Quality tequila matters according to my brother-in-law Brent, and so does zesting the limes over the pot to catch all the oils. This is the kind of margarita making details that make all the difference. He should know as he’s been mixing up margaritas for us, the family and friends for years. It’s something we all look forward to every summer.
We all sit patiently under an umbrellaed table, just sheltered enough from the blazing mid-afternoon sun and can hear him juicing and mixing away through the screened patio door. We wait as patiently as we can and are awarded a puckering, yet refreshing blast of lime margarita. They’re fantastic, and as you will see in the recipe, they can be served up 3 different ways. Brent was gracious enough to part with his recipe and I’ve kept it very close to his original because it’s hard to mess with a drink that’s already so darn good.
As luck would have it, my husband was in Arizona this spring and was able to buy me a bottle of Patron at a very good price, so I was able to keep to true to quality ingredients. It comes through in the taste, as does the fresh lime juice and zest. So cheers to my brother-in-law Brent for his wonderful recipe, his gracious nature to mix and pour for us and the smiles this fantastic margarita brings to all our faces.
Other great summer beverages!
Author: Compelled to Cook
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 7 1/2 ounces blanco or silver tequila
- 3 1/2 ounces triple sec
- 4 each zest of 4 limes plus more for salted rim
- as needed lime wedges or slices
- as needed sea salt
- Bring water, sugar and lime zest to a full boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool completely. Can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept chilled.
- Strain chilled syrup into a medium size pitcher and stir in lime juice, lemon juice, tequila and triple sec.
- Combine fine sea salt and a small amount of lime zest in a shallow dish that is wide enough to fit the rim of your serving glass. Wet the edge of the glass rim with a lime wedge and dip in salt.
- Serving option #1 Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Add 6 1/2 ounces of margarita mix and shake for 30 seconds. Pour into prepared glass and serve immediately.
- Serving option #2 Fill a prepared serving glass 1/4 full with ice and top with 6 1/2 ounces of margarita mix. Serve immediately.
- Serving option #3 Freeze margarita mix in a sealable shallow container until firm. Scoop out into a prepared serving glass and serve immediately.
The frozen version of this recipe is undiluted with ice from shaking and/or serving and therefore slightly stronger in taste. As the slush melts it chills the glass and softens to slurpable goodness. My favourite!
P.S., love the interactive ‘Servings / Ingredients’ auto-calculator. Makes that bit so much easier! Brent
When testing the recipe it wasn’t smart to drink the whole batch, especially on a weeknight, so we froze it and found out it was wonderful!
Beautifully done Nicole! Great job, so thirsty now . . . Brent
Thanks for the inspiration Brent!! We’ll enjoy a few this summer.