Searching for Tequila Man: On the Hunt for the Best Margarita Recipe

Mariachi bands, nachos, flag-waving: there are lots of ways to celebrate the Battle of Puebla, a turning point in Mexican fight for independence. For most of us gringos, though, it’s all about the margaritas.

The classic margarita recipe is roughly one part tequila, one part lime juice, and triple sec (or Cointreau, or Grand Marnier, depending on budget). From that point on, anything is possible. Making a enough for a group is simple, or it can be mixed up in a glass for an instant welcome-home-from-work drink.

The origin of the margarita is a mystery still: Wikipedia mentions a couple margarita "creation myths," from Hussong's in 1941 Ensenada to a Prohibilition era brandy drink called the Daisy (an Irish nickname for Margaret), with tequila substituted for brandy.

But there are a number of crux points in the basic margarita recipe that separate the connoisseur from the common slammer. As with any home recipe, your personal touch is what makes it yours, as with wine tasting, there’s no penalty for preferring the basic margarita over its more elaborate variants.

We asked our Facebook friends – and a couple professionals – how they make theirs, and it proved a surprisingly viral post.  As expected, there are a number of ways to make “the perfect margarita,” which just makes us think you really can’t go wrong.

Robbie Boswell’s recipe for what he calls “a real mar, IMHO” is simple but effective, and as good a place to start as any for the home mixologist.

1 oz tequila, ½ oz cointreau, ½ oz lime juice. Shake with ice vigorously and pour into salt rimmed glass. Serve a real marg, IMO

Promenades Canines suggests a classic blender recipe which is similar to the first one that comes up on AllRecipes.com when you do a Google Search for “margarita recipe.”

Serves 4: 1 6 oz can limeade concentrate. 2 fluid oz. triple sec, 6 fluid oz. tequila. Fill blender with CRUSHED ice. Pour in limeade concentrate, tequila and triple sec. Blend until smooth. Into glasses, serve. Best.....ever....in our opinion

Judi MacGregor Levens' recipe is also quite simple, though her use of agave nectar elevates it a notch – agave is the cactus that tequila is made from, so using the nectar (syrup) made from the same plant makes sense. Then she strikes a tropical note with the suggestion of mango pulp for lime.

1 oz tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz Cointreau and 1/2 oz simple syrup or agave nectar...I like mine with mango pulp substituting for the lime

Shelley Williams also uses agave nectar, but throws in some rather untraditional ingredients for spicey variety.

Tequila, lime, agave nectar (3:2:1) add Chile, cucumber, radish etc to your liking.

More experimental still, Haydon Street Inn says “I like mine with a little El Presidente brandy, fresh squeeze lemons, limes, grapefruit, and hardly any sugar," which sounds a little more puckery than the common palate might prefer.

Roz Carusillo offers a generous approach to a good margarita: “Actually any recipe will do with a float of Midori, yummo.”

Several people went so far as to eschew the recipe altogether, and just suggested favorite places to order one: Maya Restaurant in Sonoma made the list, as did Healdsburg's Mateo’s Cocina Latina,

But Lara Apadoca cut to the chase, for many of us, answering to the question of “Do you have a favorite margarita recipe?” with 

No, all though I know how to drink them.

For years, rumors have circulated that the best margarita is made with beer. I’ve had this, and have to say it’s pretty damn good, all right. But the recipe has eluded me until Facebook – and my long lost cousin in San Diego, photographer Jim Coit – came to the rescue.

By the blender... 1 1/2 c tequila, 1/2 c Grand Marnier, 1/3 beer, 1 can fzn lemonade, ice.. that's it. The best ever.

What struck me in compiling this was how nobody specified what kind of tequila to use. I know for a fact some people swear by Jose Cuervo Gold as the inebriant of choice in a margarita. It does make a good margarita, but there’s one problem: Cuervo Gold is not 100% blue agave, the threshold for a “true” tequila, but is blended with other non-agave alcohols and even caramel color.

With tequila price ranging from about $7.99  / 750 ml to $49.99 and up for the more limited editions, it’s obviously a matter of practicality as well as discrimination. But you have to draw the line somewhere: Look for, and use, 100% blue agave tequila.

Another matter of personal taste is whether or not to take your margarita blended – as most of the recipes above specify – or on the rocks. The biggest disadvantage I know about for blended drinks is brain freeze, all but unheard of for an on-the-rocks drink, quite common for a blended one. Since I prefer my headaches the morning after, I usually order my margaritas on the rocks.  

All this research made me thirsty, so I sought out Maya Restaurant for their recommended cocktail. "We're using Rancho Allegre tequila, triple sec, fresh squeezed lemon and lime just, shaken and poured into a martini glass."

That's only $7.50, with happy hour prices making it more appealing still at just $5. If you want a top-shelf tequila - and they must have 50 on the list - it's only $1.50 more.

See you at happy hour!

Tell us: What's your favorite margarita recipe - or where do you go to order one?