Margaritas

Yesterday was National Tequila Day. (Living in Utah, July 24 is Pioneer Day, so we missed it and are celebrating a day late!) We’ve been lucky enough to go to Jalisco and mosey along the Tequila Trail, trying everything from the big businesses with names you recognize to the little out of the way Mom & Pop stops.

We tasted all the varietals: Angie prefers Blanco, also called silver. I prefer Anejo, and neither of us loves Reposado (sorry, Jose Cuervo!).  Tasting, of course, means sipping, like you would a fine wine. No stinking worms in our tastings (or anything you’d want to drink, in our opinion)!  We actually spent our 10th wedding anniversary on the Tequila Trail in 2018. After Ang finished working in Guadalajara, we flew out to a very relaxing boutique hotel, Casa de Mita, about 30 minutes out of Puerta Vallarta (anyone else think of The Love Boat whenever you hear that name?). 

Our waiters there continued our tequila education, excited that we were eager to learn. Each evening, they expanded our pre & post-dinner drinks with extra anejho (a deeper, darker and smoother tequila, aged even longer in the whisky barrels) & a cristalino anejo (filtered till clear), but one of the best things they consistently made was their margarita. About the time they thought we should start thinking about lunch, a margarita would just appear on the table next to our lounge chairs while we had a swim, reminding us to set aside our books and get the taste buds ready for lunch.

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh, such a relaxing holiday: pool, books, the view and sound of ocean waves, beach strolls, margaritas, and amazing fresh food, particularly seafood.

We’ve enjoyed a lot of margaritas in our 12 years together (and before finding each other).  Everyone has a different way of making it from “the skinny” to their favorite mix or flavor added. 

Ours is a blend of our favs we have tried, but most influenced by those from Casa de Mita, with a little twist from Terranea’s Lobby Bar. 

For 2 margaritas:

7 limes (roughly), squeezed or if you have a juicer it’s quicker, which should make about 1 cup

Strained, of course (we are civilized and Ang hates pulp), so you have about 1/2 cup lime juice in each glass.

2 shots of your favorite tequila blanco (or to mix it up, Mezcal, but that’s another post)

1 shot of Contreau to give it that slight orange flavor

A dash of St Germaine, a slight sweetness replacing agave syrup (Thank you, Lobby Bar)

Stir & add 7 ice cubes. Why 7 ice cubes? Why not?  You don’t want to over chill it, and hey, we used 7 limes! Odd numbers always make things more interesting. Plus, 7 is lucky.

Salt around the rim if you’re into it, or even more Mexican, use Tajin Clasico. 

Garnish if you have friends over or want it to look fancy. 

Enjoy, dreaming of the next pool or ocean you’ll be visiting…

Salud!