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The Margarita Breakdown


Which classic Margarita recipe speaks to you?


It's officially time to ditch the margarita mix. There are so many variations on this cocktail that are worth exploring: the classic margarita, born from the daisy, the skinny margarita, the Tommy's Margarita. All of which are easy to make and taste way better than the high fructose bottled mixes on the market.


The Important Stuff

  1. Dilution. Always shake your margaritas! The dilution is essential. Imagine the difference between lemon juice and lemonade. Sugar is only half the battle when it comes to a well balanced cocktail. The batched drinks call for the inclusion of water as a way to keep you from having to shake 60 plus ounces of liquor.

  2. Measurements. Ounces are the go-to measures for American bartenders. When it comes to making single cocktails, do yourself a favor and invest the $15 or so that it takes to get a multimeasured jigger. It will save you time and once you get handy with it, it looks pretty cool to play with. I recommend this, this or this one. When it comes to batched drinks, aim for your nearest liquid measuring cup. OXO has a great one, but they all serve the same function.

  3. Ingredients. It's well worth your time to juice the limes fresh. Once you get handy with a juicer, it'll take about 10 minutes of added effort to make your batch, but it'll make all the difference in terms of quality. Get yourself this hand juicer at any grocery store and have at it.

  4. Garnishing. Get down with the garnish. Salt is an obvious favorite for a margarita, but don't let that be the end point. Tajin (spicy seasoned salt) is a personal favorite of mine, although sugar is a great option if you're looking to go on the sweeter side. A slice of pineapple or peach either muddled or on the rim of a glass can make for a really nice addition to an already perfect drink.



The Classic

Like most cocktails, the origins of the margarita are fuzzy, but the most likely evolution comes from the Daisy: an 1800's cocktail made up of alcohol, citrus, and grenadine. Make tequila your base spirit and sub in triple sec for the grenadine and you have the Mexican version of the classic (and the Spanish word for Daisy is? that's right, you guessed it).


1.5oz Tequila

1oz Lime

.5oz Triple Sec

.25oz Agave

Shake with ice and dump into a glass.

Salt, no salt, lime wedge, whatever. You do you, boo.


Batch it

Makes 1/2 Gallon

24oz Tequila

16oz Lime Juice

8oz Triple Sec

4oz Agave

12oz water

Pour into a pitcher and stir well.


 

Tommy's Margarita

Back in the 90's, San Francisco bartender Julio Bermejo decided to improve upon the classic for the bar at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco. Simply enough, he omitted triple sec entirely from his recipe. The result is a fresher tasting drink, the hit of acidity isn't weighed down by the heavy hand of the triple sec. I'm not going to lie, this is my go to recipe at home.


Side note: this recipe tends to do better with a reposado tequila rather than a blanco. Something about the barrel aging rounds out the greener edges of the lime and tequila


1.5oz Tequila

1oz Lime

.5oz Agave

Shake with ice, dump into a glass

Garnish at your leisure


Batch It

Makes 1/2 Gallon

24oz Tequila

16oz Lime Juice

8oz Agave

12oz Water

Pour into a pitcher and stir well.


 

The Skinny

There are two skinny margarita camps. One adds club soda, the other orange juice. Either way, they both omit the triple sec in an attempt to save calories.


Camp OJ

1.5oz Tequila

1oz lime

.5oz orange juice

.25 agave

Shake with ice and pour the whole shebang into a glass


Batch it

Makes 1/2 Gallon

24oz Tequila

16oz Lime Juice

8oz Orange Juice

4oz Agave

12oz water

Pour into a pitcher and stir well.



Camp Club Soda

1.5oz Tequila

1oz lime

.25oz agave

topped with club soda

Shake everything but the club soda with ice and pour into a glass

Top with club soda and garnish


Batch It

Makes 1/2 Gallon

24oz Tequila

16oz Lime Juice

4oz Agave

12oz Water

Club soda to top

Pour everything but the club soda into a pitcher and stir

When serving, top with club soda

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