Wanted: decent margarita
By EMILY BATTLE
A couple of years ago, my husband and I spent a weekend in Austin, Texas, for a friend's wedding.
We visited a Mexican restaurant on trendy South Congress Avenue called Guero's Taco Bar. This place was so good, and the guide books did such a good job leading people to it, that we had to wait more than an hour and a half for our table.
At most places, this would have enraged me and sent me down the street to the next restaurant.
But at Guero's, we jumped at the opportunity to wait in the restaurant's outdoor bar, where under sprawling live oak trees, we found delightful samplings from Austin's live music scene, crispy fresh corn chips and salsa and-most importantly-the best margaritas I have ever had in my life.
The lime pulp was visible, the citrus made you pucker, and its acidic strength was a worthy companion for the tequila.
These margaritas were worlds away from the almost Kool-Aid-tasting mixes you drink in Mexican restaurants near my Virginia home.
Ever since that night, the super-sugary mixes that you buy in stores and drink at restaurants just don't do it for me.
So I set out to make my own mix, and to try to re-create that fresh-tasting beverage as best I could.
I put the question out on a Web forum or two, and got all kinds of opinions on tequila (must be 100 % Blue Agave), lime juice (no high-fructose corn-syrup substitutes allowed) and liqueurs (triple sec versus Cointreau).
I must say I'm not a connoisseur of tequila. I made a trip to the liquor store and came back with a bottle of Sauza Conmemorativo Anejo.
Anejo means "old" in Spanish, and anejo tequilas must be aged for a year in oak barrels. This is a gold tequila, which means it was probably colored with caramel.
Alongside the tequila in my ABC store bag was a bottle of Leroux triple sec liqueur, which the store manager had recommended.
I've read that Cointreau, though usually more expensive, makes a much better drink, but I've heard others say they can't tell a difference, so I went with the economical option.
I picked up some limes at the grocery store and was ready to go.
My first lesson: squeezing limes is tough. You can pop them in the microwave to make juicing easier, but don't go any longer than 10 seconds. Limes have thinner skins than lemons, and when they get too hot, the juice gets bitter.
After a few attempts (not all in the same evening), I settled on a recipe that called for one-third a cup of lime juice, a quarter-cup of tequila and a quarter-cup of triple sec.
With the lime juice, I found it's important to filter out as much of the pulp as possible. I like pulp in my orange juice, but lime pulp can be a lot more bitter than orange pulp, so keeping that out of the drink helps maintain the bitter/sweet balance.
Plus, if you're using a margarita glass that has a wide rim tapering to a skinny bowl before the stem, all that pulp is going to gather at the bottom, and you're not going to want the last few sips.
I drink all of my margaritas shaken rather than blended, since I like the white frothy layer that comes from a good shake, and if you're using decent ingredients, all the ice you have to put in the blender is going to make the thing so cold that your tongue will be too numb to appreciate the flavor.
I like this drink, but my husband frowned when he took a sip. He has a sweeter palate, so I mixed some powdered sugar into the lime juice when I made this drink for him. If you like things really sweet, you might have no problem with the pre-made mixes. I drink black coffee and dry wine, though, and really just can't handle that much sugar.
In the end, I'd say I found an acceptable alternative to the neon-green margarita mixes out there.
I still have not had a ‘rita quite as good as that one at Guero's, though.
For that, I guess we'll just have to head back to Austin sometime.
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