Monday, December 3, 2007

Nectar of the Gods

Okay, it's another non-beer post in the Beer category, but it's worthy, I promise.

The Perfect Margarita (Nectar of the Gods):

• 1 cup Gold Tequila (a)
• 1/3 cup Triple Sec (b)
• 1/2 cup fresh sqeezed key lime juice (with pulp and seeds removed) (c)
• 1/2 cup Agave Nectar (d)
• small pinch of salt

Throw it all in a blender and fill with ice. Blast it until creamy smooth (1 - 2 minutes). If it gets too thick and won't blend, then pour a little water in to get the mix flowing. You can skip the blender and just mix this stuff right over ice for an "on the rocks" drinky-drink.

Notes on this recipe:

a. You don't have to get fancy here. Just use a decent brand (e.g. Sauza or Jose Cuervo). If it comes in a glass bottle, then it might be okay. If it comes in a plastic bottle, then it's probably fit to use as an engine de-greaser.

b. Get fancy! Ordinary Triple Sec is okay and produces good results. For a better tasting 'rita, use Grand Mariner or a cheaper equivalent (e.g. Bauchant) - basically any orange liqueur and brandy/conac blend.

c. Key limes are sweeter and more tart than typical limes. I definitely prefer key limes.

d. THE SECRET INGREDIENT. Look for agave nectar next to the honey at your local grocery store. If you can't find it, then try one of those fancier grocery stores (e.g. Whole Foods, Central Market).

For you metric-system types:

- 1 cup = 237 mL
- 1/2 cup = 118 mL
- 1/3 cup = 79 mL

Also, one shot from a typical shot-glass is roughly 1/6 of a cup in volume. So, you can measure in 1/3 cup increments by using two shot-glass volumes.

The Story

This recipe represents about 12 years of experimenting. My first margarita was some cheap rot-gut tequila mixed with some neon green crap in a bottle. You know, the giant jug of unnatural green liquid just beckoning at you in the liquor store. It tasted like ass and I knew I had to come up with something better.

After some experiements and a few years of experience (i.e. late nights, bad hangovers), I settled on a decent recipe using frozen limeaid concentrate, tequila, and triple sec. This does make a pretty good drink, but it's not quite there.

Just recently, I was introduced to a fantastic substance called agave nectar. Holy shit, I found perfection!!! Okay, maybe it's not perfection, but it's pretty close. The above recipe represents a new plateau in my evolution of the perfect margarita.

You can thank me later, when the room stops spinning...

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