It’s no secret that I’m fond of a good margarita. The sharp, tangy flavours combined with the bite of earthy salt is what makes this cocktail such a popular choice. I’ve had some amazing margaritas, and some God awful saccharine ones. For shame! A good margarita (in my opinion, we may differ on this) should be made using the freshest ingredients and really bring out the delicious agave flavours. After finding a cocktail shaker in the house, I figured it was time to make my own at home, just to my liking.
Every year at Christmas time, I buy myself a fancy bottle of liqour to try a new cocktail at home. Since it’s the season of overindulging and getting together with family and friends, I like to have a new recipe under my belt for when we have visitors. Because sometimes you want to stay in, eat too much, play boardgames but at the same time, treat yo self! And be fancy. Always be fancy.
This year I decided on a bottle of Patrón Silver tequila. I’ve been a fan of Patrón tequila for a while now, especially since it’s in nearly every margarita in The States. I just love the bottle, don’t you? Thick heavy glass sealed with a gorgeous domed cork stopper. I love that the serial number is handwritten on a label and the side, and the front is adorned with their signature bee symbol (bees are attracted to Weber blue agave, Patrón’s signature ingredient) A very presentable bottle.
I saw a documentary on how Patrón is made a couple of years ago and found it fascinating, wanting to get my paws on a bottle since. I can’t find a link to the documentary but this YouTube video summarises how it’s made. Patrón are incredibly particular about their agave plant and only choose those with the highest sugar content. It also takes 60 hands to make just one bottle!
I started looking for it when I lived in Salamanca and have never spotted it in shops here, but managed to get it online on O’Briens Wine Off Licence website, who pretty much stock anything you can think of. Delivery is free if you spend over €60 too, if you’re still stuck on gift ideas. After some research on basic margarita recipes using top shelf tequila, this cocktail recipe is great if you don’t have access to (or simply don’t want to splash out on) triple sec or Cointreau and want to keep things simple.
This 3 ingredient recipe creates really impressive results – a fast and easy margarita, full of flavour.
I N G R E D I E N T S – Makes 2 margaritas, so adjust accordingly:
– 3 limes (or 120ml of fresh lime juice)
– 120ml of tequila – This doesn’t have to be Patrón, but it does make a really good cocktail! You can also use Jose Cuervo or 1800.
– 1 tbsp/15ml Agave syrup
– Salt
Chop limes in half and squeeze. If you don’t fancy doing that, you can buy fresh lime juice in artisan food markets or Marks & Spencer. When I made the second round of cocktails, I sent the juice of one lime and the juicer FLYING, so I had to use a lemon to replace the lost juice all over the kitchen counter. Don’t do what I did. Fresh lime juice = gold.
Dip or roll tumblers/martini glasses into the juice left in the juicer or pour a bit on to a plate, ensuring you’ve covered the entire rim. Put a couple of teaspoons of salt on a saucer and twist the glass to ensure the entire rim has been salted. There you are now, a bonus Christmas tree in the background.
Pour your tequila and lime juice into a cocktail shaker, squeezing in a tablespoon of agave syrup. I picked up agave syrup in Holland & Barret, but it can be found in any supermarket or health store. A bottle with a squeeze cap will be roughly around €5. Just make sure to get original – there are some syrups with flavours added.
Put 1 -2 handfuls of ice into the cocktail shaker, seal and shake for 30 seconds. At this point, the shaker should be so cold, it’s difficult to hold! Carefully remove the lid and pour into your two prepared glasses. Only a little bit of lime should get through, the excess won’t get through the strainer.
Serve in your preferred glass (or whatever’s clean) and enjoy. What I love about these margaritas is that the flavours are so strong, there’s a lot going on in a single sip, so they last quite a while. Tangy, refreshing and great with nachos and anything spicy.
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