Enough about taxes and the various inanities, iniquities, and inequities of modern life. Summer has come early to southern Ontario, and as is traditional in these parts, that means all discussion of serious topics is hereby suspended until after Labour Day.
And there's no better way to slip the brain into neutral than with a cooling beverage (or two). Since I retired, I've applied myself diligently to mastering the art of the cocktail. I've gotten pretty good at it too. So as a public service, I'm going to share a few tips and a few recipes over the next few weeks.
Let's begin with the Margarita. One of the classic principles of cocktail construction is the formula sweet + sour + strong. Not all cocktails are made this way, but many are, and this is a good basis for creating your own original drinks. The Margarita follows this classic pattern.
The sweet comes from triple sec, an orange-flavoured liqueur that is a bar staple. The sour is contributed by lime juice, and the strong component is the tequila.
The quality of ingredients will make a big difference to the taste of your drink. Do not, I repeat, do not use powered or prepared mixes. They are full of artificial colours and flavours, and citric and other acids. I suggest buying a can of Minute Maid Limeade concentrate. It consists of lime juice and sugar and is reasonably priced -- about $1.29. The mixing directions call for adding 4 cans of water. Ignore this. Add only 2 cans, otherwise your drink will be too diluted when you add ice. This is still too sweet for your Margarita though, so also add 4 ounces of fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes). You now have about 40 ounces of a sweet/tart natural Margarita mix that costs a lot less than the commercial mixes.
Some people like salt on the rim of their Margarita; some prefer it without. It's up to you. Some like theirs frozen; some prefer theirs on the rocks. It's up to you.
To make one Margarita: combine half an ounce of triple sec, one and a half ounces of tequila, and three or four ounces of the limeade mix. Blend with a cup of crushed ice for a frozen Margarita, or serve over ice. Enjoy!
To make a pitcher that will serve eight, mix four ounces triple sec, twelve ounces tequila, and about thirty ounces of the limeade mix.
You can take your Margaritas to a higher level with premium ingredients and the taste is well worth it. Instead of triple sec, try using Grand Marnier, an orange-flavoured, brandy-based liqueur. It's expensive, but adds a mellow smoothness to your drink. And the quality of the tequila can also make a difference. Besides basic silver and gold (which has caramel colour added), there are reposada (rested), and anejo (aged) tequilas. The latter can be very expensive, but the middle level reposada tequila can be an affordable way to add depth of flavour to your Margarita. El Jimador Reposada is $32.95 at the LCBO, only a few dollars more than basic silver and gold tequilas.
So there's our cocktail to kick off the summer, and mixology lesson #1: use real fruit juices, fresh where possible. Cheers!
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