wgg's Perfect Margarita

I love wine, but there's nothing like a Margarita with Mexican food. So, taking the dilletante's approach, I decided to investigate Margarita making, including an extensive sampling of tequilas. Several tipsy evenings later, I came up with the following recipe.

There were a few surprises in our experiments. For starters, Margarita mixes on the whole aren't that good and contain lots of questionable ingredients. A Margarita doesn't really need more sweetness than can be provided by Triple Sec and pure lime juice. I also learned that many popular tequilas aren't made with 100% Agave, and consequently aren't as flavorful as they might be. Choosing a quality Reposado made a big difference in the result. On the flip side, Anjeo tequilas are more like an after-dinner drink and don't mix well. I tried Grand Marnier in place of Triple Sec, but found that an inexpensive Triple Sec is preferable because it provides the required sweetness without much extra alcohol. Your Triple Sec can be inexpensive, but not cheap. Get one with natural flavoring and 15% alcohol. I like Bols, but have not tasted widely.

Ingredients

1 part		Juice of 1 fresh lime
1 1/4 parts		Triple Sec
2 1/2 parts		Reposado tequila (Sauza Hornitos or Cuervo Tradicional)

Preparation

1. Roll the lime across the countertop with your hand, squishing the juice free from the lime. Juice the lime. There are some nice two-handled squeezers out there for the task, or just cut in half and squeeze out with your hand. Use a sieve or cheese cloth to reserve out the seeds if you need to.
2. Use a lime half to dress the rim of the glass with lime juice, and dip the glass in a flat dish of salt. Fill glass with ice.
3. Stir lime juice with triple sec and tequila, pour over ice and let it chill a bit.

Notes

• You can go up to 2 parts triple sec and 3 parts tequila, or scale back a little on them (e.g., 1 and 2 parts each).
• The Sauza is "grassier" than the Cuervo. Go for the Cuervo if you don't like a gamey margarita.