Skinny Margarita
My niece Kelsey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, but in another life she was a bartender. Consequently she knows a lot more about making good margaritas than I do. (This is more of a "Skinny Margarita" because it has less sugar, but it's every bit as good!)
Here's what you need:
1 & 1/2 oz. of Silver/Blanco Tequila
1 oz. of lime juice
1 teaspoon of light agave nectar
A couple of splashes of soda water
Start with a margarita glass, (or bar glass). If you like salt, run a bit of lime around the edge, then turn it over onto a saucer of coarse grained salt. (Kelsey and her husband, Chris, rave about coating the rim with a Mexican spice called Tijan.)
Next put all the ingredients in a shaker with lots of ice, shake it then pour it over ice. (We don't have a shaker, but the experts say that using one makes it ice cold and keeps the drink from getting diluted. Those of us who are novices just pour the ingredients over ice and stir.) Finally, you top off the drink with soda. Totally delicious and very few calories!
Classic Margarita
Scott Carpenter, a very good friend of ours from Newport Beach, is what I would call a "connoisseur" of food and drink. Here is his version of a great Margarita:
2 oz. of gold or silver tequilla (The more expensive the better of course.)
1.5 oz. of Triple Sec. or 1 &1/2 teaspoons of light agave nectar
1 oz of fresh lime juice
First, line the rim with lime and salt. Next, add the ingredients together in a shaker with lots of ice and shake, shake, shake. (Using a shaker is actually quite fun.) You then pour the mixture over ice and garnish it with lime.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the phrase, "Shaken not stirred" came from James Bond? It referred to how he liked his martinis.
Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa (What a fun name!)
Our friend, Karen Taulien, told me about this margarita recipe. It won a "Margarita Taste Test" with a rather large crowd. It's a cup of beer, a cup of tequila and a cup of limeade concentrate. Blend these three together with 4 cups of ice and you have a super fun party drink!
More about Tajin
Tajin is a spice made of chili peppers, lime and salt. It is used all over Mexico on everything. People love it so much around here that it is even available as a topping at my local yogurt shop. You can buy it almost anywhere in Southern California, but you can also order it on-line. Like I mentioned above, it is great around the rim of a margarita glass.
Fun Saying: When someone is drunk we say that they are "three sheets to the wind". When a sail is under control it's "sheeted" or tied down. So the saying literally means that not only is one sail flapping in the wind and out of control but three. The next time I'm around someone who is just a little bit tipsy I think I'll say, "There goes Sarah, she's one sheet to the wind."