In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we're launching our Cocktails page. First up, of course, is the margarita.
Chris and Kori's Maine Margaritas
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6 parts sweet and sour (see below) 3 parts white tequila (inexpensive brands like Sauza work just fine, or you can splurge and get Don Julio for a real treat) 1.5 parts Cointreau (you can also use Grand Marinier or Triple Sec, but we like Cointreau best) 1.5 parts freshly squeezed lime juice
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First, a word on the sweet and sour mix. You may be tempted to buy some off-the-shelf mix for a shortcut, but this is really the secret to a quality margarita. Most of the store mixes are artificial and taste lousy. There are some that are pretty good (such as Rose's Sweet & Sour), but nothing beats fresh homemade mix. Here's how to make it: |
Squeeze 1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup of lemon juice. Go ahead and squeeze the heck out of them. Get all the juice there is. |
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Heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar on the stove until the sugar dissolves. You don't have to boil it, just heat and stir for a few minutes. |
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Remove from heat. Pour the lemon and lime juice into the dissolved sugar water. |
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Strain into a container. If this were an episode of Good Eats, we'd give you a tip on something useful to do with the leftover pulp. But we're thirsty, so just throw it out. |
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You now have some top quality margarita mix! Chill the mix in the refrigerator for a while. There should be enough for four or five batches of margaritas, so you can make it in advance, too. |
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To make the drinks, just combine the above ingredients and shake with ice. If each part is an ounce, the measurements perfectly fill a 12 oz. shaker, and should make two generous drinks. |
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For serving, use a wide rimmed glass such as a margarita glass. Use some of the squeezed limes to wet the rim of a glass, then dunk it in salt (kosher salt is nice and coarse which works well). It's also a good touch to garnish the glass with a slice of lime. Pour and enjoy!