Tequila and orange liqueur, combined with lime juice for a sweet/tart combination, makes the margarita the perfect choice of cocktail on hot days or to complement spicy food.
Cocktail expert Tom Macy explains that the most important factor in building an excellent margarita is to use a high-quality tequila -- one that is made from 100 percent blue agave. "By law, it only has to be 51 percent," Macy says in the Howcast video below, "that's the really cheap, bottom-shelf stuff. You don't want that."
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Agave is the plant from which tequila is made, and blue agave is the preferred species for tequilas and agave nectar. Its sweet and mild taste is often compared to honey; All About Agave reports that the Mexican name for agave is "aquamiel," which means "honey water."
Watch Macy create a fresh and delicious margarita on the rocks in the video below, then give it a try yourself. Salud!
Classic margarita on the rocks
Ingredients
2 ounces (59.2 milliliters) 100% blue agave tequila
.75 ounces (22.2 milliliters) high-quality orange liqueur
.75 ounces (22.2 milliliters) freshly squeezed lime juice
Agave nectar or simple syrup to taste
Handful of small ice cubes
Handful of large ice cubes
Lime wheel
2 ounces (59.2 milliliters) 100% blue agave tequila
.75 ounces (22.2 milliliters) high-quality orange liqueur
.75 ounces (22.2 milliliters) freshly squeezed lime juice
Agave nectar or simple syrup to taste
Handful of small ice cubes
Handful of large ice cubes
Lime wheel
Directions
1. Add liquids and small ice cubes to chilled shaker. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
2. Put large ice cubes into a chilled rocks glass.
3. Pour shaken liquid into rocks glass, straining out the small ice.
4. Garnish with lime wheel and serve immediately.
1. Add liquids and small ice cubes to chilled shaker. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
2. Put large ice cubes into a chilled rocks glass.
3. Pour shaken liquid into rocks glass, straining out the small ice.
4. Garnish with lime wheel and serve immediately.
The key to properly salting the rim of the glass is to ensure that the salt only gets on the outside of the rim -- not the inside, where it can alter the taste of the drink. There's no need to moisten the rim with lime; a chilled rocks glass will have enough condensation to hold the salt.
Simply roll the outside rim of the glass in a shallow dish of kosher salt to make a uniform line about a quarter of an inch (.64 centimeters) wide. Macy prefers to salt only half of the rim, creating a stylish crescent moon and giving the drinker a choice of whether or not to taste salt with every sip.
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