Jennifer Kavanagh wrote:Does anyone have an authentic margarita recipe? I've always used the pre-made mixes, but I'm looking to branch out to the real deal. Thanks!!!
Jennifer, I'm afraid I'm not much of a margarita fancier, although I'll bet some of the Latino restaurants around town make a fine one.
For what it's worth, though, this looks like a good shot at authenticity from the MexGrocer.com website:
<i>Let's kick off the holiday season with a medley of Margaritas. Here are several Margarita recipes to choose from. Try the real Authentic Mexican Margaritas-supposedly invented at Hussong's Cantina (that's a famous bar in Ensenada, founded in 1892) by bartender, Don Carlos Orozco, back in October, 1941. He concocted the drink of equal parts tequila, Damiana (Controy [a Mexican orange liqueur like Cointreau but sweeter] is used now) and lime, served it over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. He named it after a lady he wanted to impress, Señorita Margarita Henkel, daughter of the German Ambassador to Mexico. Not too many people know that, but at Hussongs, they swear it's the truth!</i>
Here's another similar but slightly different approach from a guy who sounds like he knows what he's talking about:
<i>Some idiot with too much time on his (her) hands has done a comprehensive survey and found that the 'Margarita' is now the most popular cocktail in the United States. Pretty amazing when you consider the fact that the vast majority of people have never even tasted a real Margarita. If you want the real deal all you have to remember is 3-2-1.
That's the proportion. 3 parts tequila, 2 parts orange liqueur (Triple sec), and one part fresh lime juice. At Felix' we make a 'mago' with an ounce and a half of tequila and an ounce of orange liqueur and a half ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice. That's a 3 1/2 ounce drink---so when you go to one of those trendy Mexican places and get a Margarita in a glass the size of your kid's wading pool you know for sure that your 'mago' has been diluted with a quart of something called 'Margarita mix' then blended with about a gallon of ice...you are then served a vaguely lime-tasting snow cone.</I>
Finally, just for those who really want a big, sweet, slushy frozen margarita the size of a birdbath, typical of those served in bars but not really authentic:
<i>Fill the blender halfway with ice.
1 can of frozen lime juice.
Fill the can with tequila and pour it in.
An extra splash of tequila for good luck.
A splash of Triple Sec.
Sugar to taste.</i>