RFI: Classic Margarita Recipe/Proportions

[Guerrero]

The wife and I recently acquired some higher-end tequila (Califino silver, reposado, anejo, and extra anejo), so I also bought some Cointreau and some fresh limes to make classic Margaritas.

My first attempt was an unmitigated disaster. The recipe I used was:

2 oz. tequila (I used the Califino anejo)
1/2 oz. triple sec (Cointreau)
1 1/2 oz. lime juice

put in a shaker with ice, shake, strain into salt-rimmed glass.

It was awful.

Anyone have a good recipe?

[Jac]

That’s a lot of lime... Start with a 3-2-1 ratio, tequila-liqueur-lime, and try the silver or repasado; anejos are better for sipping neat, or old fashioneds.

[sabasarge]

The wife and I recently acquired some higher-end tequila (Califino silver, reposado, anejo, and extra anejo), so I also bought some Cointreau and some fresh limes to make classic Margaritas.

My first attempt was an unmitigated disaster. The recipe I used was:

2 oz. tequila (I used the Califino anejo)
1/2 oz. triple sec (Cointreau)
1 1/2 oz. lime juice

put in a shaker with ice, shake, strain into salt-rimmed glass.

It was awful.

Anyone have a good recipe?

From my days as a bartender.....double your Cointreau, juice of two limes, forget the shaker and put all contents in a glass (salt-rimmed or not) filled with ice.

[Trigger]

My current favorite is 2-3oz. Espolon Anejo and a few cubes of ice. Leave the Cointreau and limes in the cabinet. Sip and enjoy.

[RoyGBiv]

FWIW, if I'm adding a lot of mixers to a drink, I typically use the lower-end spirit.
If you enjoy the anejo and x-anejo straight or OTR, it's overkill to use them in a cocktail.
I don't find they improve a mixed cocktail noticeably, over using a silver or reposado.

Wife and Daughter enjoy Margaritas with Cazadores. I'm happy to pay the extra $1.00 at TotalWine to upgrade from Silver to Reposado, but another $6 to go up to anejo is a pass. YMMV, of course.

I use a 2.5:1:1 (tequila:lime:triple sec/Cointreau) mix if using fresh lime juice.
Add some Agave syrup if you like it sweeter. Add more lime juice if you like it more tart.

Tips from Cazadores: https://www.cazadores.com/our-margarita/

USE BLANCO OR REPO
Tequila selection in a margarita depends on personal preference but feel comfortable using Blanco or Reposado. Use Blanco for powerful citrus and agave flavors or Reposado for mellow woody and spicy flavors.


And Jose says 2:1:1 as well. https://cuervo.com/cocktail-recipes/cuervo-margarita/

If making frozen (Daughter has a machine) I find the Jose mix works great, just add tequila, ice and whirr.

[GearFondler]

I'm a lazy redneck so I use the Cuervo mix...

3 shots mix
2 shots good Tequila
1 shot Grand Marnier
1 squeezed lime wedge

Mix well in shaker of ice and pour.

[Elwin]

The 3-2-1 ratio makes a damn good drink. It’ll knock you on your ass though, being a dangerous combination of 1) lots of booze and 2) super tasty and easy drinking. I’d start with that or maybe a 2.5-2-1 and adjust from there based on what you think it needs less or more of.

Other than that, I’d second sticking with the blanco and repasado, and also make sure you’re using quality ice and shaking vigorously and thoroughly. There should be condensation on the outside of the shaker, and you should get there by shaking basically as hard and fast as you can without breaking things.

Edit - I’m of the opinion that not only are anejo tequilas (and delicious old oaky whiskies or aged rums) not worth the price increase if you’re mixing, but in most drinks they are actually worse ingredients than their younger siblings. You need some fresh, bright qualities to cut through the other ingredients. I think anejo makes a bad marg, just like I think daiquiris call for white rum and Elijah Craig is the most high end bourbon that makes a good manhattan.

[RoyGBiv]

also make sure you’re using quality ice

Excellent reminder! The ice my fridge makes from city water can ruin a good drink. It's not very appetizing to look in the bottom of my inside freezer and see the rusty deposits left by wayward city cubes that sublimated there. Not hard to imagine how that would affect taste.

My garage fridge has the usual ice maker in the freezer side. I keep it filled with bagged ice from the supermarket and can use the dispenser to make crushed or just grab cubes from inside the door.

[littlejerry]

You can also use agave nectar in place of Cointreau(at a different ratio... Dont add 2 oz of the stuff). Most grocery stores around here carry it.

If the 3-2-1 ratio is too much booze I have a friend that cuts it with club soda.

I'm a fan of Espolon Reposado. It's good enough I reach for it more than bourbon these days.

[Jim Watson]

I don't make Margaritas but I visit friends who do and their approach is like GearFondler's, although I don't know the proportions.
The friend who visits me for a drink has taken a liking to gin and tonic after a spell with the elaborate Negroni.

[guymontag]

I follow Alton Brown’s recipe - all members of the family like it. Espolon Blanco.

[Tabasco]

From Ted Haigh's "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Coctails":

The Original Margarita

1-1/2 Oz. Blanco Tequila
1-1/2 Oz. Cointreau (I found a Mexican version that was cheap and 80 proof)
1-1/2 Oz. lime juice ( I use 1 Oz.)

I also put a pinch of salt in. Shake in a shaker with ice and pour in a cocktail glass.

[RevolverRob]

If you're going to shake it, crushed ice.

I make mine by shaker full for usually 2-4 people.

4-ounces of tequila (Milagro Silver remains a go to).
2-ounces of triple sec, I do not use Cointreau, I find the flavor is too strong and the spirit is too strong. You're looking for an orange flavor, a disturbing amount of sugar, and some light booze content in a triple sec.
1 - whole lime, squeezed. Slice the squeezed lime into 1/4s and drop a quarter into your shaker.
1/2 cup of crushed ice

Shake until the shaker is too cold to hold onto. The crushed ice will dissolve, watering the pretty heavy mixture above down. Pour over a few ice cubes in a glass with a salted rim.

___

In lieu of a triple sec or Cointreau, if you want to get radical, use about tablespoon of simple syrup and take a fresh blood orange and squeeze about half of it into your shaker, along with the lime, tequila, and ice. Reduce the ice content (since you reduced the booze content) to around 1/3rd cup.

[nalesq]

If you are using a high quality resposado, then I suggest omitting the orange liqueur altogether, and use instead agave syrup, which will help showcase the tequila’s flavor in the margarita. If you go this route, then I recommend 2 oz of resposado, 1 oz of lime juice, and only 0.5 oz of agave syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass with a single large ice cube.


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[rob_s]

Haven’t done it yet, but I plan to try this guy’s methods in the coming weeks (why a woodworker is suddenly posting drinks videos on YouTube, I have no idea)


https://youtu.be/1zRG48-9sH4

[Brian T]

As a long time member of AR15.com, I have met a lot of good people through that forum over the years. One of the best was "Eric the Hun" aka Wayne. Wayne had a way about him; thoughtful, intelligent, funny, and a little arrogance. Wayne made great margaritas. Wayne's Windex Margaritas to be exact.

3 parts Jose Cuervo Marg Mix
1 part gold tequila
1 part Triple Sec
Blue Curacao to the color of Windex
Nice wedge of lime
Served on ice

I like the glass lightly rimmed with at 50/50 sugar-salt mix


I know its not a classy margarita, and the members of the Finer Things Club will scowl, sneer, or frown upon it. But its tasty, and it harkens back to some good memories.

[Dr_Thanatos]

If you're going to shake it, crushed ice.


In general, I disagree with the use of crushed ice in the shaker. You completely lose control of your dilution, and would save time by adding water to the drink and putting it in the fridge. (Which, for a large batch, is a good idea)

If you are using crushed ice, shake with either a couple of cubes, or (better) a large king cube in the shaker until cold, then pour over crushed ice in the glass. Then the consumer has the option to adjust their preferred dilution by drinking it immediately (stronger) or waiting a few minutes (weaker). It's the same amount of booze in the glass, the ice is just controlling how boozy it tastes.

For the OP, I don't particularly like margaritas. I infinitely prefer a paloma. But, if you have a group, I've made this recipe before. Saves a lot of prep time at the gathering.

https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/a-gallon-of-margaritas/

And, just because I brought it up, here's the paloma recipe I use.

https://www.seriouseats.com/grapefruit-tequila-upgraded-paloma-cocktail-recipe

[nalesq]

Since it is more or less strawberry season, another worthwhile project is to make strawberry infused tequila. Pour about 16oz of tequila (better quality tequila yields better results - I would use a decent resposado) into a 1 liter jar, then fill it the rest of the way with halved strawberries. Wait about 3 weeks, agitating the mixture periodically. At the end of that time, you will get something like this:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210520/ea6aff1b4937c92b6a1232272b299021.jpg

It’s a really lovely color. The nose is like a fresh field of strawberries, with slightly earthy overtones. The first sip is also definitely strawberry forward, with the agave in the background, followed by an oakey, almondy, almost tannic astringency, like a wine. It’s interesting as a sipper, but really shines in cocktails. It’ll make the best strawberry margarita you’ve ever had.


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[Jac]

Since it is more or less strawberry season, another worthwhile project is to make strawberry infused tequila. Pour about 16oz of tequila (better quality tequila yields better results - I would use a decent resposado) into a 1 liter jar, then fill it the rest of the way with halved strawberries. Wait about 3 weeks, agitating the mixture periodically. At the end of that time, you will get something like this:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210520/ea6aff1b4937c92b6a1232272b299021.jpg

It’s a really lovely color. The nose is like a fresh field of strawberries, with slightly earthy overtones. The first sip is also definitely strawberry forward, with the agave in the background, followed by an oakey, almondy, almost tannic astringency, like a wine. It’s interesting as a sipper, but really shines in cocktails. It’ll make the best strawberry margarita you’ve ever had.


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This. But, if I may differ a bit, go for the strawberry Paloma rather than Margarita... http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2007/08/02/paloma-mi-amante/

[Baldanders]

In general, I disagree with the use of crushed ice in the shaker. You completely lose control of your dilution, and would save time by adding water to the drink and putting it in the fridge. (Which, for a large batch, is a good idea)

If you are using crushed ice, shake with either a couple of cubes, or (better) a large king cube in the shaker until cold, then pour over crushed ice in the glass. Then the consumer has the option to adjust their preferred dilution by drinking it immediately (stronger) or waiting a few minutes (weaker). It's the same amount of booze in the glass, the ice is just controlling how boozy it tastes.

For the OP, I don't particularly like margaritas. I infinitely prefer a paloma. But, if you have a group, I've made this recipe before. Saves a lot of prep time at the gathering.

https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/a-gallon-of-margaritas/

And, just because I brought it up, here's the paloma recipe I use.

https://www.seriouseats.com/grapefruit-tequila-upgraded-paloma-cocktail-recipe

Sorry Rob, I must agree with whole ice. Mostly based on tiki drinks, but I used to consider Margaritas my favorite mixed drink. Less dilution, more flavor.

I was drinking more Palomas, pre-covid (favored by my friends) but when I was drinking them semi-regularly:

2oz Altos
1oz Gran Mariner
1oz fresh squeezed lime juice

Better version: make a batch like the above recipe 24 hours in advance, add the zest from the limes. Filter into large chilled Martini glasses.

These days, I just drink a proper daiquiri.

[Isaac]

I’ve made the real deal, and it’s great. But limeade +, is sooo easy. Slice of jalapeño too..

[Guerrero]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 2)

Summary: much, much better, but could be just a little sweeter.

3 oz. blanco Tequila
2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar (thanks Brian T).

I tried the suggestion of "3-2-1" and blanco tequila and it worked well (thanks Jac)

[Guerrero]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 3)

Summary: still very good, but just a tad too sweet now.

3 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. agave syrup
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar.

This time I tried to make it sweeter by adding agave (thanks RoyGBiv littlejerry), but now it's just a little too sweet.

[Baldanders]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 3)

Summary: still very good, but just a tad too sweet now.

3 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. agave syrup
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar.

This time I tried to make it sweeter by adding agave (thanks RoyGBiv littlejerry), but now it's just a little too sweet.

My mixology rule-of-thumb is no more than 1/2 oz of sweetener (simple syrup, maple syrup, grenadine, etc) in any cocktail I make. Maybe a bit more if it's really tart otherwise.

I bet if you cut back to a tablespoon or so of agave, that will probably work . Lime juice can really vary on tartness. I wish the giant key limes that were a Covid substitution for Persian limes were still in the grocery store. They were amazing for drinks.

[Guerrero]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 4)

2.5 oz. blanco tequila
2.5 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar.

Summary: tried to get a little sweeter w/o agave syrup. Still very good, but not sweet enough, and I've lost some of the good tequila taste.

Next time I might try using Grand Mariner or cheaper triple sec instead of the Cointreau, or go back to 3-2-1 with just a little agave.

[littlejerry]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 4)

2.5 oz. blanco tequila
2.5 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar.

Summary: tried to get a little sweeter w/o agave syrup. Still very good, but not sweet enough, and I've lost some of the good tequila taste.

Next time I might try using Grand Mariner or cheaper triple sec instead of the Cointreau, or go back to 3-2-1 with just a little agave.

I typically don't even include the Cointreau. Tequila, lime juice, and then add agave to taste.

If I'm out of limes I'll use oranges. Blood oranges are also good. Not a margarita, but pretty damn good.

[Guerrero]

I typically don't even include the Cointreau. Tequila, lime juice, and then add agave to taste.

If I'm out of limes I'll use oranges. Blood oranges are also good. Not a margarita, but pretty damn good.

I saw you post that before. I'm toying with that idea. Having married into a family with Mexican roots, I'm trying to stay traditional.

[RoyGBiv]

Margarita de Guerrero (Mk. 4)

2.5 oz. blanco tequila
2.5 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lime juice

put all in a shaker with ice and shake the dickens out of it. Strain over ice and lime slice into glass rimmed with 50/50 salt/sugar.

Summary: tried to get a little sweeter w/o agave syrup. Still very good, but not sweet enough, and I've lost some of the good tequila taste.

Next time I might try using Grand Mariner or cheaper triple sec instead of the Cointreau, or go back to 3-2-1 with just a little agave.

I don't taste the Cointreau when I've used it. Triple Sec does fine for adding a bit of orange zestiness.
Never occurred to me to try zesting an orange instead... Fewer calories :o . Will try to remember to give it a try next time daughter is home.
She's a Margarita fan, so, that's about the only time we make them at home these days.