Margaritas are the nation’s favorite at-home cocktail
We weren’t surprised when a recent survey by www.themixer.com revealed the Margarita as the nation’s favorite cocktail to make at home. It’s also one of the most ordered drinks in America! So we were thrilled when they shared this article with Chewing The Fat. And now we’re sharing it with you. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the Margarita followed by four brand-new recipes for Margaritas. ¡Salud! To you and www.mixer.com.
The Original Margarita
There are so many different versions of the Margarita cocktail around these days that you’d be forgiven for not realizing that the deceptively humble Lime Margarita is actually the original drink that started the whole craze. It’s made with tequila, lime, and orange liqueur, and often finished with a salt rim. Let’s start with the key elements of a classic Margarita:
1. Traditionally, the strong element in the Margarita is tequila, but using other agave distillates can give your drink a delicious and unique flavor.
2. The sour element in a drink is what brings acidity; lemon juice and lime juice are the most popular sour agents but you could also use key lime, tart cranberry juice, vinegar, malic/lactic acid, etc. Lime juice is tart, bright, and the perfect pairing for the spice and citrus notes of tequilas and mezcal.
3. The sweet element in a drink balances the sour and strong elements. Sweetness can come from many different sources such as white sugar, brown sugar, agave syrup, honey, maple syrup, custom syrups, liqueurs, etc. Margarita is a sour that is sweetened with a liqueur, orange liqueur specifically, though many popular variations include other sweeteners.
4. The Margarita is often served with a salt rim that helps to enhance the taste and elevate the flavors, but it can also be mixed in the drink or sprinkled on top. There are many different kinds of salt and they can all bring something different to your Margarita: coarse sea salt (avoid fine salt for drinks), kosher salt, volcanic black salt, Himalayan pink salt, chili salt, flavored salts, etc.
How to put salt on your glass
Before you make your drink, pour your chosen salt onto a plate. Then, rub the side of a lime wedge against the outside lip of your glass and gently roll the edge against the salt on the plate. Try to keep the salt on the outside edge of the glass so it doesn’t fall in your drink.
How to serve a Margarita
Most Margarita recipes are designed to be single-serve and shaken by hand. Combine ingredients in a mixing tin/glass, add ice to the top, place the top tin on firmly, and shake vigorously back and forth until the tin has frost on the outside and is cold to the touch. Frozen Margaritas are also a fun and 
delicious option which will impress your guests. Whether blended or made in a machine, frozen Margaritas need to be made a little differently than the shaken variation because achieving optimal texture and flavor is a science. When making a Margarita in a blender, adding the correct amount of ice is important for temperature, consistency, and dilution. Not all ice is the same size, but a good rule of thumb is to estimate about 130g (about 1-1.5 cups) of ice per drink.
If you’re going large, you can serve your Margaritas in a pitcher
It’s one of the best cocktails to be enjoyed with a group. Any recipe can be multiplied by four and prepared in a pitcher for a group serving. Remember to add lots of ice for proper dilution. If you’d rather serve it individually, choose a stemmed Margarita glass that is iconic, playful and perfectly suited for frozen Margaritas and creative variations. The Double Rocks Glass usually holds more and is perfect for shaken Margaritas. A float of Grand Marnier takes your Margarita from good to Grand. These sidecars, or “tooters” as they are called, make service simple. Fill with Grand Marnier, clip to the side of the glass, and serve.
Twists on the classic
The Margarita’s ingredients can be stretched into new forms – offering lots of opportunities to experiment and get creative. It is similar to an iconic pop star; constantly trying on new looks and personas, yet remaining true to its core. Spicy Margaritas are on the rise as drinkers’ palates embrace bolder flavors like chiles and other peppers. Spice can stand alone or be a great complementary element in any Margarita. Smoke is also a rapidly growing flavor trend. The flavor of smoke can be put into a Margarita in many ways including using smoky spirits, infusing syrups with smoky flavors, and directly capturing smoke in the glass. Here are our favorite variations:
Pineapple Anchorita
Adding Pineapple adds a whole dimension to America's favorite at-home cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 part Verde Chile Liqueur
- 1 part Tequila Blanco
- 1 part Pineapple Juice
- 1/2 part fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 part Agave Syrup
- .
Directions
- Step 1 Add all ingredients to the shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a glass over fresh ice. Garnish with pineapple and lime wedges.
El Bandito Margarita
Mezcal makes a Margarita a different drink.
Ingredients
- 1 part Mezcal
- 1 part Verde Chile Liqueur
- 1 part fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 part Agave Syrup
Directions
- Step 1 Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, shake with ice until chilled and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and dried chili
Smoked Bergamot Sour
Bergamot oranges give this drink its great sour flavor and a deeply fragrant, floral aroma.
Ingredients
- 1.5 parts Mezcal
- 3/4 parts Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3/4 parts Bergamot Syrup
- 1 dash Aromatic Bitters
Directions
- Step 1 Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a double Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel
Horse with No Name
Smoky Margaritas are the newest Big Thing.
Ingredients
- 1.5 parts Tequila Blanco
- 1/2 part Grand Marnier
- 1/2 part Pear Liqueur
- 1/2 part fresh Lime Juice
- Stick of incense called Palo Santo
- Orange peel
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare a chilled coupe/cocktail glass (as pictured above) by placing it upside down on a flat surface. Burn the end of the thin palo santo stick, extinguish the flame, and trap the smoke under the glass. Set the Palo stick aside and make sure it’s extinguished. : Let the smoke-filled glass rest while you make the cocktail. Add all the ingredients to the cocktail shaker, add ice and shake thoroughly until chilled. Double-strain into the chilled smoked coupe cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel. Serve.