How are you going to celebrate Margarita Day on 2/22?

By making your own margaritas of course! And we’ve got recipes!

First you need to stock up with limes, because freshly squeezed lime juice is the key ingredient. While the Persian lime is most common lime in the United States, margaritas made in Mexico use thin skinned, tart and bitter Mexican limes, also known as key limes.

Next you need an orange liqueur like Triple Sec, Cointreau, Gran Marnier, or Patron’s orange liqueur.

Finally, you need tequila, like La Adelita, which is named after the woman who led female fighters in the Mexican Revolution. 

Just like wine, not all tequilas are alike: some, like wine, are made by hand, come from a single estate, can be aged for extended periods, and reflect their terroir.  Distilled twice is “Silver” or blanco tequila which then can be bottled or barreled and aged to become reposado (one that has rested or reposed for a year or so) or anejo which has a more golden color from being in the barrel even longer.

Learn more about the process of how tequila made here — and more about how it is like wine!

Many Margarita recipes below. 

While many people enjoy Margaritas for happy hour and they only think about them for cocktails, I have always enjoyed a well made Margarita, one with fresh citrus, as a worthy compliment to my favorite Mexican meal at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa de Soria: carne asada ranchera (beef marinated in spices and citrus). However, recently Sue made instant pot beef barbacoa as well as fish for tacos, and the barbacoa is my new favorite!  (Recipe on the blog soon!)  

La Adelita – Single estate
SRP $40
sample

Color: clear

Nose: Not overpowering on the nose. A honey pollen. 

Palate: This tequila is a smooth operator with a lot of vanilla. In a proper glass it rolls across the palate. This is not take a shot tequila, instead it’s a sipping tequila.

Give a tequila like this the respect that it is deserves.

In the proper glass it is viscous and sweet and is meant for sipping and enjoying. Sagey mint, lime, toast, vanilla on the nose and the palate. There is a lovely roundness on the palate: it is so smooth.

Velvet in your glass.

It works well in a mixed drink, but on its own can be enjoyed as a smooth sipper. 

Pairing: Amazing with the fish tacos. There is a celery flavor profile that works so well with the wine. Think of white fish, Tequila chicken. Pairs well as a margarita as well, and delicious with the cake.

La Adelita Anejo — Single Estate
40% ABV
SRP $50
sample for my review

Nose: Orange and patchouli, vanilla, cedar, sandelwood, smells so good in the right glass. We experimented with so many glasses for so many different types of alcohol and wine.

Palate: This is a fine tequila that needs a fine glass. A straight sided shot glass is more straight forward, but a fine sipping glass brings forth a fine sipping tequila. Butterscotch , vanilla, toast, with a  pine forest finish. It is piney with a vanilla sweetness. Agave sweetness. Pine nuts, pine needles, pine tar, bitters, medicinal, nice butterscotch on the finish. Such a smokiness

Pairing:  Forget fish tacos — go with barbacoa or a rich BBQ or grilled meat. Loved the margarita with the cake!

FRESH MARGARITA RECIPE 

Makes 1-2 servings; we made one with blanco and one with anejo

Ingredients: 

• Juice from one mexican (yellow) lime
• Juice from one orange
• 1/2 shot of orange liquor (we used Patron’s)
• 1 shot tequila 
• 1T agave syrup or more to taste

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients on ice
• Shake .
• Pour into ice filled, salt rimmed glass

Elderflower Lemon Margarita Recipe

Makes 1-2 servings; we made one with blanco and one with anejo which we enjoyed with leftover barbacoa tacos followed by Margarita Cake!

In an ice filled quart sized Mason jar, combine then shake

• one half Meyer lemon
• one half Mexican lime
• one half orange 
• 4-5 ounces lemonade 
• 1 shot tequila 
• 1/2 shot St Germain or other elderflower liqueor

Margarita Cake

Add to an organic white cake mix:

• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup milk
• lime zest
• melted butter according to recipe on box
• follow baking directions on box

Lime Frosting

Mix together:

• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• lime zest
• juice of one lime
• 1 cube melted butter 
• Frost when cake cools

La Adelita’s Spicy Jalapeno Margarita 

Serve: old-fashioned glass

Garnish: 

-Slice chilli pepper

-Salt rim 

Directions:

• Muddle chills and coriander/cilantro in a shaker, add other ingredients, shake with ice and fine strain into an ice filled glass. 

Ingredients:

• 1 slice – red jalapeno or chili pepper
• 3 sprig (inches) – cilantro leaves
• 2 fl oz – La Adelita Reposado tequila 
• 1/2 fl oz – syrup (agave) 
• 1 fl oz – lemon juice 

According to the International Bartenders Association on Wikipedia, this is the

OFFICIAL MARGARITA RECIPE

IBA specified ingredients	5 cL (10 parts) tequila 2 cL (4 parts) triple sec 1.5 cL (3 parts) lime juice
Preparation	Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with salt.

The following came as a pitch; I haven’t had a chance to make it and I wasn’t provided with samples but I thought it might be of interest so here you go!