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Collection: Beverage
Recipe By: Margaret Sheridan
Margarita's Achilles' Heel
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Directions
- The right orange liqueur can make or break your drink
- Recipes for a margarita are pretty straight forward: tequila, fresh lime juice and orange-flavored liqueur. How simple Not really.
- Choices for this third ingredient drive devotees of tequila's most famous cocktail into endless debate. How much should you pay for orange liqueur? And why? Prices range from $9 fora domestic triple sec to $28 and beyond for premiums with passports, such as Cointreau and Grand Marnier. How critical is their role? Very. It's all about balance and your taste,
- "The orange-flavored liqueur is used to complement the flavor of tequila.
- For the premium French-made Cointreau. This 80-proof liqueur delivers a soft, floral taste and orange flavor. Itis well-rounded and less harsh than many triple secs, he says,
- Margarita primo
- Pour 2 ounces 100 percent agave silver tequila, 1 ounce Cointreau, 2 ounces fresh lemon sour and 1-ounce fresh lime juice in a mixing glass; shake with ice until blended. Strain into an ice-filled goblet. Garnish with lime wedge.
- Lemon sour: Mix 2 parts fresh lemon juice with 1-part simple syrup.
- Mike Ryan, of Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago, swears by curacao. A stepchild of Valencia oranges, this member of the triple sec family delivers a strong orange flavor without excessive sweetness. Says Ryan: "It lends a richer, rounder mouthfeel. It is less expensive than premiums such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier." His preferred brand is Marie Brizard.
- Another contender for that elusive ingredient is Grand Marnier What distinguishes this French-made product from triple sec or Cointreau is its cognac base It delivers a strong, distinctive taste. Some critics contend it competes; and overpower, the taste of tequila. But Paul Tanguay who creates the beverage menu for Double A Lounge in Chicago, uses Grand Marnier for that unique taste and mouth feel. "You can't replace the viscosity and velvety effect on the tongue of Grand Marnier"
- OK. The choice is yours. But heed some words of wisdom on the making of margaritas. Abou-Ganim advises: "As in baking, measure all ingredients. Use recipes. Each ingredient contributes to the balance."
- Ryan advises hosts to banish all shortcuts such as mixes, limeade and bottled lime juice. "It's not worth the sharp, heartburning, candy nastiness that's typical of a bad margarita."
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