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UPDATE MARCH 22, 2012: Add serving sizes

 

So the buzz on Twitter is its National Margarita Day! I’m all for that. I was recently at a party and had an amazing margarita made for me. Of course, I had to have the recipe. As with any recipe, use the BEST ingredients you can find, especially with tequila. If you ever had cheap tequila and have sworn it off forever, I recommend trying again with a top shelf one or even a middle shelf. I recommend Jose Cuervo or Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, both either the silver or gold (about $20 a bottle) or if you are feeling especially generous to yourself Patron (which is about $55 a bottle). Put on your favorite summer music, turn the furnace up, put on your bathing suit and sip a fresh lime margarita pretending it isn’t February. {ha ha ha}

FRESH LIME MARGARITA – makes 4 on the rocks margaritas
In a pitcher, combine:
1 1/2 cups lime zest cooler (see below)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (reduce to 1/8 teaspoon if you are rimming your glass with salt)
1/2 cup tequila, make it a good one
1/3 cup triple sec
1 lime, sliced into wedges for garnish
 
Mix thoroughly and chill. I like my salt in my drink (hence large amount above). You can serve your glass lined with salt. To do so, wet the rim of the glass with a bit of lime juice and dip onto a plate filled with kosher salt (a coarser salt is better for this).
 
Serve on the rocks with a lime wedge.
 
TIP: Keep all the liquid ingredients in the refrigerator (or the tequilla and triple sec in freezer) for the best chilled margarita.
 
LIME ZEST COOLER – makes enough for 2-1/2 of the above recipes (or 10 margaritas)
8 large limes
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 quart water
 Zest the limes. Add the zest to the sugar and water. In a separate bowl, juice the limes (you will need this for your margaritas tomorrow). Refrigerate both.
 
Soak the zest water overnight in the refrigerator.  Strain the lime zest out and reserve the liquid, discarding zest.
 
NOTE:  The lime zest cooler will stay fresh for two weeks, so make a larger batch!