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Summer is here! (Time for a margarita.)

According to businessinsider.com, the #8 best-selling cocktail in the world is the margarita. I’ll bet that jumps to number one or two when it’s hot out, right alongside the similarly made classic daiquiri. The margarita is the perfect refreshing cocktail when you find yourself at a pool party or barbeque. The only issue some people have is that they have no idea how to make a good one. There are usually two types of margarita makers in the world: the ones that buy the pre-made margaritas in a bottle and pour it over ice (heartburn and hangover in a glass), or the ones that use 17 ingredients in a 6 step, 10 minute process to make a margarita for one. I want to discuss the happy medium… a margarita that anyone can make in minutes that has quality ingredients.

The key ingredients in a fresh marg (if you drink enough of them you just end up calling them “margs”) are tequila, fresh lime juice, limes, simple syrup, salt, and ice. If you want to be over-charged for sugar water you can buy pre-made simple syrup at some stores, but it’s just a solution of 50% water 50% sugar. If this already sounds like I surpassed your marg making skills, don’t fret, I’m about to make it easy. A product already exists that contains a perfectly proportioned combination of the lime juice and simple syrup… the world’s best “margarita mix”, AKA “Simply Limeade”, which is found in your grocery store’s refrigerated juice section.

Simply Limeade

 

All you have to do is pour a shot or two of tequila over ice, add this magic marg mixer, and you’re done. No cutting and squeezing limes, no making simple syrup, no screwing up and making it too sour or too sweet. It’s just that easy. If you really want to get fancy, garnishing with salt and lime is self explanatory. If you REALLY want to step your garnish game, don’t just rim the glass with salt, use a spicy lime seasoning called “Tajin” instead. You can usually find this by the other Mexican foods in a grocery store, and you may never have a marg without it again.

Tajin

 

When picking out a tequila, keep in mind that you can find some lesser known, less expensive brands that taste just like the pricier name brands. This makes sense if you look at the fact that there are around 2000 registered brands of tequila, while there are only around 100 distilleries that make it. What that means to you is that one distillery is contracted out to make tequila for 20 different brands… so for every tequila there are about 19 others going by different names that taste exactly the same. So when you hear that the big box store brand tequila tastes just like the name brand, it’s probably because there’s a chance it’s the exact same tequila.

Hope this info helps you get through the summer heat with a smile! Just be aware that side effects of drinking too many margs includes losing articles of clothing, dancing on bars, and making out with strangers. Just remember to drink responsibly enough to know to call a cab.

Salud!

Your friends at Flagstaff Food Tour and Tucson Food and Beer Tours

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