The Margarita - this is not just any old margarita, this is a humdinger. If you like the taste of margaritas that come from pre-mixed packages this recipe is not for you. This is also not for the hurried - you also need to leave yourself at least 6 hours to prepare it.
The original recipe came from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible, although he took it from Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill (haven't been, but would love to go) in Chicago. The original recipe said it served eight, but well, not really. At least not in our house with our willingness to imbibe! It makes eight drinks but serves more like four.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup tequila (we often use silver, but you can use any grade you prefer)
- 1/4 cup orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Cointreau...)
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1+ teaspoon freshly and finely grated lime zest
- 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
- 8 lime wedges for garnish
- 3-4 cups ice cubes for serving
In the morning on the day that you plan to serve the margaritas, combine the tequila, orange liqueur, water, lime juice and zest, and sugar in a pitcher. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then let the mixture steep in the refrigerator, covered, for 6 to 8 hours. Don't be tempted to skimp on the time.
Spread the salt in a shallow dish. Rub the rims of 4-8 margarita or martini glasses with the cut side of a lime and dip each glass rim in the salt, shaking off the excess. Add the ice to glasses and then strain the sublime margarita mixture into the glasses. Drop a lime wedge in each glass and serve immediately.
The glass prep is pretty obvious, but I've included it for completeness—just don’t forget to strain the lime zest out. We tend to serve over ice in the glass rather than straight up or blended. We've never tried blenderizing, so if you try that let me know how it turns out! The key elements are the lime zest and the steeping time.
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