How to Make the Perfect Margarita

As a resident of both Austin, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico, I KNOW margaritas. I'll tell you now, what passes for a "margarita" in far too many restaurants in the blazing hot Southwest is, quite frankly, appalling. In our defense, it's HOT in this part of the country. People get thirsty and bartenders quench that thirst with a big plastic cup filled with ice and more mixer than tequila. The result? Too sweet, too big, too watered down!

When I was working on my novel, Almost Perfect, which is set in Santa Fe, I learned the publisher was going to put a margarita on the cover. I decided the time had come to seek out the perfect margarita recipe.

I learned quickly, and to my delight as a writer, that a little mystery and controversy surrounds the true origins of the first margarita. The stories date back to the 1930s to places like Acapulco, Tijuana, or Rosarita Beach, Mexico.

My favorite version of the tale was told on the Today show when Bryant Gumbel interviewed an aging socialite named Margarita. While demonstrating how to make an authentic margarita, she said she was throwing a party for some of her rich and famous friends at her mansion in Mexico that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning, when she and her guests basically drank the liquor cabinet dry. All that was left was tequila, Cointreau, and some limes. Since no one was ready for the party to end, she mixed them together, and voilá, one of the most ordered cocktail drinks was born.

Whether she really was the inventor of drink or not, I don't know. What I like about the story, though, is that this eighty-year-old woman got Bryant Gumbel tipsy on the Today show. They were doing shots of straight tequila when most people are having breakfast! She wasn't even fazed, but he was laughing because he couldn't talk without stumbling over his words. Very funny!

Whichever version you believe, they all have one thing in common. An authentic margarita is a small drink served on the rocks that's strong enough to make breathing near an open flame a tiny bit dangerous.

3 ounces of good tequila
1 ounce Cointreau (triple sec is a less expensive option)
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Shake with ice
Swipe a wedge of lime on the rim of a glass, then press the rim into coarse salt
Fill glass with ice and pour in your perfect margarita

Since all the original recipes I found were tart enough to make your mouth pucker, I tweaked it just a tiny bit. Here's the recipe that appears in the back of my romance novel, Almost Perfect.

2 ounces of good tequila
1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
1 1/2 ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounces of Rosie's sweetened lime juice or a bit of sugar to cut the tartness
Shake with ice
Salt half the glass and fill with ice
Garnish with lime
Pour and enjoy!

For a Summer Drink to Quench Your Thirst: If the recipe is still too tart or strong for your taste, add a splash of orange juice and just a hint of grenadine. Cointreau is an orange liqueur so this fits right in. Garnish with a slice orange and a maraschino cheery.

Mexican Martini: This is my personal favorite. Double the recipe above. Be sure you have lots of ice in the shaker and leave the drink in the shaker with the ice. Salt the rims of two martini glasses. Spear some jalapeno-stuffed olives with two tooth picks. Place the spears in the glasses and serve the drink a little at a time while you sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Chill Out with a Frozen Margarita:
I know I bashed non-authentic margaritas above, but on those really hot summer days, you can't beat this frozen version. To make a whole pitcher, put 4 oz. inexpensive tequila and 2 oz triple sec (no sense wasting the good stuff) in blender with a can of frozen limeade and a bunch of ice. Blend on high until frozen. Ahhh!

Check out my hub on Where to Eat in Santa Fe for a list of cookbooks to help you bring gourmet New Mexican cuisine into your kitchen.

Some of my other hubs include tips on finding a vacation rental in Santa Fe, how to pack for your Santa Fe vacation, and decorating Santa Fe style.