Margarita Party!

A busy and fun Memorial Day weekend--included dinner-and-movie-night at Amie & Guy's, helping R. wire up a ceiling fan at her apartment, and heading out to visit Bird & Jen in NH. Jen provided the meals, and I decided that it was fine time to explore another classic cocktail (like my previous party)--the margarita.



I understand if your first response is dismissive--I have long considered the margarita the alcoholic slushie that you order at Thank Chili It's Bennigan Tuesday's when the beer selection is too crappy. But I started reading about good tequila, as well as margaritas. I won't bore you with background-of-tequila stories--here's the Wikipedia link if you care. But this New York Times article ("In Tequila's Layers, Hints of Sea and Spice") does a wonderful job touching on the basics. The classic story of the origin of the name: One widely circulated creation myth credits a bartender who some versions say worked outside Los Angeles and others place near Tijuana. He reportedly concocted the drink for a starlet who could only drink tequila but didn't like its taste.

But anyway, after reading the article, my first reaction was: "Holy crap, why do people buy crap 'rita mixtures?!?" Look: a margarita has three friggin ingredients (plus the garnishes of salt and lime):

2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

Yep... no high fructose corn syrup, no FD&C Yellow No. 5. Simple and clean... booze + booze + juice + melt water... mixed right up in the cocktail shaker--cheers!


[Photo credits: Jen--additional photos from the weekend here--includes yummy home-made bagels (!!) and infrastructure dorkery!]

Seemed like the perfect drink to welcome in the summer.

We also tried some straight tequila--the Herradura Silver (3 Stars out of 4--"Beautifully balanced, restrained and elegant, with mineral, salt, herbs and cucumber flavors." according to the Times review). The sweetness intrinsic to the drink was pretty interesting. I had not given tequila--excuse me--decent tequila--the benefit of the doubt of a straight tasting, as opposed to oh-god-please-mask-that-friggin'-taste shots with lime and salt.

However, the three of us ended up emptying out about 2/3 of that 750 mL--I definitely had a slow morning the next day. But I've recovered enough that if folks are interested, I'd be glad to try another one of these parties!