I come from generations of margarita drinkers. My palette has been honed from a young age—when I was a little girl I stole salt off the rim of my grandma’s cocktail (I may have stolen a drink when no one was looking).
Let’s skip over the tragedy of the 80s—when you could buy a tub of mix, add some shitty tequila, freeze it for a few hours, then when your guest arrived, chisel it out with an ice cream scoop like a shaved-ice meets spiked ICEE of lime-flavored sin. We’ve come a long way since then (thank gawd!) and I’ve become somewhat of a margarita connoisseur.
I strongly and passionately believe that margaritas should never contain generic triple sec, sweet and sour mix, and never, ever soda water, tonic water or any kind of fizzy liquid. This is a deal breaker. And also, when I ask you, Mr. Bartender, what you put in your margarita, and you say, “Don’t worry, I make the BEST margarita.” I immediately regret my decision because it will probably be one of the worst margaritas that I’ve had in my lifetime. Ok, speech over. Let’s get to the good stuff. Read on.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 oz El Jimador Tequila Blanco
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- Salt
- optional: 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded (or not depending on how spicy you like it)
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Combine all ingredients in tall glass filled with ice. Mix with cocktail mixing spoon or shake in cocktail shaker until very cold.
(If making spicy margaritas, muddle a couple of jalapeños slices with the tequila. Or, you can add 1/2 a sliced jalapeño per 1 cup of tequila and it infuse for a few hours up to one day. Then, just use the spicy tequila instead of muddling pieces of jalapeño.)
STEP 2
Rub edge of glass with cut lime, then dip in the salt. Place ice cubes in glass.
STEP 3
Using bar strainer, pour margarita mixture into salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with lime slice. Bottoms up!
Want to know how to easily make a Batch of Margarita? Just watch the video for the recipe. (Bonus, you’ll get some great grilling tips from my friend, Phil!)