 6:57 amI was never into tequila or margaritas, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to try my hand at it.
Here's the classic margarita, which is a bit plain and tart:
[b]Classic Margarita[/b]
2 oz. Tequila (blanco)
1 oz. orange liquer (triple sec, cointreau or grand marnier)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
salt, either in the drink or rim, of the glass
Here's my recipe, which I cobbled together from a few other recipes that I experimented with.
[b]Gila Margarita[/b]
2 oz. Tequila (blanco)
2 oz. lager beer (a [i]mild[/i] beer like Magic Hat 9 or Coors-- nothing bold or hoppy)
1 oz. orange liquer (Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but anything similar is ok)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. agave syrup
1/2 oz. (optional) habenero pepper-infused cane or agave syrup*
This makes a larger drink which has the vegetal/pinecone taste of tequila, the fruitiness of the juice and liquer, all thickened and made sparkly by the beer. Oh yeah-- and followed by a helluva nice pepper kick! By the way, the proportions listed above are estimates. I've only made this a handful of times, so I basically adjust until I find the right balance of flavors. Also, I don't usually do the salt thing on the glass, but if somebody asks for it, I'll carefully wipe some agave syrup on the rim and sprinkle some salt on it.
*[b]Habanero-infused Syrup[/b]
To infuse the cane or agave syrup, just buy a few habaneros and de-seed them, and let them soak in a small jar or bowl of syrup for a few hours. Consider wearing gloves while cleaning the peppers, since the oil/juice can leave a chemical burn on your hands. I tried repeatedly to use jalapeno peppers for this, but I always ended up with syrup that had the taste and smell of jalapeno [i]without[/i] the heat of the peppers. Habaneros are many times stronger than jalapenos, so that seems to have solved it. After a few hours, the syrup remains sweet, but retains an unmistakable lingering pepper-heat.
[b]A few words about tequila.[/b]
It's not my favorite liquor. It seems way overpriced. A few terms:
White/Blanco/Silver/Platino: Unaged tequila - the raw stuff.
Reposado/Gold: Aged 2 months to 1 year - smoothed by aging.
Anejo: 1 to 3 years - refined, whisky like character, for sipping.
For mixed drinks, I would stick with blanco or a cheaper reposado. I would also look for 100% agave on the label, since anything else is usually doctored with the lowest quality industrial distillates known to mankind. I'm not an expert on the hundreds of available brands, but so far I like Cazodores, Teza, and Lunazul. I think the larger mass-produced brand names seem to be either overpriced (e.g. Patron, Corzon), dull (e.g., Sauza) or both (e.g., Cuervo, Don Julio).
[b]Wrap-Up[/b]
Do you have a favorite recipe or ingredient for margaritas? Let's hear it.
Here's the classic margarita, which is a bit plain and tart:
[b]Classic Margarita[/b]
2 oz. Tequila (blanco)
1 oz. orange liquer (triple sec, cointreau or grand marnier)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
salt, either in the drink or rim, of the glass
Here's my recipe, which I cobbled together from a few other recipes that I experimented with.
[b]Gila Margarita[/b]
2 oz. Tequila (blanco)
2 oz. lager beer (a [i]mild[/i] beer like Magic Hat 9 or Coors-- nothing bold or hoppy)
1 oz. orange liquer (Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but anything similar is ok)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. agave syrup
1/2 oz. (optional) habenero pepper-infused cane or agave syrup*
This makes a larger drink which has the vegetal/pinecone taste of tequila, the fruitiness of the juice and liquer, all thickened and made sparkly by the beer. Oh yeah-- and followed by a helluva nice pepper kick! By the way, the proportions listed above are estimates. I've only made this a handful of times, so I basically adjust until I find the right balance of flavors. Also, I don't usually do the salt thing on the glass, but if somebody asks for it, I'll carefully wipe some agave syrup on the rim and sprinkle some salt on it.
*[b]Habanero-infused Syrup[/b]
To infuse the cane or agave syrup, just buy a few habaneros and de-seed them, and let them soak in a small jar or bowl of syrup for a few hours. Consider wearing gloves while cleaning the peppers, since the oil/juice can leave a chemical burn on your hands. I tried repeatedly to use jalapeno peppers for this, but I always ended up with syrup that had the taste and smell of jalapeno [i]without[/i] the heat of the peppers. Habaneros are many times stronger than jalapenos, so that seems to have solved it. After a few hours, the syrup remains sweet, but retains an unmistakable lingering pepper-heat.
[b]A few words about tequila.[/b]
It's not my favorite liquor. It seems way overpriced. A few terms:
White/Blanco/Silver/Platino: Unaged tequila - the raw stuff.
Reposado/Gold: Aged 2 months to 1 year - smoothed by aging.
Anejo: 1 to 3 years - refined, whisky like character, for sipping.
For mixed drinks, I would stick with blanco or a cheaper reposado. I would also look for 100% agave on the label, since anything else is usually doctored with the lowest quality industrial distillates known to mankind. I'm not an expert on the hundreds of available brands, but so far I like Cazodores, Teza, and Lunazul. I think the larger mass-produced brand names seem to be either overpriced (e.g. Patron, Corzon), dull (e.g., Sauza) or both (e.g., Cuervo, Don Julio).
[b]Wrap-Up[/b]
Do you have a favorite recipe or ingredient for margaritas? Let's hear it.