Margarita

[DCMark]

Thanks everyone. Confirmed my general theory. Will use Cointreau instead of generic 3xsec.

I have seen limes as high as $.49 each at the beach (Bethany) and $.40 in DC. I am a city guy, no car etc so this is the crap I have to put up with. Making margaritas for 5 people all weekend can get really expensive lime-wise.

I am enjoying one know. Fresh lime and tequilla. I don't have any cointreau or triple sec so added a bit of simple suryp.

[Chef Shogun]

Is Gran Gala compatable? I know I've seen it in Table Tents at a restaurant or two (typically not places where you'd expect a good Margarita...) Cointreau in the "Top Shelf Margarita", followed by Gran Gala in the middle, and stock margarita with Bol's or similar Triple Sec. Question is, is it any GOOD?

[BTR]

Is Gran Gala compatable?  I know I've seen it in Table Tents at a restaurant or two (typically not places where you'd expect a good Margarita...)  Cointreau in the "Top Shelf Margarita", followed by Gran Gala in the middle, and stock margarita with Bol's or similar Triple Sec.  Question is, is it any GOOD?

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My understanding is that Gran Gala is to Grand Marnier as Marie Brizard triple sec is to Cointreau, so, while it would be a good sub for Grand Marnier, it wouldn't really be appropriate for a margarita.

[MikeInSacto]

Well all I have to say is THANKS!!!!

I've never been able to make a good margarita. After reading this thread, I grabbed a lime, a bottle of Bauchant (a Gran Marnier type of orange-cognac liqueur) and a bottle of Cuervo Tradicional. Made a 3:2:1. Not perfect - as someone mentioned, a reposado isn't quite right for this. Nonetheless, it's the best I've ever made by far. I think my earlier problem was in using Luxardo Triple Sec. Things never balanced right no matter how I varied the proportions.

Anyway, thanks again.

Mike

[alphaiii]

My understanding is that Gran Gala is to Grand Marnier as Marie Brizard triple sec is to Cointreau, so, while it would be a good sub for Grand Marnier, it wouldn't really be appropriate for a margarita.

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I completely agree with that first statement. I sub Gran Gala for Grand Marnier in drinks, just like I sub MB for Cointreau.

I use either Gran Gala or MB Triple Sec when I make margaritas - it just depends whether I feel like using a cognac based orange liqueur or not.

[plattetude]

For what it's worth, I've found I prefer a 3:1:1 margarita, with perhaps a splash of simple syrup. But then, I like me some nice assertive tequila (typically El Tesoro when I can get it on sale) to really come through.

Christopher

[johnder]

Well all this talk of margaritas made me want one, so I had err -- 3 tonight.

I did a 2:1:1 using Sauza Tres Generations Anejo Tequila and Cointreau. It was super tasty. I know it was somewhat overkill with the Tequila, but it was an open bottle, so I felt a need to put it out of its misery.

On a side note i noticed on the back of the Cointreau bottle it gives a recipes for a perfect marg -- 2 parts tequila, 1 part Cointreau and "fresh lime juice" I guess they decided to let people figure out how sour they want it.

John

[Jaymes]

Tequila-wise, use high-end tequila. I'm happy to realize that this board is one where I probably am not going to have to convince people that yes, you do indeed taste the tequila in the drink and that Cuervo is not the same as El Tesoro. The better the tequila, the better the marg. Silver (blanco), Gold (oro), it depends on the mood. I wouldn't say one is better than the other.

Boy do I ever agree with that. The better the ingredients, the better the final product. Of course, there is a law of diminishing returns, and I wouldn't use Porfidio's single-barrel Barrique at $500 a bottle, of course.

But I can definitely tell the difference between cheap barwell tequilas, and the better brands in my Margaritas.

And I VERY MUCH prefer the better brands in my Margaritas.

Although I probably didn't need to point this out to y'all. Just like abadoozy says, it's preaching to the choir. But felt the need to chime in.

[viva]

Is Porfidio making tequila again? I thought they lost their license or had some serious plant problems.

[alphaiii]

So what is everyone's favorite tequila to use in margaritas? I know most prefer silvers, but what brand?

I've been using 1800 Silver. Its not bad, and it's a good price, but I'd I'm looking for something a little better.

El Tesoro Platinum is outstanding, but I'd like something a little cheaper. I was thinking of trying the Sauza 3Gs Plata, but I have had the 3Gs Reposado and am not very impressed.

Anyone use Herradura Silver, or tried it?

[Jaymes]

Is Porfidio making tequila again?  I thought they lost their license or had some serious plant problems.

Beats me. It was just the most expensive brand I could think of in order to make the point.

One of my favorite bars in Tucson uses Tuaca in their Margaritas. Very tasty.

[eje]

Anyone use Herradura Silver, or tried it?

Herradura silver has been my favorite for years. I was toying with switching to some other brand, due to the price increases. However, I've read they are a responsible company and believe I will continue to support them. Mexican owned, bottled, and farmed.

Sauza Hornitos used to be a favorite; but, I don't like the new packaging of the Sauza brands or billboard advertising campaigns I see for them here in San Francisco. They just changed hands in a massive transaction between several international conglomerates, and I think are now owned by Pernod Ricard.

My next liquor purchase is going to be Herradura's 92 proof blanco.

Wheee!

-Erik

[alphaiii]

Anyone use Herradura Silver, or tried it?

Herradura silver has been my favorite for years. I was toying with switching to some other brand, due to the price increases. However, I've read they are a responsible company and believe I will continue to support them. Mexican owned, bottled, and farmed.

Sauza Hornitos used to be a favorite; but, I don't like the new packaging of the Sauza brands or billboard advertising campaigns I see for them here in San Francisco. They just changed hands in a massive transaction between several international conglomerates, and I think are now owned by Pernod Ricard.

My next liquor purchase is going to be Herradura's 92 proof blanco.

Wheee!

-Erik

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I don't like Hornitos much, and I would take 1800 Silver over it any day. So far, I'm unimpressed with everything I've tried from the Sauza line. The 3G Reposado is OK, but there are many better reposados in that price range.

The Herradura Silver is very reasonably priced in Montgomery County Maryland (where I'll be moving near in less than a month) when on sale - 25.99. At that price I think I may just have to try it.

[slkinsey]

Tequila-wise, use high-end tequila. . .

Boy do I ever agree with that. The better the ingredients, the better the final product. Of course, there is a law of diminishing returns, and I wouldn't use Porfidio's single-barrel Barrique at $500 a bottle, of course.

We had a thread on this subject just a little while ago, where I offered my über-geek suitability-for-cocktails by price graph:

So what is everyone's favorite tequila to use in margaritas?  I know most prefer silvers, but what brand?

I've been using a big bottle of Herradura silver I got on sale a while back. For Margaritas, I tend to just use the least expensive 100% agave silver tequila I can find. Most any 100% agave tequila is more than good enough for mixing (unless there are some real clunkers our members can warn me away from). I also tend to stay away from Cuervo products.

I should add that regular Sausa Blanca, while not 100% agave, is a pretty good tequila if you're mixing for a crowd, especially if you're making drinks with a lot of flavors going on, and easier on the wallet than most 100% agave tequilas.

[marty mccabe]

Traditionally, I always went with:

4oz. tequila (El Tesoro blanco, usually)

1.5oz orange liqueur (Citronge from Patron is my favorite)

1.5oz fresh lime juice

1oz simple syrup

Shaken with ice and served on the rocks. It's a variation of a recipe Amdrea Immer published in an Esquire article. I doubled it to make mixing easier. I usually end up splitting it with my wife, anyway!

Recently, I've been experiementing with the 2:1:1 approach, because my old recipe is a vehicle for tequila, which isn't bad if you really love the flavor.

Also, check out Agave nectar as a sweetner, available at health food stores and Wholefoods.

[mbanu]

I think the sweetness of lower quality (and proof) triple secs means you'd want to use less, not more. You can partially make up for the lack of orange flavor by twisting a wide strip of orange rind into the drink, though.

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I think it'd be sort of a funny version of the future where people order their Margaritas dry, with a dash of triple sec and a squeeze of lime.

Next thing you know they'll be ordering their Margaritas "extra dry"; a shot of cold tequila with a twist of lime that's had the bottlecap from the triple sec waved over it. :P

[mbanu]

So what is everyone's favorite tequila to use in margaritas?  I know most prefer silvers, but what brand?

I've been using a big bottle of Herradura silver I got on sale a while back. For Margaritas, I tend to just use the least expensive 100% agave silver tequila I can find. Most any 100% agave tequila is more than good enough for mixing (unless there are some real clunkers our members can warn me away from). I also tend to stay away from Cuervo products.

I should add that regular Sausa Blanca, while not 100% agave, is a pretty good tequila if you're mixing for a crowd, especially if you're making drinks with a lot of flavors going on, and easier on the wallet than most 100% agave tequilas.

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Maybe I'm being a bit heretical saying this, but if you're just starting off making cocktails, you might have better luck with a good quality mixto than with a 100% agave tequila. When spirits have more assertive flavors, they tend to be a bit more challenging to mix with. When you're just starting out, you wanna keep that enthusiasm high, and it's a bit harder to mix an undrinkable drink with light stuff and blended liquor than it is with the heavier straight stuff.

Edited July 20, 2005 by mbanu (log)

[UptownKevin]

Ok, so maybe I am being a bit bold here, but I consider myself an amateur authority on margaritas. I might go so far as to consider my margarita the best one in New Orleans! So here is my take.

While the ingredients will never vary, different people will need different measurements of the recipe. There is so much variation in the flavor of limes, that I can't even keep my recipe consistent. At this very moment, I am drinking a margarita with the following components:

2oz El Tesoro Platinum

1.5 oz Triple Sec

1 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice

.5 oz Key Lime Juice

The key lime juice is a natural sweetener and helps balance out the cocktail. At Maria's in Santa Fe, they use lemons, because the taste is more consistent. I've used a mixture of lemon and lime juice for the past couple of years, but am currently using lime and key lime. One of the better margaritas I've had at a restaurant was at Frontera Grill in Chicago, but I was disappointed that the mixture had so much refined sugar. I'm a bit of a purist, and I love a good margarita. Ok, so I'm obsessed with them. Feel free to check out my margarita web page and download my margarita book. I wrote it last year and gave them out as Christmas presents.

The NolaFoodie.com Margarita Page

-Kevin

www.NolaFoodie.com

[Daniel Rogov]

See Josh London's article in the weekend edition of the Washington Examiner.

The article can be viewed it as a pdf online at http://ee.dcexaminer.com/dc/?haspdf=1 and then click on the 13th of August, 2005, Weekend Edition issue, and go to page 10.

[Corky]

See Josh London's article in the weekend edition of the Washington Examiner.

The article can be viewed it as a pdf online at http://ee.dcexaminer.com/dc/?haspdf=1 and then click on the 13th of August, 2005, Weekend Edition issue, and go to page 10.

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That link is to the current day's front page, do you have any other way to get the article?

Gary Regan, in his Cocktailian column in the SF Chronicle, analyzed the margarita and gave the recipes for two versions, using Cointreau and Grand Marnier

With Cointreau, it's

3 oz. Tequila

2 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. fresh lime juice

With Grand Marnier, use

3 oz. Tequila

2 oz. Grand Marnier

2 oz. fresh lime juice

It's hard to tell which version the author prefers. When the taster in the story prefers the Grand Marnier, the bartender voices approval, but it may be because a regular at the bar prefers Cointreau and he will get the Cointreau leftovers.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...&sn=001&sc=1000

The trick in margaritas is balancing tequila, lime tartness and citrus flavors while attaining the desired sweetness. While Cointreau is my favorite orange liqueur, it makes margaritas too sour for my taste, and I usually add a splash of orange juice to sweeten it. I actually prefer GranGala to Grand Marnier, and they both have inherent sweetness, although I'm not always in the mood for the cognac taste. Bols triple sec is an excellent low priced orange liqueur, with good orange flavor and more sweetness than Cointreau, and is priced at $5.99 per liter at Trader Joe's.

I've tried many blancos, with bottles of 1921, El Tesoro, Manik, Patron, 1800, Milagro and Casa Noble staring at me right now. The one I go back to again and again is the Patron, which is great for both sipping and margaritas.

As far as cost, a stiff margie with 3 oz. Patron and 2 oz. Cointreau costs $8.00; think about that $8 margarita at the bar made with sweet and sour, which always leaves you asking your companion "Is there any liquor in this?"

[Tim Dolan]

Bump. It's summer man. Anyone have anything to add? Any riffs that you particularly enjoy?

[KatieLoeb]

Flavored 'ritas of all sorts. I like to use the Boiron frozen fruit purees that pastry chefs use for sorbets. Blood Orange Margaritas are always a favorite. Latino fruit flavors like mango, passionfruit or guava are also good. Those can be easily accomplished with a healthy splash of Goya or Jumex fruit nectars available in the Latino section of the supermarket or your local Latino market. Remember to up the proportion of lime juice a bit to compensate for the extra sweetness of the added fruit flavors, as well as bump up the amounts of tequila and orange liqueur slightly so the flavor still comes through the addition of the juice/puree. It should still taste like a margarita. Just with a new flavor twist.

[thirtyoneknots]

As in so many cocktails, subbing St. Germain for the liqueur yields lovely results. Try to use a milder tequila though as the delicate St. Germain can be overwhelmed sometimes by more robust bottlings.

[Barworkz]

As in so many cocktails, subbing St. Germain for the liqueur yields lovely results. Try to use a milder tequila though as the delicate St. Germain can be overwhelmed sometimes by more robust bottlings.

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I always go for 3:1:1 when serving guests a traditional margarita (100% Agave Blanco, Giffard Premium Triple Sec, Fresh Lime Juice) - imo its got exactly the right tartness to it.

Personally I prefer it 'Tommy's way' with agave nectar as the sweetening agent instead of Triple Sec and on the rocks, no salt.

I've been experimenting with temperatures as well and I've come to the conclusion that a margarita at -6 to -8° Celsius (shaken, double frozen rocks) seems to be too tart for my palate but if you let it warm up to about 0° Celsius it will have perfect balance.

This is another factor you will have to count in when trying to reach the 'perfect margarita'.

[jsmeeker]

My TiVo picked up an episode of Alton Brown's 'Good Eats' the other day. I looked at the description and low and behold, Alton is taking on cocktails once again. This time, the Bloody Mary and the Margarita. The Bloody Mary is for another topic, so lets look at what Alton has to say about the marvelous cocktail the Margarita is.

Boiling it down, Alton says to skip the triple sec/Cointreau. This is a bit interesting. He also calls for agavae nectar. I've actually been using agavae nectar in my margaritas recently when I've wanted a touch more sweetness.

You can see the full recipe here

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/margarita-recipe/index.html

but I will list the ingredients and amounts here and describe the method myself.

2 ounces 100 percent agave silver/blanco tequila, divided

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 limes, divided

1/2 small Hamlin or Valencia orange

2 tablespoons light agave nectar

3/4 cup ice cubes, about 3 to 4

OK.. so, the kosher salt is there to rim the glass. So is the "divided use" part of the tequila. He actually uses the tequila to wet the rim of the cocktail glass, then rims it with salt. (his rimming technique is the common dip and dip method, getting salt on the INSIDE of the rim. Maybe one day Alton will learn the right way)

Anyway, the rest of it is interesting. (All of this is for a single cocktail) No triple sec. Instead, he calls for oranges. the quarters get muddled up with 2 limes, quartered. That gets strained out along with juice of TWO more limes. (for the limes I use, that would be about 2 ounces of just lime juice). To me, this sounds like a lot of juice for the amount of tequila called for. Add in the agavae nectar. Shake, Strain. Serve up (I am glad he did that and didn't do it on the rocks)

When I made this, I tweaked this recipe. I used ONE lime. Cut half. Juiced one half. Gave me about 3/4 ounce juice. I took the second half, and quartered it. Then, cut the orange in half. and half again. used just two pieces of that. Muddled together. Strained that out into the mixing glass. That was about an ounce of juice. So, now I had close about 2 ounce of juice all total in my mixing glass. I added a healthy 3 ounces of tequila (Suaza Hornitos) and about an ounce of agavae nectar. Added ice. Shake. Strain up.

Result? This was actually pretty good! I think a bit too sweet for my normal tastes. But would probably be enjoyed by people still weening themselves off of really sweet cocktails. Overall, I think the concept of NOT using a triple sec is good one.