Back Down South

“Despite its unfortunate reputation as the Lindsay Lohan of the drink world, it deserves to rub elbows with the likes of the Manhattan and the martini. A properly made margarita is like Emma Stone-fun-loving but, deep down, classy and smart.” – Wall Street Journal

Happy Cinco de Mayo! There truly is no better way to celebrate the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France than to drink margaritas. AMIRIGHT?!

Let’s get right to it. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again: it’s a tragedy how horrible the majority of margaritas are made. My Texan blooded heart breaks at the disservice to this glorious drink that the majority of restaurants have brought. My beloved ‘rita, one of the easiest drinks to make, has been hijacked by sweet-and-sour mixes, frozen fruits, cheap tequilas and machines.

The Drink(s): The basic margarita should only have 3 ingredients in it: tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Like all cocktails, your margarita will only be as good as your worst ingredient, so don’t buy from the bottom of the shelf. For the four we made, we chose Espolón Blanco tequila, one of the best tequilas for the money. Whatever you buy, make sure it’s 100% agave, and stick to blanco (a.k.a silver or white) tequila for your ‘ritas. Next, don’t buy that $10 Triple Sec bottle with the orange on it. Get some Grand Marnier or Cointreau, the latter of which I prefer. Last, when I say lime juice, I mean freshly squeezed lime juice. Don’t you dare buy a concentrate or limeade. Fresh, fresh, fresh.

Now, here are cuatro recipes that we love. We whipped these up with friends in Nashville and had a little tasting party. We even decided to extend the invites to our friends and family to get their thoughts on it too. Ok, some of the people may have used a fake id to get in on the action, but we made sure that we drank responsibly, as we wanted as many honest opinions as possible. I think it worked. They were all well received, and everyone had different favorites, which is why we’d encourage you to try them all and decide for yourself! You shake ’em, you strain ’em, you like ’em.

UNO | The Classic (3 parts tequila, 2 parts triple sec, 1 part lime juice)

• 1.5 oz tequila
• 1 oz triple sec
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• pinch sea salt (I prefer shaking with salt instead of rimming glass)

DOS | Caroline’s Favorite Variation (found in The PDT Cocktail Book)

• 2 oz tequila
• 3/4 triple sec
• 3/4 lime juice
• 1/4 agave syrup

TRES | Mark’s Favorite Variation (via Jeffrey Morgenthaler)

• 2 oz tequila
• 1 oz triple sec
• 1 oz lime
• 1 oz lemon
• 1 oz simple syrup

CUATRO | The Bitters Variation (via White on Rice). This one tastes the most different, but still really delicious. The bitters in place of triple sec bring a really unique flavor while still managing to taste like a margarita.

• 1.5 oz tequila
• 1.5 oz lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 3 dash orange bitters

The Glasses: Tig got these at a market in Cabo San Lucas.

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Bonus note: I’ve been margarita-focused in restaurants over the past couple of weeks and have noticed something that’ll make a lot of girls happy. The majority of margaritas that are described as “Skinny” on a menu are actually the ones that will taste the best! This may not be true of all places, but if you read the ingredients what you’ll hopefully see is “fresh lime juice and agave nectar” instead of sweet-and-sour. If you find yourself in a place where Splenda is listed in the ingredients, get up and leave.

The Drink: The Mulligan, our improved version of a John Daly (lemonade, tea, and vodka). You may have been calling it an “alcoholic Arnold Palmer,” but it’s John Daly, friends.

When Firefly brought sweet tea vodka into our lives, it made John Daly’s even easier to make, and even more delicious. But when we visited the distillery last Spring, I discovered something that my liquor store didn’t carry at the time: Sweet Tea Bourbon. Holy smokes, southern Batman! I was in love. Bourbon whiskey from the Buffalo Trace Distillery infused with South Carolina tea and sweetened with cane sugar? Boom.

Now that it’s officially warmer weather cocktail season, sweet tea liquor was in order a few nights ago…but I wanted to alter it a tad. Thus, The Mulligan was born. Using Sweet Tea Vodka in this would also be delicious, I just highly recommend giving it a try with Sweet Tea Bourbon. The must do alteration here is fresh lemon juice instead of store bought lemonade. A little extra work goes a long way in this drink. The measurements below are for a 12 oz glass. Pour, stir, and enjoy.

• 6 oz Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon (or Sweet Tea Vodka).
• 3 oz water.
• 1.5 oz fresh lemon juice.
• Handful of ice.
• Lemon wheel to garnish.

The Glass: Firefly Mason Jar glass (c/o).

The Attire: 

• The Old Try ‘Hill Country’ shirt. Texas forever. 
• Urban Outfitters ‘Around the World’ watch.
• J.Crew jeans.

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Are you jealous of my awesome Firefly mason jar glass? I figured you would be…so they sent me 2 to give to one of you! In honor of The Masters starting today, and, well…the whole golf talk thing we’ve got going on here…you just need to leave a comment on this post letting us know who you’re pulling for this year! A winner will be drawn at random on April 14th after the green jacket is on the shoulders of the 2013 winner.

Additional high fives for liking:

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED – CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MAPLES FAMILY FOR WINNING!*