Making a Great Margarita (101)

There’s really no trick to making a great margarita. The classic technique is a time-honored one. You just have to understand which ingredients to use for your perfect drink. Like all drinks in the “sour” category (think whisky sour, pisco sour, traditional daiquiri, sidecar), the classic margarita follows well-known proportions: 1 ½ to 2 ounces of the base spirit (tequila), about 1 ounce of something sour (lime juice here) and about 1 ounce of something sweet (simple syrup, agave syrup or orange liqueur or a combination). If you like a tart drink, you’ll go less than an ounce of the sweet stuff; for a sweeter version, use it all or lessen the tangy lime. For the brightest-tasting margarita, choose unaged (silver/blanco) tequila and a clear orange liqueur (Cointreau is the most famous). For a very smooth margarita, choose a slightly aged reposado or a fully aged añejo tequila and a dark (brandy-based) orange liqueur (Grand Marnier is a well-known example). I can only recommend tequila that is 100% agave (the mixtos don’t deliver a true tequila flavor), but I choose a mid-priced one for margarita making, not a more expensive, “sipping” quality bottle. The better the bottle of orange liqueur, the better the drink. The low-proof inexpensive triple sec orange liqueurs typically have a fairly washed out flavor. Agave syrup gives a more velvety texture to your margarita than simple syrup, plus it is sweeter than simple syrup that’s made from 1:1 proportions (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar). Fresh-squeezed lime juice (juice you squeeze from limes) is the lynch pin of a great margarita. Even the stuff called “fresh squeezed” in the grocery store will make a less than stellar cocktail.