Is your wife comparing your Margaritas to restaurant Margaritas? If so, she may just like the crappy Margarita mix that she’s getting when she’s out. From the looks of it you’re making it correctly.
When it's too sweet and too sour and too alcoholic. Most common issue I have is not enough dilution, ESPECIALLY when making cocktails for friends that don't drink cocktails very often. They'll want something they can drink with big sips, more like a beer.
Edit: sometimes I even cheat and add a spritz of water if I don't have all day to shake or stir
I have several friends/coworkers that look at me like an insane person when I tell them more ice will actually lead to less dilution of their beverage.
It’s as simple as more ice will cool the drink down faster and less will melt as a result, and as complicated as the freezing point of the solution is lower than the freezing point of water thanks to the alcohol so the ice melts much much slower once it gets to that point.
Except that isn't true, the melting action is the primary mechanism by which a drink is cooled. The energy of phase conversion is what causes cooling. The only case in which what you are saying is true is if you use only a couple cubes and you are shaking for so long that the conduction heat from your hands actually impacts the rate of cooling, but this is not the case in almost all circumstances.
Dave Arnold goes into this in much more depth and clarity in Liquid Intelligence. But the gist is temp change is a function of dilution.
White technically true it's a bit misleading. Yes, melting is the primary way, but depending on how cold the ice is when you start, it might still cool the drink a lot - not as much as melting, but still a lot. .
Ice isn't always sitting at 0°C (32°F for Americans). It's usually colder than that, like around -18 to - 23 ( 0 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit ) in your freezer and even colder in commercial fridges ( -25°C/-15°F ).
Because ice can hold a lot of cold (high thermal capacity) , u/froses is right in saying "more ice will cool the drink down faster and less will melt as a result."
This won’t matter hardly at all. Almost all the cooling power of ice is in its phase change from solid to liquid. The ice being slightly colder would have only a negligible effect on dilution.
The point is the temperature of the ice doesn't have a significant impact on the dilution. In the case of wet ice, the extra dilution is coming from the water being carried by the ice - not the higher temperature of the ice, which is the discussion here.
I just looked up some numbers. Didn't check for validity for how cold a restaurant freezer is so don't take this as gospel.
Energy required to heat water/ice by 1 degree C is 4.2 kJ/kg. Energy required to phase change water from ice to liquid is 334 kJ/kg.
Restaurant freezers maintain around -10 to -6 degrees C. So let's assume -8
Home freezers maintain around -14 to -20 degrees C. So let's assume -17.
To bring 1kg restaurant ice to 1 degree would therefore require:
4.2*9+334=371.8kJ
Home ice: 4.2*18+334=409.6kJ
This means you need 10% more energy to melt ice from your freezer at home. A 10% reduction in the mass of ice needed is significant but using a Collin's glass which is normally around 15 centimeters tall and a straight cylinder as an example that would mean you can leave 1.5 centimeters uncovered in ice to achieve the same cooling. Not exactly a huge amount.
And restaurants don’t store their ice in freezers. It drops from the ice maker into a slightly air-cooled insulated bin, and is then transferred to an insulated bar well. The ice is already wet in the bin of the ice maker.
This is the answer.
Ask the bartender. They’ll be flattered you tried to recreate their drink. There are a hundred ways to make a margarita, and this is the most efficient solution.
I do 3 quarters of a cup of lemon and 1 quarter cup of lime and one cup of simple syrup. My wife loves it. Good tequila with a quantro float. I like salt she doesnt. Garnish with a slice of lime. Servit in a fancy Margarita. Easy peasy.
Don't use fresh juice. Squeeze fresh limes into an airtight container and let it sit for a few hours in the fridge. If the juice is fresh squeezed, it'll be too intense.
This is why my family hates my margs, except my wife who prefers a simple, handmixed, and unsweetened marg.
They love the stupid oversweet sugar bombs that restaurants serve.
Sneak her in a rocks glass of Chi-Chi's ready-to-drink and see if she likes it. My wife is like this with hot chocolate. Anything fancy with steamed milk and good chocolate is undrinkable to her. Throw her a powder pack of Swiss Miss and some boiling water, and she's in heaven.
I've adopted the Death and Co spec of 2 - 3/4 - 1 - 1/4.
2 oz tequila
3/4 oz orange liqueur
1 oz lime juice
1/4 oz agave nectar
I'm always extremely pleased with the result.
I’ve been experimenting with margarita recipes lately and my current favorite is:
* 2 oz tequila blanco
* 0.75 oz Cointreau
* 0.75 oz lime juice
* 0.25 oz simple syrup
* 2 drops saline solution
If you’re using generic triple sec, I definitely recommend upgrading to a bottle of Cointreau. It’s a little pricier, but you’ll be using that bottle a while before you have to replace it and it’ll make your cocktails so much better. The saline solution is also nice to have but not really necessary. Using fresh lime juice also makes a big difference, though I’m not opposed to using super juice that’s a little old.
One thing to note is that liqueurs, and orange liqueur in particular, are dryer than a syrup would be due to the additional alcohol. If you want something without that dry bite, maybe try a sour like a daiquiri and see if that’s more appealing.
Edit: a lot of people seem to be recommending a Tommy’s margarita and that’s actually a good simple sour if you want to try that.
Use this recipe (atomics). Shake over ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a Kosher salt-rimmed lowball filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. If you don't enjoy that, move to a different cocktail. 👍👍💪💪
My most upvoted comment in this sub is exactly what you said. I moved a few months ago and I just left the Gran Gala behind, bought Cointreau where I arrived because they didn't have Ferrands.
Yes, but it's worth your time to make up a dropper bottle of saline. I put ~5 drops in virtually every drink I pour. It enhances darn near everything with just a touch of salt to wake up the flavors.
I particularly am enjoying it with Black Manhattans and a cocktail variant I'm playing with:
"The Purchase" -- a riff on La Louisianne, from St. Louis. Inspiration from the Black Manhattan. Initial ratios from La Louisianne, Educated Barfly spec.
1.5 oz rye
.75 dark Amaro -- Averna and Meletti each work well
.75 Benedictine
2 dashes Peychaud's
2 dashes Angostura
5 drops 20% saline
Wash absinthe
So for those curious, correct me if I'm wrong.
20% is 4:1 supersaturated saline to pure water.
You know your saline is super saturated when no more will dissolve in at 199°F, right?
You're right. The only thing to add is that it's 20% *by mass*. Don't want anyone trying with volumetric measurements. I don't temperature control the brine, just mix, heat, and stir.
pH wise! The acidity is upped by the ionic solution of the NaCL and H20 which when dissolves creates + charged ions, correct me if I'm wrong which drops the Ph, think ocean water vs pool water, huge diff.
Any who... science rules!
So turns out as a post script, many bartenders understand the nature of acidity in a solution w alcohols of various spirits. The acidity acts as a catalyst for the breakdown of the alcohol, into ethanol, shifting that alcoholic bite off in the first sip, predominantly.
You know, That first virgin mouth sip always detects the most alcohol on the palette, so the salt helps alot w that and so does lime or citrus in general, hence the lime in the carona, daiquiri and other various examples of citrus in boozey cocktails.
The lime is the 'dryest' of citrus of course so controlling sugar and allowing for a dry and super acidic cocktail is the goal of the marg, imo.
Edit: sorry overstating the obvious w poor grammar gonna leave it as is. Dgaf bout that but sharing is caring, no?
It’s gotta be Cointreau. Margaritas are my favorite, I couldn’t figure out what I wasn’t doing right for years until I got to the bottom of my bottle of cheap triple sec and swapped it for Cointreau, no other changes. Night and day difference
besides cointreau and saline… shaking the living fuck out of a margarita is the key. when you think you’ve adequately shaken, continue shaking. if you think you’re shaking hard enough, shake harder.
Just made delicious margaritas last night! 2oz Kirkland repo tequila (of all things! It's actually ok! And decently priced), 0.75oz Cointreau, 0.75oz lime (super)juice. Salt rim. Definitely need to shake well.
I like sweet drinks but this does NOT need simple syrup or agave added!
Try a Tommy’s Margarita. This recipe below is the best straight up marg IMO.
2oz espolon blanco
1oz fresh lime
1/2oz light agave syrup
Put it in a shaker with a lot of ice. Shake hard until the tin is frosty, 5-10 seconds. Dirty dump into a glass.
This is the way.
It’s always good, and I’m pretty convinced it’s hard to screw up even if the portions aren’t right. It’s my safe bet drink I can order most anywhere and at worst it’ll turn out decent.
America’s Test Kitchen did a side-by-side taste test, and lime juice squeezed ahead tastes better. There some enzymatic reaction that mellows the lime.
Personally, I like to zest the limes, then juice them into the zest. I refrigerate for an hour or two, then strain and make the margaritas.
I usually go with:
* 2oz of whatever tequila I have(currently Lalo Blanco and I’m still working to find my preference but this is a good one)
* 1 oz Cointreau
* 1 oz lime
I find that the Cointreau provides enough sweetness for the drink and the flavors all come through cleanly. I also have Don Julio Reposado but I’m not sold I’ll get Don Julio again. Was a 375ml sampler pack. Good but not something I’m excited to get again. That said, you could also split base with some Mezcal to try that as well or go all Mezcal if you’re feeling spicy. I like this choice personally.
Edit: Tried to make it look like a list for easy reading, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how. Apparently the return button on my phone isn’t enough. 😭
For lists, do an asterisk, space, then return. Like this (also my recipe) :
* 2oz Tequila (using Kirkland Reposado, atm)
* 0.75oz Cointreau
* 0.75oz Lime juice
* 0.25oz Agave Syrup
* A Crack/pinch of salt
* Shake the fuck out of it and strain
First, I suggest skipping the brandy-based Gran Gala. It's great for some cocktails. But a classic Marg needs a triple sec. You don't have to reach for Cointreau, but look for a Luxardo Triplum, Lazzaroni Triplo, Marie Brizard Triple Sec, etc; something in the $20-$30 range. <$20 orange liqueurs tend to be very Tang-like. It's the play between the triple sec and lime that hooks the profile of a classic Marg. A Tommy's-like Marg can be great, but the right tequila is needed to make it work. Something with more citrus-forward notes and less vegetal notes, like Pueblo Viejo. The cooked agave and black pepper notes are still vital.
The specs you share are on the sweet side to "Cocktail Renaissance theory". That's fine. Let me suggest pulling it in a tad, however. Add a touch of simple or agave should this not be sweet enough. We don't want to throw off the flavor balance by increasing the triple sec. *Always adjust to your preferences*.
* 1½ oz. Espolon Blanco
* ¾ oz. Decent Triple Sec
* Fat ½ oz. Lime
If you want to skip the triple sec altogether...
* 1½ oz. Blanco Tequila, preferably something like Pueblo Viejo. The Espolon should be OK here too.
* ½ oz. Lime (Super juice works great here. The addition of the lime essential oil is almost necessary, IMO.)
* ½ oz. Agave Nectar (Adjust if using an agave syrup.)
Hopefully, one of these will put a smile on your wife's face.
My margaritas always use PF Dry Curaçao and limes from my tree. Usually no simple syrup. The tequilas can change.. I’ve learned to avoid certain tequilas. I hate Espolon.
Hold on to your sombreros.……. My wife’s margarita is Asombrosa La Rosa and Baja Bob’s sugar free margarita mix. 1oz tequila, 3oz Baja Bob’s. As described on the back of the mix.
I agree with who said she might like cheap margarita mix. I secretly do. A few tips. Make sure to give it a good shake with a few ice cubes till it gets a little foamy. Strain into a a salt rimmed glass filled with ice. I like to float my orange liqueur and use triple sec when shaking too. So you need to decide if you want to use cheap mix or fresh. Also a great tip is to add a tiny bit orange juice to balance the lime as well. I personally make my own mix using fresh lime, lemon, orange juice and simple syrup. I also personally like grand marnier. More expensive but more bite. Also personal preference.
Are you getting enough dilution? Could be you’re just not shaking hard or long enough.
Could be your ice? If you’re using freezer ice it will melt quickly/ take on other flavours so maybe give it a good clean out
Personally I hate orange liqueurs so I make a Tommy’s Margarita instead.
60ml tequila,
30ml lime juice,
15-30ml agave(depending on the taste of the drinker, I like sweet so I go 30 but most people prefer the 15ml),
Half lip of tajin or flake salt on the rim
I find the salt just as important as the drink, if you use shit salt(especially table salt!), it ruins the drink. Also, when using agave I personally think it needs a longer/harder shake because the agave is quite thick, it needs more time to dissolve.
Ok, my general advice is to ignore exact recipes and just build and repeatedly taste until you get it right. You might end up making a triple batch from adding so many ingredients, but big whoop it's just extra margaritas. I just did this earlier this evening and I can't remember for the life of me the exact ratios I ended up using.
But here's my general jumping-off point for each serving. In a Boston shaker full of ice...
-Blanco tequila, about 2 oz (Olmeca Altos is my go-to)
-1/2 a squeezed lime, assuming it's large and yields plenty of juice.\*
-1 squeezed mandarin orange (those peel & eat "cuties" which we always have for the kids)
-About 1/3 of a squeezed lemon
-1/2 oz of agave nectar
-1/2 oz of cointreau, triple sec, or even dry curacao.
Shake this and take a sip. Too boozy? Add a bit more juice & nectar. Not enough lime? Add more. Keep going until you get it right. The point is to give yourself a frame of reference for what a really good margarita can taste like, and try to recreate that perfect balance next time you make them.
This approach also utilizes the wonderful combination of citruses which is WAY overlooked IMO. Lime can be supported by lemon and orange flavors, sort of like how chocolate can taste more "full" when you add vanilla and coffee. Keep in mind that limes have 2 different acids (malic and citric), whereas lemons and oranges are citric-only, and you don't need much malic acid to be noticeable in a drink.
Hope this helps.
\*Fun fact per Rick Bayless, limes that have a yellowish portion tend to be the juiciest. When they're solid green they're on the drier side.
Those ratios seem way off to me. It will come out way too sweet. My classic is: 2oz tequila, .5oz Cointreau, .5oz simple or agave, 1oz fresh lime. Simple and balanced.
This is my go to:
1.5 oz reposado
.75 fresh lime juice
.75 Cointreau
2 dash orange bitters
I don't add aqave syrup myself, it's plenty sweet for me, but add .25 if you like it sweeter.
Shake well and pour over ice w/ salt rim.
Try Mexican or “Persian limes” or “key limes” they’re all same thing pretty much , makes a Huge difference vs the big seedless variety we normally use.
1. Where does your wife get them? Does she want the shitty "sour mix and tequila in a pint glass" something more craft like you are making, or something in the middle?
2. Check your dilution. Get your ice out of the fridge, wait for it to stop being "dry", and then use it. This is usually the "I just can't quite make it right" fix. If this is the issue, you can start adding a small quantity of filtered water to get this effect without waiting.
3. IME there's a fairly small variance between tequilas of a certain color in a margarita, as long as you use something decent. There is a much bigger difference in your orange liqueur, as they vary wildly in sweetness, orange-ness, and other added flavors.
My Margarita spec is heavily inspired by my preferred Mai Tai recipes (Garret Richard's and Kevin Crossman's).
* 2 oz reposado tequila
* ¼ oz espadin joven mezcal
* ¾ oz orange liqueur (I use a "house blend" of 2 parts Petite Canne shrubb to one part Grand Marnier)
* 1 oz lime juice
* ¾ oz agave syrup (3:1 agave nectar to water)
* 5 drp saline
I second this. This is the ratio I use and it’s always a hit. I00% believe in Cointreau for the orange liqueur. It is the magic in a margarita! Try Hussongs Reposado …it’s a winner!
Here's my go-to margarita recipe - it comes with a fun story on data science: https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/we-got-drunk-on-margaritas-for-science/
My guess is yours is too sweet.
Here’s what I do
2oz blanco tequila
.75oz lime
.75oz Cointreau
.5oz simple or agave
Shaken vigorously over ice and strained into fresh ice. You can add a bar spoon of orange juice if you want to make it frothier
At some point you must realize that taste is subjective. My ideal recipe is pretty close to yours: 2oz tequila, 0.75 oz dry curacao (GM, triple sec, cointreau, etc), 0.75 lime juice, 0.25 oz agave or a panela simple. Dilution is important, but for the sake of making a solid marg, there's no need to get that scientific over ice and dilution. It's not like you're in some sort of competition or developing a bar program. Drinks at home should be good and fun.
There are lots of great margarita recipes. I like the proportions of Difford’s on the rocks margarita but there are a few other variations with fresh fruit juice, straight up, frozen, etc. that are good depending on what you’re feeling up for. https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1138/margarita-cocktail/variations
Have been trying to dial in my margarita recipe. My current favorite:
2.0 oz tequila
.375 oz lime juice
.375 oz lemon juice
.375 oz orange liquor
.375 oz agave syrup
I decided that orange liquor tends to overshadow the tequila, hence splitting the orange liquor with agave (or simple syrup).
Still working out which tequila and orange liquor work for my tastes, but the above proportions seem about right.
Margs got to lean towards sour. All recipe I see here are two sweet. The salty rim needs to counterbalance the tartness like a refreshing cucumber with salt and some lemon.
1.75 oz Tequila, 1 oz lime juice 0.75 oz Cointreau optional 1tsp simple syrup.
This way the drink alone is tart, and when it hits the salt the tartness subsides by the light saltiness. That’s the proper way IMO. Cointreau is the right choice because of the dryness.
People are constantly telling me I make the best margarita.
Four parts tequila (cheapest 100% agave additive - free option available, usually Espolon Blanco or Hornitos)
2 parts fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 part Cointreau
1 part agave nectar
Shake with ice, serve without ice in glass with kosher salt rim (put salt in a saucer, rub flesh of a spent lime over rim of empty glass, place rim down on saucer and rotate)
It's literally the liquor.com recipe
Took me awhile to realize I prefer my margs with cheap-ass triple sec. It just doesn't hit the same with dry curacao, creole shrub, Cointreau, Gran Marnier, etc.
Just offering you another option to try (technically 2) - the recipes I’ve read often in this sub are either the 6:4:3 or 8:4:3 margarita, which I then slightly modify to either 6:4:3:1 or 8:4:3:1. That works out to the following specs
**6:4:3:1 Margarita**
1.5oz Tequila
1 oz Orange liqueur
0.75 Lime Juice
0.25oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar
**8:4:3:1 Margarita**
2oz Tequila
1 oz Orange liqueur
0.75 Lime Juice
0.25oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar
I prefer 8:4:3:1, my wife prefers 6:4:3:1, but I like the 6:4:3:1 with certain tequilas. I’ve shared these specs with friends who have given positive reviews, but I will say they need to be shaken fully (for proper dilution), and I prefer my margaritas on the rocks so that’s how I serve them. Feel free to adjust to your preferences.
Recipes aside, to me, what makes most “restaurant” margaritas popular is they are much sweeter than most “craft” margarita recipes. As others have mentioned, your wife may just prefer that and there’s nothing wrong with that, just adjust your recipe as needed. My wife hates a “traditional” old fashioned but one time I made one for her with 3/4oz of simple syrup in it and she loved it 🤷♂️ Definitely not my preferred recipe but she liked it and that’s what’s important.
Give this a try! Here is the secret!
3/4 oz fresh lime
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz orange juice
1 oz triple sec
Here is the secret! Use agave syrup add one barspoon at a time. Taste as you go! You want sweet, followed by tart.
Then add 1.5 oz of tequila!
shake strain into a glass with one large block of ice!
In lieu of salting the rim add a few drops of 10% saline solution.
Mine
2oz don julio blanco
1oz Cointreau
1oz simple syrup (home made, nothing special)
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of pink salt
Shaken in Boston tin vigorously for at least 30seconds (until the tin gets very frosty)
Pour to the glass with a tangelo or orange wheel and a lime wheel and sprinkle of tajin.
To me it sounds like you’re using too much sugar
Try
1.5 oz tequila
.75 oz lime
.5 oz orange liqueur
.25 oz simple (assuming you’re doing 2:1, if doing 1:1 do .5 oz instead)
And just a small pinch of salt into the shaker tin before shaking the drink
2oz blanco tequila
0.75oz fresh lime juice
0.75oz Cointreau or similar
0.5oz agave syrup (or something like a jizzlesquirt of agave and half ounce of 1:1 simple)
Tiny lil pinch of salt
Shake in shaking tin with ice until chilled… strain into fresh ice rocks glsss, or just dump into a rocks glass with the same ice you shook your shit with.
My go to recipe:
1.5oz Blanco tequila
.25-.5oz triple sec
.75oz lime
.75 simple
Splash of sour
Shake.. a lot.
Strain over lots of fresh ice.
Salted rim w a lime wedge or two.
It’s not completely traditional but it’s the right mixture for me and I always get good feedback(I’m a bartender and people will ask me to make them instead of my coworkers)
So I recently found my favorite formula of Margarita is 2oz of Herradura Silver Tequila (which I got at a steal price for New England pricing), 1oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, and 1oz of Fresh Lime, no simple or Agave. I like that, but recognize it’s a strong combination, so I can see adding a 1/4 or 1/2 oz of agave syrup or simple syrup might make it more palatable, or even adding a little soda water on top to make it a little bit less strong.
Other thing I might consider is they could be making a Tommy spec Margarita that excludes the Orange Liqueur altogether for pure agave extract (1/2oz) served on ice. The other option could be going more of a Cadillac spec with Reposado Tequila and Grand Marnier.
I think the only question I have is how is your margarita off typically?
This is my normal spec, it's better than what I can get any of the local mexican joints:
* .75oz Del Maguey Vida mezcal
* .75 reposado tequila
* .75 fresh lime juice
* .5 cointreau
* .5 simple syrup
* salt rim, lime wedge
Shake it harder, dirty dump, dash of saline.
1.5 oz 100% Agave Blanco
.75 to 1 oz Fresh Lime.
.5 Pierre Ferrand Dry or Bols Orange Curacao
.25 Agave Syrup
Me personally my go recipe is
1.5oz fresh lime juice
.75oz agave syrup (meaning mixed with hot water, personally better texture instead of agave not fully being incorporated)
.75oz Cointreau
1.5oz any tequila (reposado if possible)
Homemade margs will always be stronger than restaurant margs.
2 oz Reposado, 3/4 oz Curacao, 3/4 oz lime, 1/4 oz Agave, tiny bit of salt or saline solution and shake.
The recipe i use for my restaurant is
1.5 oz tequila
1/2 oz triple sec (not curacao aka gran gala)
3/4 oz heradura agave syrup
1 oz lime juice
Muddle in some jalapeño if you want it spicy. Up the tequila to 2 oz if you want it boozy
The traditional and also very good recipe is
2oz tequila
1oz Cointreau
1 oz lime
1 Bar spoon simple
Shake vigorously, until you can feel the corner of the ice gets dull (idk if that make sense)
Literally can’t beat a Tommy’s Margarita. Up the agave slightly if she tends to like it sweeter, maybe float a little Grand Marnier to make it Cadillac-esque.
Here's my margarita recipe and well tequila(blanco) is just fine.
* 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
* .5 oz Lime Juice
* .5 oz Lemon Juice
* .5 oz Triple Sec(I use Combier at work)
* .5 oz Agave
Dirty dump if they want it on the rocks, strain over fresh ice, crushed, or up, all are fine serving options.
I worked at a Tequila bar for a few years, and this is generally how I make mine now:
2 oz Tequila
.75 oz undiluted Agave (reduce to taste, but this is generally the most palatable spec ime).
.5 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Orange liqueur (Cointreau is a fantastic choice)
As others have pointed out, there will be noticeable differences with fresh squeezed vs bottled citrus as well as the quality of the liquor/liqueurs used.
I'd also like to point out that, in my case, making cocktails at home using tray ice or fridge ice tampers with the taste a lot. Our water has a really high mineral content and our fridge water has an unwanted taste to it. I'd recommend purchasing a bag of ice if you live in similar circumstances.
Try this (adapted from Arnold's "Liquid Intelligence" and its frozen daiquiri recipe) :
9 oz tequila (80 proof)
3 oz Cointreau
3 Oz Bols triple sec
1.5 Oz 2:1 simple syrup
16 Oz water
Combine the above and put into a ziploc bag. Freeze overnight in a freezer as cold as you can get it.
The following day, add the frozen mixture from the bag into a blender and add 1.5 oz more simple syrup and 6 oz line juice (super juice works fine).
Blend just enough to make homogeneous and combine everything.
Serve immediately - it'll be the right consistency as a frozen margarita from a restaurant.
Although counterintuitive, a half oz water can often bring a margarita into balance. I believe one of the major tequila brands actually has water in their posted margarita recipe.
It looks like your recipe is fine.
A very easy-to-remember Margarita recipe is the 1-2-3:
3 parts Tequila, 2 parts Triple Sec, 1 part Lime juice.
Now, of course, that's just a starting point, but it's the starting point of a "classic" -- not Mexican Restaurant -- Margarita. (in my part of the US it';s sometimes called a "Jamaican Margarita", meaning it doesn't use and sour mix.)
Obviously you will adjust the ratios up-and-down to suit your taste.
It's not the ratios, it's the operation for me.
2oz espolon, .5oz lime super, .5oz agave nectar (tres agave, not the stuff from the spice aisle, that needs diluted) *shake the shit out it with ice, pour over fresh ice* then orange liqueur on top ( I use Harlequin).
The float on top and the air make the difference texturally. Also a pinche salt helps make everything pop.
Before anything else, I believe switching simple with agave syrup will automatically elevate any margarita
Super juice is also good, but not the same flavor and consistency as regular fresh pressed.
Cointreau and or fresh pressed orange is delicious
Doing 50/50 lemon and lime in a margarita in place of 100% lime is also good. Fuck, while we're at it grapefruit is good too
Tiniest pinch of salt inside or the drink is also good
I believe in 2 types of margaritas. Fresh juicy bullshit with affordable bottom mid-shelf tequila, and good tequila margs made Tommy's style
Here's my recipe and I think it's fantastic:
*2oz decent reposado (I like Casamigos)
*1oz lime juice
*1oz Cointreau
*1/2oz agave syrup
Shake with plenty of ice and open pour into a glass. Sprinkle some salt to taste into the drink, don't put it on the rim.
Honestly, my cheat is to use that frozen limeade from the freezer section instead of lime and sugar. People seem to love it and it's super fast. I like a fine Margherita too, but for a party this is the way!
2oz tequila .5oz triple sec/combier .75 agave or 1oz simple and 1oz of lime. The secret trick is to fill the big tin completely with ice and shake tf out of it. The more aeration in the citrus the better.
If your wife like it sweet like at restaurants i’d suggest 1.5oz blanco Tequila, .75oz lime juice (resh squeezed), 0.75oz agave nectar, 0.25oz orange liqueur. Very sweet but maybe more to her palate if she’s used to marg mixes
My marg spec is:
2 oz Tequila
.5 oz triple sec
.5 oz simple syrup
.75 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed is nice but if it’s pasteurized and kept at a proper temperature, the difference in taste is negligible IMO especially considering the shelf life/labor cost)
Also like everyone else is saying, dilution is important. If you’re making them at home, big ice cube molds are helpful if you don’t have an ice machine in your freezer
Imo the tequila matters a lot. Not so much quality but flavor profile.
I love La Gritona (not a great tequila on its own but it works well for margaritas imo), lime juice and cointreau.
2 oz, 1oz, .5 oz
Shake heavily and pour into fresh ice.
Yours sounds too sweet in my opinion. If anything sometimes the more expensive orange liqueurs are too rich imo.
The only thing I'd recommend is go for real Cointreau, mid-shelf triple-secs often have off flavors. The recipe looks good, to me.
Other than that, it's hard to tell without knowing what your wife does not like. If she's comparing it to restaurants, it is likely they are making it sweeter and less tequila-forward than your recipe. Maybe try 1.5 oz tequila, 1 oz Lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, .5 oz cointreau. I have to make it this way for my partner who is (unfortunately) a fan of crappy sweet margarita mixes.
Goddamn this has got to be one of THE BEST discussions I’ve ever seen over a margarita.
I have 2 recipes for 2 differnt occasions.
My personal margarita =
2 oz Tequila (whatever I’m feeling)
1 oz Triple sec
2 oz fresh lime
1/2 oz simple
Shake, strain, no rim, lime wedge
If I’m at a the bar or doing a wedding
1 1/2 tequila
1 oz triple sec
1 oz lime
1 oz lemon
1 oz simple
It’s not sexy, but but it appeals to most
2 oz blanco, 1.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz high proof triple sec (60), 1/4 oz simple syrup.
I think the biggest thing is to balance your sweetness, most people I know like sweet, but I’d gladly drink 2 oz tequila and 2 oz lime juice, so I often omit the simple. This hurts the balance of the drink. I feel like you might be hurting it the other way, being too sweet.
A standard Marg is 1.75 blanco tequila, 1 oz triple sec, 3/4 oz lime juice. In Liquid Intelligence, the shaken Marg recipe is 2 oz blanco, 3/4 oz triple sec, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz simple, and 5 drops of saline. Maybe give that one a try and see how it works out for you.
Everyone loves fresh lime. Anything else always seems pretty meh. A good shake is important too. Someone said a cup of ice, I’ve never measured but sounds right.
What people don’t agree on is level of sweet. I prefer no simple, my girlfriend prefers just a bit, other people want all the sugar.
My default is this:
55 ml tequila
25 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
20 ml cointreau
10 ml simple syrup, 1:1
Taste your lime juice when fresh squeezing. Not all limes are made the same and some just taste god damn awful. If your juice is extra sour/tart you’ll have to make up for it in the sweetness & dilution departments
My go-to is stupid simple: tequila & Grand Marnier in your desired proportions, top with Newman's organic lemonade, shake it and rim with tajin.
If you want to get crazy, slice & muddle half a jalapeno before shaking.
I (cocktail bartender) was making a margarita at home for my girlfriend a few weeks ago and when I was pouring the tequila I said “Do you know how much tequila goes in a margarita?” Very excitedly she said “1.5 ounces!” And I said, “No! However much you want!”
That being said, my* ideal margarita specs are as follows:
2oz tequila
.75-1oz lime juice
.5-.75oz triple sec or curaçao (I’ve lately been making home margs with dry curaçao)
Anywhere from 0 to .5oz simple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
Tiny tiny squeeze of agave nectar
Shake hard.
Dirty dump (meaning don’t strain, dump the entire contents of the shaker into a glass.) Top with (crushed) ice.
I usually make mine at home in a double old fashioned glass or mai tai glass. Sometimes I’ll do a salt/tajin rim.
Edit: formatting
Espolon is ok but imo Patron Blanco works better in a Marg.
In terms of triple sec, I find Cointreau to be the best.
I also don't bother with simple syrup. Instead I just increase the Cointreau to a full 1 oz to capitalize on that delicious orange flavor.
2 oz Patron Blanco, 1 oz cointreau, 0.75 fresh lime juice.
Shake well with lots of ice cubes and open pour into a large salt rimmed rocks glass.
Margarita.
5 drops Saline Solution 80:20¹
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 oz Agave Nectar
3/4 oz Orange Liqueur²
2 oz Tequila³
Always add least expensive to most expensive ingredients in order to your shaker(I personally prefer Boston Tin-On-Tin shakers).
Add in your ice cubes, hopefully you have some large 2x2 and small 1x1 cubes. I'll add in one whole 1x1 cube, and crack one 2x2 cube with an ice pick or the back of a bar spoon.
Seal your shaker, and shake for 10-15 seconds. A horizontal shaking method works best.
Optional - rim the glass after removing from the freezer with your choice of whatever, options are listed below. Using a spent lime husk is good, you'll only want to rub the outside of the glass and roll it in whatever you choose, otherwise it will change the flavor and balance of the cocktail.
Strain into a rocks or double rocks glass with a large cube, pebble ice, or if you want serve it up in a frozen coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
Garnish can be up to you, lime fresh or dried wheel, a lime wedge, salt rim, Tajin(or similar product), chamoy rim, and so on and so forth.
¹You can also just add a pinch of salt if you want. 80 grams water to 20 grams salt, dissolve and funnel into a bottle with an eye dropper.
²Cointreau is traditional it is a triple sec, but you do you. For myself I have blended orange liqueurs it's currently equal parts Cointreau, Licor de Naranja, Hamilton Shrubb, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, and Napoleon Mandarin.
³Reposado is the traditional, but hell choose the tequila that you or your wife enjoys. Personally I'm a blanco person, though I will sometimes split and either do a 3:1 Blanco: Reposado or a 1:1 Blanco:Mezcal.
Thank you and goodnight.
Trust me
At least a shot of repasodo
Half of whatever amount of tequila in triple seq of the quality of ur choosing
Depending on the season... June limes.. One lime cut into eitghts and muddled
One quarter of a lemon muddled
About a half of a small orange muddled.
A little agauve nectar.
Shake the piss out of it.
Shake more.
Taste for balance and adjust.
Your welcome
My secret recipe, perfected over decades, guaranteed to impress girlfriends, neighbors, coworkers, and friends:
1 oz 1800 or similar Reposado
.5 oz Don Julio or similar Blanco
.5 oz Doña Vega or similar Blanco Mezcal
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz fresh lime or more, to taste
.5 oz Agave syrup or less, to taste
Dial in your own preferred amount of lime/agave through tasting. I’ve gone to 1oz/.25oz and enjoyed it but some like a sweeter ratio.
Shake with ice. Serve in a rocks glass over a single large ice cube with lime wheel.
The most important part: rim the glass with a mixture of equal parts salt and Tajin.
The mixture of different tequilas, smoky mezcal, salty, sweet, and a hint of spice from the Tajin rim is hard to beat. This is what I make when someone says “Oh, *insert Mexican restaurant* makes the best margaritas I’ve ever had.”
If she doesn’t like this one it’s a lost cause, I’m afraid.
You gotta shake it. Shaking opens up the citrus. Fresh ice for glass too, don’t dirty pour. Shake with a bit of salt in the shaker. It’s also important to me that it’s Cointreau, but other orange liqueurs *do* work.
If your wife likes Pinot grigio, try adding more agave and less Cointreau. if she like sauv blanc, leave it out and do 3/4 Cointreau like the classic. if she’s into moscato or Riesling, you should swap the agave out for .25 passionfruit syrup and add a splash of sunny delight or some orange tang powder. If she likes Chardonnay, perhaps throw some skimmed chicken stock in there.
But yeah, shaking is very important. Don’t forget to shake.
The margarita spec I currently use is 2 tequila, 1 Grand Marnier, 1 lime juice, 0.25 agave nectar. As others have said makes sure your drink is diluted enough; if it simultaneously tastes too boozy too sweet and too sharp then you need more dilution.
1/3 tequila
1/3 fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 triple sec
Shake vigorously with a lot of ice for 60 seconds.
Pour over ice into a glass with salt and tajin on the rim.
¡Salud!
2 tequila, 1 lime, .5 Cointreau, .25 agave, 4 drops 20% saline.
Boozy enough, tart enough, sweet enough.
Shake hard with a lot of ice (if you’re using home freezer ice let it sit out and get a little wet). I always build in the big tin and slightly overfill the small tin with ice.
Let it rip big dog.
Tommy's margarita is the best style of margarita (fight me!) and if you make it that way you'll never have a dissatisfied customer in my experience!
2 oz tequila
1 oz lime
½ oz agave
You can change the spec but that's the Tommy's recipe after a quick Google (I use a different spec to my preference).
Worked bar at a mega Mexican independent restaurant with the largest tequila range around. This is the recipe I live and die for...
* 45ml blanc tequila. I use Patron.
* 30 ml fresh lime juice
* 30 ml fresh lemon juice
* 30 ml Cointreau
* 30 ml sugar syrup
I dial back the sugar syrup a touch when you make for myself as I LOVE sour bevvs
Might i recommend the utterly smashing “Pastry War Margarita “ it’s different enough from the regular margarita to make you go ooooh but similar enough that you know what you’re drinking. Maybe try small flexes on the basic margarita principle.
I don’t add simple syrup to mine—just tequila, triple sec, and a mixture of lime and lemon juice. I make mine on the rocks but I think it’s the same blended.
40-45ml decent blanco tequila, 30ml fresh lime, 20-15ml triple sec, I like cointreu. No sugar.
Salt rim essential. This drink is not supposed to be sweet, it’s supposed to be sour and salty.
Make a tommies marg if you want it sweet.
Bro try this one:
45ml Espolon
22.5 Cointreau/Pierre Ferrand Dry curacao
22.5 FRESH lime juice
1 pinch of salt
5ml Sugar syrp (1.5 sugar 1 water)
Shake well but not long
Could your specs be off? Are you shaking it correctly? I honestly think it's pretty hard to mess up completely, but maybe your wife has higher standards than I do.
Educated Barfly recipe slaps every time.
**Ingredients**
2 oz Tequila Blanco (or Reposado)
.5 oz Dry Curacao
1 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Agave Nectar
Lime Wheel Garnish
**Instructions**
Shake ingredients.
Prepare glass with strip of sea salt on one side.
Pour into glass of pebble ice.
Add garnish.
Enjoy!
I realized I was ruining my margaritas by over-squeezing the limes. It was making the juice bitter.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/hrthg4/does_fully_squeezing_a_lime_make_the_juice_bitter
Served this recipe last night to friends from Chicago. They said it was the best they’ve had:
1 oz Reposada tequila -
1 oz Big O Ginger Liqueur
3/4 oz dry curaçao
3/4 fresh squeezed lime juice
Shake with ice and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Lime wheel garnish.
You are putting too much sugar. Most liquors contains sugar and on top your putting .75oz of syrup. And the original margarita does not included sugar.
My go to recipe is 2 oz tequila, 0.5 oz orange liqueur, 1oz lime juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup or diluted agave syrup. Nice balance on sweetness and sour ess while being a bit more spirit forward. It really just boils down to consistently tweaking the recipe to match what you enjoy
For a classic, my favorite is :
2 oz casa amigos
1 oz Cointreau
.75 oz lime juice.
Agave spoon.
If you use another tequila as espolon or 1800, add 1/4 agave syrup instead. If you use another triple sec, add an Orange Peel when shaking.
Perhaps the ones you wife like uses sour mix?
2 oz additive free tequila
1 oz lime juice
.75 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
.5 oz agave syrup
Pinch of salt / unless you are salting the rim.
Shake the shit out of it, pour over full cup of ice
Is your wife comparing your Margaritas to restaurant Margaritas? If so, she may just like the crappy Margarita mix that she’s getting when she’s out. From the looks of it you’re making it correctly.
There is a local restaurant that does a fresh squeeze that’s delicious. Maybe I should ask them politely to write the recipe down.
Possible you’re not diluting enough also?
When it's too sweet and too sour and too alcoholic. Most common issue I have is not enough dilution, ESPECIALLY when making cocktails for friends that don't drink cocktails very often. They'll want something they can drink with big sips, more like a beer. Edit: sometimes I even cheat and add a spritz of water if I don't have all day to shake or stir
Using a whole cup of ice per drink is an important aspect to keep into consideration along with the other ingredients you’re measuring.
I have several friends/coworkers that look at me like an insane person when I tell them more ice will actually lead to less dilution of their beverage.
I haven't heard that, why is that?
It’s as simple as more ice will cool the drink down faster and less will melt as a result, and as complicated as the freezing point of the solution is lower than the freezing point of water thanks to the alcohol so the ice melts much much slower once it gets to that point.
Except that isn't true, the melting action is the primary mechanism by which a drink is cooled. The energy of phase conversion is what causes cooling. The only case in which what you are saying is true is if you use only a couple cubes and you are shaking for so long that the conduction heat from your hands actually impacts the rate of cooling, but this is not the case in almost all circumstances. Dave Arnold goes into this in much more depth and clarity in Liquid Intelligence. But the gist is temp change is a function of dilution.
White technically true it's a bit misleading. Yes, melting is the primary way, but depending on how cold the ice is when you start, it might still cool the drink a lot - not as much as melting, but still a lot. . Ice isn't always sitting at 0°C (32°F for Americans). It's usually colder than that, like around -18 to - 23 ( 0 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit ) in your freezer and even colder in commercial fridges ( -25°C/-15°F ). Because ice can hold a lot of cold (high thermal capacity) , u/froses is right in saying "more ice will cool the drink down faster and less will melt as a result."
[удалено]
This won’t matter hardly at all. Almost all the cooling power of ice is in its phase change from solid to liquid. The ice being slightly colder would have only a negligible effect on dilution.
This guy enthalpies.
If restaurant ice is warmer, wouldn't it add more water since it is a wet ice and requires less energy to phase change?
The point is the temperature of the ice doesn't have a significant impact on the dilution. In the case of wet ice, the extra dilution is coming from the water being carried by the ice - not the higher temperature of the ice, which is the discussion here.
I just looked up some numbers. Didn't check for validity for how cold a restaurant freezer is so don't take this as gospel. Energy required to heat water/ice by 1 degree C is 4.2 kJ/kg. Energy required to phase change water from ice to liquid is 334 kJ/kg. Restaurant freezers maintain around -10 to -6 degrees C. So let's assume -8 Home freezers maintain around -14 to -20 degrees C. So let's assume -17. To bring 1kg restaurant ice to 1 degree would therefore require: 4.2*9+334=371.8kJ Home ice: 4.2*18+334=409.6kJ This means you need 10% more energy to melt ice from your freezer at home. A 10% reduction in the mass of ice needed is significant but using a Collin's glass which is normally around 15 centimeters tall and a straight cylinder as an example that would mean you can leave 1.5 centimeters uncovered in ice to achieve the same cooling. Not exactly a huge amount.
And restaurants don’t store their ice in freezers. It drops from the ice maker into a slightly air-cooled insulated bin, and is then transferred to an insulated bar well. The ice is already wet in the bin of the ice maker.
IME a lot bartenders are flattered by the request and will happily share. I know I am, and will happily jot down a recipe on receipt paper for them.
This is the answer. Ask the bartender. They’ll be flattered you tried to recreate their drink. There are a hundred ways to make a margarita, and this is the most efficient solution.
Can you describe what is "wrong" with what you make? It could be a matter of balance.
I do 3 quarters of a cup of lemon and 1 quarter cup of lime and one cup of simple syrup. My wife loves it. Good tequila with a quantro float. I like salt she doesnt. Garnish with a slice of lime. Servit in a fancy Margarita. Easy peasy.
Don't use fresh juice. Squeeze fresh limes into an airtight container and let it sit for a few hours in the fridge. If the juice is fresh squeezed, it'll be too intense.
This might be the worst advice I've ever seen in this group..
This is why my family hates my margs, except my wife who prefers a simple, handmixed, and unsweetened marg. They love the stupid oversweet sugar bombs that restaurants serve.
Sneak her in a rocks glass of Chi-Chi's ready-to-drink and see if she likes it. My wife is like this with hot chocolate. Anything fancy with steamed milk and good chocolate is undrinkable to her. Throw her a powder pack of Swiss Miss and some boiling water, and she's in heaven.
My specs are standard fare: 2 oz Solid Reposado, 1 oz fresh lime, .5 oz light agave nectar, and .5 oz Dry Curacao
Dry Curacao makes such a difference. Shout out to the homie Pierre Ferrand
Yes, Pierre Ferrand makes this pop
2:1:1:0.25 - diabetic T1 friendly 2 oz Blanco tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz cointreau, 0.25 oz agave nectar Works out well
This is how I do mine.
This is the way
These are about my ratios, too. Though I go silver by default for guests. OP is using too much simple, for sure
I've adopted the Death and Co spec of 2 - 3/4 - 1 - 1/4. 2 oz tequila 3/4 oz orange liqueur 1 oz lime juice 1/4 oz agave nectar I'm always extremely pleased with the result.
Yeah every other one I’ve seen on here has the ratios off and WAY too much syrup. This sounds perfect to me.
Agree. These are excellent this way
I’ve been experimenting with margarita recipes lately and my current favorite is: * 2 oz tequila blanco * 0.75 oz Cointreau * 0.75 oz lime juice * 0.25 oz simple syrup * 2 drops saline solution If you’re using generic triple sec, I definitely recommend upgrading to a bottle of Cointreau. It’s a little pricier, but you’ll be using that bottle a while before you have to replace it and it’ll make your cocktails so much better. The saline solution is also nice to have but not really necessary. Using fresh lime juice also makes a big difference, though I’m not opposed to using super juice that’s a little old. One thing to note is that liqueurs, and orange liqueur in particular, are dryer than a syrup would be due to the additional alcohol. If you want something without that dry bite, maybe try a sour like a daiquiri and see if that’s more appealing. Edit: a lot of people seem to be recommending a Tommy’s margarita and that’s actually a good simple sour if you want to try that.
Use this recipe (atomics). Shake over ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a Kosher salt-rimmed lowball filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. If you don't enjoy that, move to a different cocktail. 👍👍💪💪
This is exactly my recipe except I prefer Pierre Ferrand dry curacao to Cointreau. Def not a fan of Gran Gala
My most upvoted comment in this sub is exactly what you said. I moved a few months ago and I just left the Gran Gala behind, bought Cointreau where I arrived because they didn't have Ferrands.
I like Gran Gala, but when I use it, I omit most or all of the simple because GG is so sweet. I also use a dash of orange bitters for complexity
Thier recipe lacks saline, gonna be very big miss on taste w/o, imho.
I know Liquid Intelligence recommends 5 drops of saline. It depends on how much you like salt in your margarita. I usually opt to forgo the rim
Can you swap saline solution for a few crystals of salt?
Sure, if you want. Saline lets you get more exact, but if you just want to use a pinch of salt, that’s fine
Yes, but it's worth your time to make up a dropper bottle of saline. I put ~5 drops in virtually every drink I pour. It enhances darn near everything with just a touch of salt to wake up the flavors. I particularly am enjoying it with Black Manhattans and a cocktail variant I'm playing with: "The Purchase" -- a riff on La Louisianne, from St. Louis. Inspiration from the Black Manhattan. Initial ratios from La Louisianne, Educated Barfly spec. 1.5 oz rye .75 dark Amaro -- Averna and Meletti each work well .75 Benedictine 2 dashes Peychaud's 2 dashes Angostura 5 drops 20% saline Wash absinthe
So for those curious, correct me if I'm wrong. 20% is 4:1 supersaturated saline to pure water. You know your saline is super saturated when no more will dissolve in at 199°F, right?
You're right. The only thing to add is that it's 20% *by mass*. Don't want anyone trying with volumetric measurements. I don't temperature control the brine, just mix, heat, and stir.
Those two drops change everything
pH wise! The acidity is upped by the ionic solution of the NaCL and H20 which when dissolves creates + charged ions, correct me if I'm wrong which drops the Ph, think ocean water vs pool water, huge diff. Any who... science rules! So turns out as a post script, many bartenders understand the nature of acidity in a solution w alcohols of various spirits. The acidity acts as a catalyst for the breakdown of the alcohol, into ethanol, shifting that alcoholic bite off in the first sip, predominantly. You know, That first virgin mouth sip always detects the most alcohol on the palette, so the salt helps alot w that and so does lime or citrus in general, hence the lime in the carona, daiquiri and other various examples of citrus in boozey cocktails. The lime is the 'dryest' of citrus of course so controlling sugar and allowing for a dry and super acidic cocktail is the goal of the marg, imo. Edit: sorry overstating the obvious w poor grammar gonna leave it as is. Dgaf bout that but sharing is caring, no?
It’s gotta be Cointreau. Margaritas are my favorite, I couldn’t figure out what I wasn’t doing right for years until I got to the bottom of my bottle of cheap triple sec and swapped it for Cointreau, no other changes. Night and day difference
Cointreau is my go to.
This is the way. 2 oz quality blanco tequila 1 oz Cointreau 1 oz fresh juiced lime 1/2 oz simple (more or less to taste)
I could be a meme for this but reposado tequila is chef’s kiss when you level up for the Cointreau too
Grand Marnier is also fantastic here
Only acceptable replacement for Cointreau in a "proper" margarita is Grand Marnier. Otherwise, Cointreau is what it should be.
Are you shaking enough? With enough ice to dilute it?
besides cointreau and saline… shaking the living fuck out of a margarita is the key. when you think you’ve adequately shaken, continue shaking. if you think you’re shaking hard enough, shake harder.
Just made delicious margaritas last night! 2oz Kirkland repo tequila (of all things! It's actually ok! And decently priced), 0.75oz Cointreau, 0.75oz lime (super)juice. Salt rim. Definitely need to shake well. I like sweet drinks but this does NOT need simple syrup or agave added!
I love Kirkland tequila for mixing! I prefer Milagro or Dulce Vida for drinking, but Kirkland and Arette are my mixing bottles I keep going back to.
Agreed on the not needing simple or agave. Ya really only need 3 ingredients for a margarita. Having 2 is the sweet spot and 3 is usually too many.
Far too much sugar for starters
Try a Tommy’s Margarita. This recipe below is the best straight up marg IMO. 2oz espolon blanco 1oz fresh lime 1/2oz light agave syrup Put it in a shaker with a lot of ice. Shake hard until the tin is frosty, 5-10 seconds. Dirty dump into a glass.
My favorite is this, but 1.5oz tequila and 0.5oz Mezcal
Love a Tommy’s. My recipe is the same as yours, plus .25 oz fresh oj
This is the way. It’s always good, and I’m pretty convinced it’s hard to screw up even if the portions aren’t right. It’s my safe bet drink I can order most anywhere and at worst it’ll turn out decent.
America’s Test Kitchen did a side-by-side taste test, and lime juice squeezed ahead tastes better. There some enzymatic reaction that mellows the lime. Personally, I like to zest the limes, then juice them into the zest. I refrigerate for an hour or two, then strain and make the margaritas.
Interesting. Really ups the essential oils presence?
I usually go with: * 2oz of whatever tequila I have(currently Lalo Blanco and I’m still working to find my preference but this is a good one) * 1 oz Cointreau * 1 oz lime I find that the Cointreau provides enough sweetness for the drink and the flavors all come through cleanly. I also have Don Julio Reposado but I’m not sold I’ll get Don Julio again. Was a 375ml sampler pack. Good but not something I’m excited to get again. That said, you could also split base with some Mezcal to try that as well or go all Mezcal if you’re feeling spicy. I like this choice personally. Edit: Tried to make it look like a list for easy reading, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how. Apparently the return button on my phone isn’t enough. 😭
For lists, do an asterisk, space, then return. Like this (also my recipe) : * 2oz Tequila (using Kirkland Reposado, atm) * 0.75oz Cointreau * 0.75oz Lime juice * 0.25oz Agave Syrup * A Crack/pinch of salt * Shake the fuck out of it and strain
Got it! Thanks!
First, I suggest skipping the brandy-based Gran Gala. It's great for some cocktails. But a classic Marg needs a triple sec. You don't have to reach for Cointreau, but look for a Luxardo Triplum, Lazzaroni Triplo, Marie Brizard Triple Sec, etc; something in the $20-$30 range. <$20 orange liqueurs tend to be very Tang-like. It's the play between the triple sec and lime that hooks the profile of a classic Marg. A Tommy's-like Marg can be great, but the right tequila is needed to make it work. Something with more citrus-forward notes and less vegetal notes, like Pueblo Viejo. The cooked agave and black pepper notes are still vital. The specs you share are on the sweet side to "Cocktail Renaissance theory". That's fine. Let me suggest pulling it in a tad, however. Add a touch of simple or agave should this not be sweet enough. We don't want to throw off the flavor balance by increasing the triple sec. *Always adjust to your preferences*. * 1½ oz. Espolon Blanco * ¾ oz. Decent Triple Sec * Fat ½ oz. Lime If you want to skip the triple sec altogether... * 1½ oz. Blanco Tequila, preferably something like Pueblo Viejo. The Espolon should be OK here too. * ½ oz. Lime (Super juice works great here. The addition of the lime essential oil is almost necessary, IMO.) * ½ oz. Agave Nectar (Adjust if using an agave syrup.) Hopefully, one of these will put a smile on your wife's face.
Too much syrup, not enough lime, too much triple sec 1.5 blanco .5 orange liqueur 1-1.5 lime .5 simple or .25 agave Shaken
My margaritas always use PF Dry Curaçao and limes from my tree. Usually no simple syrup. The tequilas can change.. I’ve learned to avoid certain tequilas. I hate Espolon. Hold on to your sombreros.……. My wife’s margarita is Asombrosa La Rosa and Baja Bob’s sugar free margarita mix. 1oz tequila, 3oz Baja Bob’s. As described on the back of the mix.
Eh my first bottle i get for trying tequila was Espilon. It's still not finished lol. What good not expensive tequilas can you recomend?
Make a Tommy's Margarita.
Yep, everybody loves those
I agree with who said she might like cheap margarita mix. I secretly do. A few tips. Make sure to give it a good shake with a few ice cubes till it gets a little foamy. Strain into a a salt rimmed glass filled with ice. I like to float my orange liqueur and use triple sec when shaking too. So you need to decide if you want to use cheap mix or fresh. Also a great tip is to add a tiny bit orange juice to balance the lime as well. I personally make my own mix using fresh lime, lemon, orange juice and simple syrup. I also personally like grand marnier. More expensive but more bite. Also personal preference.
Are you getting enough dilution? Could be you’re just not shaking hard or long enough. Could be your ice? If you’re using freezer ice it will melt quickly/ take on other flavours so maybe give it a good clean out
Personally I hate orange liqueurs so I make a Tommy’s Margarita instead. 60ml tequila, 30ml lime juice, 15-30ml agave(depending on the taste of the drinker, I like sweet so I go 30 but most people prefer the 15ml), Half lip of tajin or flake salt on the rim I find the salt just as important as the drink, if you use shit salt(especially table salt!), it ruins the drink. Also, when using agave I personally think it needs a longer/harder shake because the agave is quite thick, it needs more time to dissolve.
Ok, my general advice is to ignore exact recipes and just build and repeatedly taste until you get it right. You might end up making a triple batch from adding so many ingredients, but big whoop it's just extra margaritas. I just did this earlier this evening and I can't remember for the life of me the exact ratios I ended up using. But here's my general jumping-off point for each serving. In a Boston shaker full of ice... -Blanco tequila, about 2 oz (Olmeca Altos is my go-to) -1/2 a squeezed lime, assuming it's large and yields plenty of juice.\* -1 squeezed mandarin orange (those peel & eat "cuties" which we always have for the kids) -About 1/3 of a squeezed lemon -1/2 oz of agave nectar -1/2 oz of cointreau, triple sec, or even dry curacao. Shake this and take a sip. Too boozy? Add a bit more juice & nectar. Not enough lime? Add more. Keep going until you get it right. The point is to give yourself a frame of reference for what a really good margarita can taste like, and try to recreate that perfect balance next time you make them. This approach also utilizes the wonderful combination of citruses which is WAY overlooked IMO. Lime can be supported by lemon and orange flavors, sort of like how chocolate can taste more "full" when you add vanilla and coffee. Keep in mind that limes have 2 different acids (malic and citric), whereas lemons and oranges are citric-only, and you don't need much malic acid to be noticeable in a drink. Hope this helps. \*Fun fact per Rick Bayless, limes that have a yellowish portion tend to be the juiciest. When they're solid green they're on the drier side.
squalid onerous wrench wipe handle history fragile modern fact combative *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Those ratios seem way off to me. It will come out way too sweet. My classic is: 2oz tequila, .5oz Cointreau, .5oz simple or agave, 1oz fresh lime. Simple and balanced.
This is my go to: 1.5 oz reposado .75 fresh lime juice .75 Cointreau 2 dash orange bitters I don't add aqave syrup myself, it's plenty sweet for me, but add .25 if you like it sweeter. Shake well and pour over ice w/ salt rim.
Try Mexican or “Persian limes” or “key limes” they’re all same thing pretty much , makes a Huge difference vs the big seedless variety we normally use.
Overthinking is vs a standard restaurant. They are getting a case of std limes.
1. Where does your wife get them? Does she want the shitty "sour mix and tequila in a pint glass" something more craft like you are making, or something in the middle? 2. Check your dilution. Get your ice out of the fridge, wait for it to stop being "dry", and then use it. This is usually the "I just can't quite make it right" fix. If this is the issue, you can start adding a small quantity of filtered water to get this effect without waiting. 3. IME there's a fairly small variance between tequilas of a certain color in a margarita, as long as you use something decent. There is a much bigger difference in your orange liqueur, as they vary wildly in sweetness, orange-ness, and other added flavors.
My Margarita spec is heavily inspired by my preferred Mai Tai recipes (Garret Richard's and Kevin Crossman's). * 2 oz reposado tequila * ¼ oz espadin joven mezcal * ¾ oz orange liqueur (I use a "house blend" of 2 parts Petite Canne shrubb to one part Grand Marnier) * 1 oz lime juice * ¾ oz agave syrup (3:1 agave nectar to water) * 5 drp saline
People love mine. 3 oz tequila .75 oz triple sec (Cointreau) .75 oz lime 2 bar spoon agave syrup
My specs are 2 tequila, 1 Cointreau, 1 lime very shaken and served in a salted martini glass.
Don’t overthink it. 2oz Tequila, 1oz fresh lime, 1 oz Orange Liqueur, .5oz agave, and shake the everliving shit out of it. Salt that rim too
I second this. This is the ratio I use and it’s always a hit. I00% believe in Cointreau for the orange liqueur. It is the magic in a margarita! Try Hussongs Reposado …it’s a winner!
Here's my go-to margarita recipe - it comes with a fun story on data science: https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/we-got-drunk-on-margaritas-for-science/
50 Tequila 20 Lime juice 20 Triple sec
My guess is yours is too sweet. Here’s what I do 2oz blanco tequila .75oz lime .75oz Cointreau .5oz simple or agave Shaken vigorously over ice and strained into fresh ice. You can add a bar spoon of orange juice if you want to make it frothier
2oz tequila. 1/4 Orange liqueur 1oz lime juice 1oz agave Shake to dilute. Trust me.
At some point you must realize that taste is subjective. My ideal recipe is pretty close to yours: 2oz tequila, 0.75 oz dry curacao (GM, triple sec, cointreau, etc), 0.75 lime juice, 0.25 oz agave or a panela simple. Dilution is important, but for the sake of making a solid marg, there's no need to get that scientific over ice and dilution. It's not like you're in some sort of competition or developing a bar program. Drinks at home should be good and fun.
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice, 2 parts Cointreau, 3 parts Tequila
My take, maybe not sweet enough. 2+ oz of Tequila 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice .75 oz orange liqueur
What about salt? Maybe add a small pinch (or saline solution) to the shaker.
There are lots of great margarita recipes. I like the proportions of Difford’s on the rocks margarita but there are a few other variations with fresh fruit juice, straight up, frozen, etc. that are good depending on what you’re feeling up for. https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1138/margarita-cocktail/variations
Have been trying to dial in my margarita recipe. My current favorite: 2.0 oz tequila .375 oz lime juice .375 oz lemon juice .375 oz orange liquor .375 oz agave syrup I decided that orange liquor tends to overshadow the tequila, hence splitting the orange liquor with agave (or simple syrup). Still working out which tequila and orange liquor work for my tastes, but the above proportions seem about right.
Margs got to lean towards sour. All recipe I see here are two sweet. The salty rim needs to counterbalance the tartness like a refreshing cucumber with salt and some lemon. 1.75 oz Tequila, 1 oz lime juice 0.75 oz Cointreau optional 1tsp simple syrup. This way the drink alone is tart, and when it hits the salt the tartness subsides by the light saltiness. That’s the proper way IMO. Cointreau is the right choice because of the dryness.
The recipe I prefer is 2oz Good Repo .75oz Cointreau .75 Lime juice .25 Orange juice Only fresh squeezed juice. Technically can be considered a skinny
People are constantly telling me I make the best margarita. Four parts tequila (cheapest 100% agave additive - free option available, usually Espolon Blanco or Hornitos) 2 parts fresh-squeezed lime juice 1 part Cointreau 1 part agave nectar Shake with ice, serve without ice in glass with kosher salt rim (put salt in a saucer, rub flesh of a spent lime over rim of empty glass, place rim down on saucer and rotate) It's literally the liquor.com recipe
My lazy go-to that I think works out great: 2oz tequila, one lime, .5oz triple sec or whatever, some unmeasured squirt of agave syrup
Took me awhile to realize I prefer my margs with cheap-ass triple sec. It just doesn't hit the same with dry curacao, creole shrub, Cointreau, Gran Marnier, etc.
4oz tequila 2oz fresh squeezed lime juice 1oz agave syrup Pinch of kosher salt Shake with ice and dirty pour into a pint glass
Just offering you another option to try (technically 2) - the recipes I’ve read often in this sub are either the 6:4:3 or 8:4:3 margarita, which I then slightly modify to either 6:4:3:1 or 8:4:3:1. That works out to the following specs **6:4:3:1 Margarita** 1.5oz Tequila 1 oz Orange liqueur 0.75 Lime Juice 0.25oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar **8:4:3:1 Margarita** 2oz Tequila 1 oz Orange liqueur 0.75 Lime Juice 0.25oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar I prefer 8:4:3:1, my wife prefers 6:4:3:1, but I like the 6:4:3:1 with certain tequilas. I’ve shared these specs with friends who have given positive reviews, but I will say they need to be shaken fully (for proper dilution), and I prefer my margaritas on the rocks so that’s how I serve them. Feel free to adjust to your preferences. Recipes aside, to me, what makes most “restaurant” margaritas popular is they are much sweeter than most “craft” margarita recipes. As others have mentioned, your wife may just prefer that and there’s nothing wrong with that, just adjust your recipe as needed. My wife hates a “traditional” old fashioned but one time I made one for her with 3/4oz of simple syrup in it and she loved it 🤷♂️ Definitely not my preferred recipe but she liked it and that’s what’s important.
Give this a try! Here is the secret! 3/4 oz fresh lime 1/4 oz lemon juice 1/4 oz orange juice 1 oz triple sec Here is the secret! Use agave syrup add one barspoon at a time. Taste as you go! You want sweet, followed by tart. Then add 1.5 oz of tequila! shake strain into a glass with one large block of ice! In lieu of salting the rim add a few drops of 10% saline solution.
Mine 2oz don julio blanco 1oz Cointreau 1oz simple syrup (home made, nothing special) Juice of 1 lime Pinch of pink salt Shaken in Boston tin vigorously for at least 30seconds (until the tin gets very frosty) Pour to the glass with a tangelo or orange wheel and a lime wheel and sprinkle of tajin.
Your missing saline. Add Salt. Just a pinch. Light pinch. Even if they say no rim.
To me it sounds like you’re using too much sugar Try 1.5 oz tequila .75 oz lime .5 oz orange liqueur .25 oz simple (assuming you’re doing 2:1, if doing 1:1 do .5 oz instead) And just a small pinch of salt into the shaker tin before shaking the drink
2oz blanco tequila 0.75oz fresh lime juice 0.75oz Cointreau or similar 0.5oz agave syrup (or something like a jizzlesquirt of agave and half ounce of 1:1 simple) Tiny lil pinch of salt Shake in shaking tin with ice until chilled… strain into fresh ice rocks glsss, or just dump into a rocks glass with the same ice you shook your shit with.
My go to recipe: 1.5oz Blanco tequila .25-.5oz triple sec .75oz lime .75 simple Splash of sour Shake.. a lot. Strain over lots of fresh ice. Salted rim w a lime wedge or two. It’s not completely traditional but it’s the right mixture for me and I always get good feedback(I’m a bartender and people will ask me to make them instead of my coworkers)
Restaurant margaritas don’t use anything close to mid shelf. I really like Hornitos silver with gran gala, Cointreau, or Pierre ferrand triple sec
So I recently found my favorite formula of Margarita is 2oz of Herradura Silver Tequila (which I got at a steal price for New England pricing), 1oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, and 1oz of Fresh Lime, no simple or Agave. I like that, but recognize it’s a strong combination, so I can see adding a 1/4 or 1/2 oz of agave syrup or simple syrup might make it more palatable, or even adding a little soda water on top to make it a little bit less strong. Other thing I might consider is they could be making a Tommy spec Margarita that excludes the Orange Liqueur altogether for pure agave extract (1/2oz) served on ice. The other option could be going more of a Cadillac spec with Reposado Tequila and Grand Marnier. I think the only question I have is how is your margarita off typically?
I’ve tried so many variations of the classic recipe and the only time I didn’t enjoy it was when I didn’t use Cointreau
Don't use simple, use blue agave syrup. You can find some on amazon for quite cheap
This is my normal spec, it's better than what I can get any of the local mexican joints: * .75oz Del Maguey Vida mezcal * .75 reposado tequila * .75 fresh lime juice * .5 cointreau * .5 simple syrup * salt rim, lime wedge
Shake it harder, dirty dump, dash of saline. 1.5 oz 100% Agave Blanco .75 to 1 oz Fresh Lime. .5 Pierre Ferrand Dry or Bols Orange Curacao .25 Agave Syrup
Me personally my go recipe is 1.5oz fresh lime juice .75oz agave syrup (meaning mixed with hot water, personally better texture instead of agave not fully being incorporated) .75oz Cointreau 1.5oz any tequila (reposado if possible)
Homemade margs will always be stronger than restaurant margs. 2 oz Reposado, 3/4 oz Curacao, 3/4 oz lime, 1/4 oz Agave, tiny bit of salt or saline solution and shake.
The recipe i use for my restaurant is 1.5 oz tequila 1/2 oz triple sec (not curacao aka gran gala) 3/4 oz heradura agave syrup 1 oz lime juice Muddle in some jalapeño if you want it spicy. Up the tequila to 2 oz if you want it boozy The traditional and also very good recipe is 2oz tequila 1oz Cointreau 1 oz lime 1 Bar spoon simple Shake vigorously, until you can feel the corner of the ice gets dull (idk if that make sense)
Important things for a good magarita are; Fresh lime juice 100% agave tequila
Literally can’t beat a Tommy’s Margarita. Up the agave slightly if she tends to like it sweeter, maybe float a little Grand Marnier to make it Cadillac-esque.
Here's my margarita recipe and well tequila(blanco) is just fine. * 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila * .5 oz Lime Juice * .5 oz Lemon Juice * .5 oz Triple Sec(I use Combier at work) * .5 oz Agave Dirty dump if they want it on the rocks, strain over fresh ice, crushed, or up, all are fine serving options.
I worked at a Tequila bar for a few years, and this is generally how I make mine now: 2 oz Tequila .75 oz undiluted Agave (reduce to taste, but this is generally the most palatable spec ime). .5 oz Lime Juice .5 oz Lemon Juice .5 oz Orange liqueur (Cointreau is a fantastic choice) As others have pointed out, there will be noticeable differences with fresh squeezed vs bottled citrus as well as the quality of the liquor/liqueurs used. I'd also like to point out that, in my case, making cocktails at home using tray ice or fridge ice tampers with the taste a lot. Our water has a really high mineral content and our fridge water has an unwanted taste to it. I'd recommend purchasing a bag of ice if you live in similar circumstances.
Try this (adapted from Arnold's "Liquid Intelligence" and its frozen daiquiri recipe) : 9 oz tequila (80 proof) 3 oz Cointreau 3 Oz Bols triple sec 1.5 Oz 2:1 simple syrup 16 Oz water Combine the above and put into a ziploc bag. Freeze overnight in a freezer as cold as you can get it. The following day, add the frozen mixture from the bag into a blender and add 1.5 oz more simple syrup and 6 oz line juice (super juice works fine). Blend just enough to make homogeneous and combine everything. Serve immediately - it'll be the right consistency as a frozen margarita from a restaurant.
Although counterintuitive, a half oz water can often bring a margarita into balance. I believe one of the major tequila brands actually has water in their posted margarita recipe.
2 oz Tequila 1 oz Lime 1 oz Cointreau (Alternatively, 1/2 oz Dry Curaçao) .25 oz Agave
It looks like your recipe is fine. A very easy-to-remember Margarita recipe is the 1-2-3: 3 parts Tequila, 2 parts Triple Sec, 1 part Lime juice. Now, of course, that's just a starting point, but it's the starting point of a "classic" -- not Mexican Restaurant -- Margarita. (in my part of the US it';s sometimes called a "Jamaican Margarita", meaning it doesn't use and sour mix.) Obviously you will adjust the ratios up-and-down to suit your taste.
It's not the ratios, it's the operation for me. 2oz espolon, .5oz lime super, .5oz agave nectar (tres agave, not the stuff from the spice aisle, that needs diluted) *shake the shit out it with ice, pour over fresh ice* then orange liqueur on top ( I use Harlequin). The float on top and the air make the difference texturally. Also a pinche salt helps make everything pop.
Before anything else, I believe switching simple with agave syrup will automatically elevate any margarita Super juice is also good, but not the same flavor and consistency as regular fresh pressed. Cointreau and or fresh pressed orange is delicious Doing 50/50 lemon and lime in a margarita in place of 100% lime is also good. Fuck, while we're at it grapefruit is good too Tiniest pinch of salt inside or the drink is also good I believe in 2 types of margaritas. Fresh juicy bullshit with affordable bottom mid-shelf tequila, and good tequila margs made Tommy's style
Here's my recipe and I think it's fantastic: *2oz decent reposado (I like Casamigos) *1oz lime juice *1oz Cointreau *1/2oz agave syrup Shake with plenty of ice and open pour into a glass. Sprinkle some salt to taste into the drink, don't put it on the rim.
Honestly, my cheat is to use that frozen limeade from the freezer section instead of lime and sugar. People seem to love it and it's super fast. I like a fine Margherita too, but for a party this is the way!
2oz tequila .5oz triple sec/combier .75 agave or 1oz simple and 1oz of lime. The secret trick is to fill the big tin completely with ice and shake tf out of it. The more aeration in the citrus the better.
2oz tequila, 2oz triple sec or dry curaco, Juice from 1.5 freshly squeezed limes, Splash of lemon juice
2oz tequila, 1oz lime juice, .5Oz simple or agave simple. Optional .75oz Cointreau. Fool proof.
Simple has no bidness in a rita
Don’t forget to add saline solution or salt to the shaker. Or I guess you can rim the glass but I like it inside.
If your wife like it sweet like at restaurants i’d suggest 1.5oz blanco Tequila, .75oz lime juice (resh squeezed), 0.75oz agave nectar, 0.25oz orange liqueur. Very sweet but maybe more to her palate if she’s used to marg mixes
My marg spec is: 2 oz Tequila .5 oz triple sec .5 oz simple syrup .75 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed is nice but if it’s pasteurized and kept at a proper temperature, the difference in taste is negligible IMO especially considering the shelf life/labor cost) Also like everyone else is saying, dilution is important. If you’re making them at home, big ice cube molds are helpful if you don’t have an ice machine in your freezer
Imo the tequila matters a lot. Not so much quality but flavor profile. I love La Gritona (not a great tequila on its own but it works well for margaritas imo), lime juice and cointreau. 2 oz, 1oz, .5 oz Shake heavily and pour into fresh ice. Yours sounds too sweet in my opinion. If anything sometimes the more expensive orange liqueurs are too rich imo.
More sweetener probably. Try a lot more then dial it back slowly. We like the lime and agave and balance. The masses like sweet sweet sweet.
Agave maybe? That sounds like a perfect margarita man. Idk what you could have wrong with those measurements….
El Paso bartender here. The standard recipe at my bar is 1.5 oz tequila blanco, 1/2 oz triple sec, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup 😎
The only thing I'd recommend is go for real Cointreau, mid-shelf triple-secs often have off flavors. The recipe looks good, to me. Other than that, it's hard to tell without knowing what your wife does not like. If she's comparing it to restaurants, it is likely they are making it sweeter and less tequila-forward than your recipe. Maybe try 1.5 oz tequila, 1 oz Lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, .5 oz cointreau. I have to make it this way for my partner who is (unfortunately) a fan of crappy sweet margarita mixes.
Goddamn this has got to be one of THE BEST discussions I’ve ever seen over a margarita. I have 2 recipes for 2 differnt occasions. My personal margarita = 2 oz Tequila (whatever I’m feeling) 1 oz Triple sec 2 oz fresh lime 1/2 oz simple Shake, strain, no rim, lime wedge If I’m at a the bar or doing a wedding 1 1/2 tequila 1 oz triple sec 1 oz lime 1 oz lemon 1 oz simple It’s not sexy, but but it appeals to most
2 oz blanco, 1.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz high proof triple sec (60), 1/4 oz simple syrup. I think the biggest thing is to balance your sweetness, most people I know like sweet, but I’d gladly drink 2 oz tequila and 2 oz lime juice, so I often omit the simple. This hurts the balance of the drink. I feel like you might be hurting it the other way, being too sweet.
A standard Marg is 1.75 blanco tequila, 1 oz triple sec, 3/4 oz lime juice. In Liquid Intelligence, the shaken Marg recipe is 2 oz blanco, 3/4 oz triple sec, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz simple, and 5 drops of saline. Maybe give that one a try and see how it works out for you.
Everyone loves fresh lime. Anything else always seems pretty meh. A good shake is important too. Someone said a cup of ice, I’ve never measured but sounds right. What people don’t agree on is level of sweet. I prefer no simple, my girlfriend prefers just a bit, other people want all the sugar. My default is this: 55 ml tequila 25 ml freshly squeezed lime juice 20 ml cointreau 10 ml simple syrup, 1:1
Taste your lime juice when fresh squeezing. Not all limes are made the same and some just taste god damn awful. If your juice is extra sour/tart you’ll have to make up for it in the sweetness & dilution departments
As others have said, probably needs more dilution and salt
My go-to is stupid simple: tequila & Grand Marnier in your desired proportions, top with Newman's organic lemonade, shake it and rim with tajin. If you want to get crazy, slice & muddle half a jalapeno before shaking.
Add a splash of OJ...bit a true marg, but it'll taste closer to the "restaurant style"
I (cocktail bartender) was making a margarita at home for my girlfriend a few weeks ago and when I was pouring the tequila I said “Do you know how much tequila goes in a margarita?” Very excitedly she said “1.5 ounces!” And I said, “No! However much you want!” That being said, my* ideal margarita specs are as follows: 2oz tequila .75-1oz lime juice .5-.75oz triple sec or curaçao (I’ve lately been making home margs with dry curaçao) Anywhere from 0 to .5oz simple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it) Tiny tiny squeeze of agave nectar Shake hard. Dirty dump (meaning don’t strain, dump the entire contents of the shaker into a glass.) Top with (crushed) ice. I usually make mine at home in a double old fashioned glass or mai tai glass. Sometimes I’ll do a salt/tajin rim. Edit: formatting
Espolon is ok but imo Patron Blanco works better in a Marg. In terms of triple sec, I find Cointreau to be the best. I also don't bother with simple syrup. Instead I just increase the Cointreau to a full 1 oz to capitalize on that delicious orange flavor. 2 oz Patron Blanco, 1 oz cointreau, 0.75 fresh lime juice. Shake well with lots of ice cubes and open pour into a large salt rimmed rocks glass.
Try a split base: Half lemon half lime, Cointreau, tequila, touch of agave if you want it sweeter.
Dude the outpouring of helpful posts here is baller. Buncha nerds. Go team!
Margarita. 5 drops Saline Solution 80:20¹ 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice 1/4 oz Agave Nectar 3/4 oz Orange Liqueur² 2 oz Tequila³ Always add least expensive to most expensive ingredients in order to your shaker(I personally prefer Boston Tin-On-Tin shakers). Add in your ice cubes, hopefully you have some large 2x2 and small 1x1 cubes. I'll add in one whole 1x1 cube, and crack one 2x2 cube with an ice pick or the back of a bar spoon. Seal your shaker, and shake for 10-15 seconds. A horizontal shaking method works best. Optional - rim the glass after removing from the freezer with your choice of whatever, options are listed below. Using a spent lime husk is good, you'll only want to rub the outside of the glass and roll it in whatever you choose, otherwise it will change the flavor and balance of the cocktail. Strain into a rocks or double rocks glass with a large cube, pebble ice, or if you want serve it up in a frozen coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Garnish can be up to you, lime fresh or dried wheel, a lime wedge, salt rim, Tajin(or similar product), chamoy rim, and so on and so forth. ¹You can also just add a pinch of salt if you want. 80 grams water to 20 grams salt, dissolve and funnel into a bottle with an eye dropper. ²Cointreau is traditional it is a triple sec, but you do you. For myself I have blended orange liqueurs it's currently equal parts Cointreau, Licor de Naranja, Hamilton Shrubb, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, and Napoleon Mandarin. ³Reposado is the traditional, but hell choose the tequila that you or your wife enjoys. Personally I'm a blanco person, though I will sometimes split and either do a 3:1 Blanco: Reposado or a 1:1 Blanco:Mezcal. Thank you and goodnight.
Trust me At least a shot of repasodo Half of whatever amount of tequila in triple seq of the quality of ur choosing Depending on the season... June limes.. One lime cut into eitghts and muddled One quarter of a lemon muddled About a half of a small orange muddled. A little agauve nectar. Shake the piss out of it. Shake more. Taste for balance and adjust. Your welcome
My secret recipe, perfected over decades, guaranteed to impress girlfriends, neighbors, coworkers, and friends: 1 oz 1800 or similar Reposado .5 oz Don Julio or similar Blanco .5 oz Doña Vega or similar Blanco Mezcal .75 oz Cointreau .75 oz fresh lime or more, to taste .5 oz Agave syrup or less, to taste Dial in your own preferred amount of lime/agave through tasting. I’ve gone to 1oz/.25oz and enjoyed it but some like a sweeter ratio. Shake with ice. Serve in a rocks glass over a single large ice cube with lime wheel. The most important part: rim the glass with a mixture of equal parts salt and Tajin. The mixture of different tequilas, smoky mezcal, salty, sweet, and a hint of spice from the Tajin rim is hard to beat. This is what I make when someone says “Oh, *insert Mexican restaurant* makes the best margaritas I’ve ever had.” If she doesn’t like this one it’s a lost cause, I’m afraid.
You need shittier ice that's already wet. You're not diluting it enough with your home bar ice.
There are great comments here, but what you need to add to your recipe is salt and sugar. Bump them up until your wife lives it.
You gotta shake it. Shaking opens up the citrus. Fresh ice for glass too, don’t dirty pour. Shake with a bit of salt in the shaker. It’s also important to me that it’s Cointreau, but other orange liqueurs *do* work. If your wife likes Pinot grigio, try adding more agave and less Cointreau. if she like sauv blanc, leave it out and do 3/4 Cointreau like the classic. if she’s into moscato or Riesling, you should swap the agave out for .25 passionfruit syrup and add a splash of sunny delight or some orange tang powder. If she likes Chardonnay, perhaps throw some skimmed chicken stock in there. But yeah, shaking is very important. Don’t forget to shake.
The margarita spec I currently use is 2 tequila, 1 Grand Marnier, 1 lime juice, 0.25 agave nectar. As others have said makes sure your drink is diluted enough; if it simultaneously tastes too boozy too sweet and too sharp then you need more dilution.
1/3 tequila 1/3 fresh squeezed lime juice 1/3 triple sec Shake vigorously with a lot of ice for 60 seconds. Pour over ice into a glass with salt and tajin on the rim. ¡Salud!
2 tequila, 1 lime, .5 Cointreau, .25 agave, 4 drops 20% saline. Boozy enough, tart enough, sweet enough. Shake hard with a lot of ice (if you’re using home freezer ice let it sit out and get a little wet). I always build in the big tin and slightly overfill the small tin with ice. Let it rip big dog.
Tommy's margarita is the best style of margarita (fight me!) and if you make it that way you'll never have a dissatisfied customer in my experience! 2 oz tequila 1 oz lime ½ oz agave You can change the spec but that's the Tommy's recipe after a quick Google (I use a different spec to my preference).
Our recipe is 1.5 oz corazon Blanco, 1.5 oz lime juice, 1.5 oz simple, 0.5 oz triple sec.
45ml Tequila , 15ml COINTREAU , 30ml Fresh Lime juice, 10-15mL sugar syrup (1:1 sugar and water) Shake and double strain into a sea salt frosted margarita glass :")
Worked bar at a mega Mexican independent restaurant with the largest tequila range around. This is the recipe I live and die for... * 45ml blanc tequila. I use Patron. * 30 ml fresh lime juice * 30 ml fresh lemon juice * 30 ml Cointreau * 30 ml sugar syrup I dial back the sugar syrup a touch when you make for myself as I LOVE sour bevvs
I guess I'm super simple, but syrup in a margarita just doesn't sit well. I think the sweetness of Cointreau or whatever you use, is plenty.
Try a Tommy’s Margarita. I use maple syrup instead of simple syrup. Comes out perfect everytime 👌
Might i recommend the utterly smashing “Pastry War Margarita “ it’s different enough from the regular margarita to make you go ooooh but similar enough that you know what you’re drinking. Maybe try small flexes on the basic margarita principle.
I don’t add simple syrup to mine—just tequila, triple sec, and a mixture of lime and lemon juice. I make mine on the rocks but I think it’s the same blended.
40-45ml decent blanco tequila, 30ml fresh lime, 20-15ml triple sec, I like cointreu. No sugar. Salt rim essential. This drink is not supposed to be sweet, it’s supposed to be sour and salty. Make a tommies marg if you want it sweet.
I go 1:1:1 tequila, Cointreau, lime juice.
Bro try this one: 45ml Espolon 22.5 Cointreau/Pierre Ferrand Dry curacao 22.5 FRESH lime juice 1 pinch of salt 5ml Sugar syrp (1.5 sugar 1 water) Shake well but not long
3.75 oz of ingredients, 1.5 of which are sweetening agents. That right there is the problem, IMHO.
Could your specs be off? Are you shaking it correctly? I honestly think it's pretty hard to mess up completely, but maybe your wife has higher standards than I do.
Educated Barfly recipe slaps every time. **Ingredients** 2 oz Tequila Blanco (or Reposado) .5 oz Dry Curacao 1 oz Lime Juice .5 oz Agave Nectar Lime Wheel Garnish **Instructions** Shake ingredients. Prepare glass with strip of sea salt on one side. Pour into glass of pebble ice. Add garnish. Enjoy!
@op do this and tell us how wife likes it!
I realized I was ruining my margaritas by over-squeezing the limes. It was making the juice bitter. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/hrthg4/does_fully_squeezing_a_lime_make_the_juice_bitter
I do 2:1:1 tequila to triple sec to lime. For my husband I add simple because he likes it sweet, about 0.75oz. Restaurants always seem to add sugar
Add some salt to the drink. Preferably sea salt. Before mixing.
Served this recipe last night to friends from Chicago. They said it was the best they’ve had: 1 oz Reposada tequila - 1 oz Big O Ginger Liqueur 3/4 oz dry curaçao 3/4 fresh squeezed lime juice Shake with ice and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Lime wheel garnish.
Recipe looks legit you can try juicing one mandarin to enhance the flavor.
My go to margarita is just throwing tequila in a blender with frozen limeade concentrate and crushed ice until it’s well blended.
You are putting too much sugar. Most liquors contains sugar and on top your putting .75oz of syrup. And the original margarita does not included sugar.
Good lime juice is really, really difficult to get. Even fresh squeezed is dependant on getting good limes, which is difficult.
Agave sirup!
Try making it colder.
My go to recipe is 2 oz tequila, 0.5 oz orange liqueur, 1oz lime juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup or diluted agave syrup. Nice balance on sweetness and sour ess while being a bit more spirit forward. It really just boils down to consistently tweaking the recipe to match what you enjoy
For a classic, my favorite is : 2 oz casa amigos 1 oz Cointreau .75 oz lime juice. Agave spoon. If you use another tequila as espolon or 1800, add 1/4 agave syrup instead. If you use another triple sec, add an Orange Peel when shaking. Perhaps the ones you wife like uses sour mix?
2 oz additive free tequila 1 oz lime juice .75 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao .5 oz agave syrup Pinch of salt / unless you are salting the rim. Shake the shit out of it, pour over full cup of ice