Margaritas

[Heather]

I am going to Rosa Mexicano with friends on Friday night for dinner and drinks.  I have tried the pomegranate margaritas on at least three occasions and have been consistently underwhelmed.  That ends Friday I hope.  Can anyone recommend any other specialty drinks at Rosa?  Are their regular margaritas any good? 

And while we're talking about margaritas, someone tell me where to find the best ones in town, please!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I totally agree that Rosa's margaritas are underwhelming, but A for effort.

I remember enjoying (way too many) frozen margaritas at Lauriol Plaza...my judgement might have been impaired though

For any margarita, ask for a quality tequila and get it on the rocks, not frozen.

[bilrus]

This is the margarita recipe that turned me off on frozen margaritas and down the righteous path.

[JPW]

This is the margarita recipe that turned me off on frozen margaritas and down the righteous path.

I also like to add a touch of simple syrup to balance the tartness of the lime with just a little extra sweet.

Not too much though, as then you might as well bust out the bottle of Rose's.

[bilrus]

I could see that.

[Barbara]

I also like to add a touch of simple syrup to balance the tartness of the lime with just a little extra sweet.

Not too much though, as then you might as well bust out the bottle of Rose's.

JPW beat me to the punch. I was looking for the simple syrup in the recipe. My father spent his adulthood perfecting his margarita recipe. I got spoiled for the real thing a long time ago.

[porcupine]

Guajillo.

[Chris Cunningham]

Not trying to be egotistical here, but being an expert in the tequila field(created the tequila and drink list at Andale, winning best specialty margarita 4 years in a row, teaching tequila classes to the public, and 2 Sante awards for best Spirits Hospitalty Mid Atlantic) I will proudly Chime in with my 2 cents on this subject

By my calculations I made at least 20,000 margaritas at Andale. The basic margarita is a volatile subject based on peoples experience or lack of tequila knowledge. First and foremost, the please stop consuming Mixtos tequilas. These are the tequilas that we have all been sick on and swore off to GOD in college, or yesterday depending on who you are Tequila by law must be 60-40, 60% minimum agave(distilled juice from the plant, not cactus, tequila comes from) and the remaining 40% can be sugars and addatives such as caramel and coconut for color and flavor-all unatural. The Quervo that we all know so well is a mixto that has caramel added to it to give it a color that makes it looked aged. Quervo brand recently split with its 1800 line which are now 100% agave. What you want to be drinking is a 100% agave tequila. This is as good as it gets. No additives, extra sugars, colors, etc. The bottle will say 100% Agave. Yes you are going to pay more but the difference is incredible and it is noticable. Many people unfortunatley believe that if you are going to mix your Tequila or Vodka for that matter with juice or a mixer, that you should use a lesser priced spirit becuase your cutting its quality-MALARKY Quality spirits, especially Tequila, hold up well with juices and mixers and at times are enhanced by your choices. Quality begets quality folks. There are 3 basic types of tequila-

Silver/Blanco-your traditional. unaged tequila with that spicy. clean herbaciousness flavor, this is how tequila should taste and usually used for margaritas.

Reposado-also known as gold -Meaning "rested", is aged in oak barrels(primarily used bourbon barrels from the US- by law we can only use bourbon barrels once for bourbon production in the US, we then sell those used barrels to the Mexicans for tequila, the French for Cognacs, and the Irish and Scots for their Whiskeys) for a period of 2 to 9 months. This give the tequila a bit of color and takes the initial bit out of it.

Anejo-means "aged" this is tequila that has been aged in barrels for a minimum of 1 year and up to 5 years. Tequila is never aged past 5 years, it cant be done. Most Anejos are aged 3 years on average. Herradura Suprema is aged tha maximum of 5 years in oak barrels as well as French oak. It also costs $300.00 a bottle, and is more Cognac like with hints of vanilla and wood. There are other great anejos that won't break the bank. Anejos are smooth and silky with hints of vanilla,caramel, and wood

I prefer Silver as the tequila of chioce, but using a Reposado or Anejo makes a fantastic margarita as well. So experiment with the different choices. The second most important aspect of a margarita is the Mix. Please forget anything you can buy, including Rose's lime juice. Fresh is the best. what you want to use is simple syrup( equal parts sugar and water boiled, then cooled. Then you want to use fresh lime juice for the mix. Combine 2 parts simple syrup with 1 part fresh lime juice-this gives you a balance of sweet and sour and that perfect Tang. The next ingredient is open to argument. Many people like triple sec or Cointreau. I personally prefer a Mexican herb that is made into a liqueur called Damiana. I had this brought into the Dc market in 2002 by Bacchus Importers for my margarita recipe at Anadale. Damiana is a Mexican herb with aphrodisiac qualities Unfortunatley most liquor stores don't carry it, but you can ask them to order it from Bacchus and the better stores will accomadate your request.

I do believe that Cointreau is the better choice if you must have a dash of orange, but I prefer fresh OJ as an alternative. Gran Marnier is also an option and again a personal choice( for many people a Cadillac Margarita is basically tequila, GM and a dash of OJ

So my perfect margarita would be

2 oz 100% agave tequila of choice

6 oz fresh simple syrup/lime juice mix

1/2 0z Damiana liquer or Cointreau 0r just OJ

on the rocks, salted rim, and a lime wedge.

Tequilas to look for in the store

Sauza Hornitos

Don Eduardo

Don Julio

Oro Azul

Chinaco

El Tesoro

I cannot speak for the quality of Andales margaritas at this time, I have been told that the quality as suffered since my departure( I thank those for their approval), but you should be able to get a better than average margarita there. If you can, order the El Diablo, I created this one as well, but it is topped off with a bit of Mezcal, for a nice bit of heat and smoke on the palate.

While it's a bit of an odd pairing with the cusine, if you are in the mood for a margarita, I invite you to stop by Dino and I'll make you what I hope will be one of the best Margaritas you can have. I only have 1 brand of tequila at the bar, instead of the 62 I had at Andale, but I have each type, and if you don't think it's one of the best margaritas you've had I'll buy it for you Now let's talk about the 28 Grappas that I carry.

[porcupine]

Chris, thanks for a great tutorial! After a tequila binge a year or so ago, I decided my favorites, in order, are: La Fogata, Legenda de Milagro, and Chinaco. What do you think of those? Are there other similar anejos that you would recommend?

I have no business writing this, as I had to call in sick to work today in part because of a hangover (thanks, Dreamy one), but I will definitely be by Dino soon to sample your handiwork.

[cjsadler]

I also like to add a touch of simple syrup to balance the tartness of the lime with just a little extra sweet.

Not too much though, as then you might as well bust out the bottle of Rose's.

I've heard that the best margaritas are made using agave nectar/syrup instead of simple syrup, but I haven't tried it myself.

[Al Dente]

Not trying to be egotistical here, but being an expert in the tequila field(created the tequila and drink list at Andale,

I thought you looked familiar!

[Meaghan]

Chirs makes the damn best magaritas! Will there be a Cinco de Mayo at Dino?

[Chris Cunningham]

Chirs makes the damn best magaritas! Will there be a Cinco de Mayo at Dino?

Thank you very much-you will drink for free That's not a bad idea regarding Cinco de Mayo...Why not! Yes, I will prepare a special limited margarita selection for the day, which is on a Friday. I'll see if the Chef can prepare something Italian, yet that goes with the Margaritas. Just when I thought I had escaped margaritas, they pull me back in Well on to the bar to prepare some specialty margs for that day. Margaritas, Proscutto and the patio what a combo.Hope to see you all there.

[Joe Riley]

This is my secret ingredient that makes for absolutely killer Margaritas:

http://www.crillonimporters.com/index2.htm

http://www.agavero.com/

I also use Sauza "Hornitos" Reposado Tequila. Anything more expensive is just gaudy

[gastronomnivore]

okay, margarita gurus (now THAT's a multicultural image!), what about glasses? any opinions on stems vs. highballs? I have a slight preference for highballs, myself -- even though I love those kitschy green-glass stemmed margarita glasses, I find stems are too easy to spill (horrors!) and it's hard to fit more than 1 rock in them. But I'd love to hear from the experts if anyone thinks otherwise.

[Chris Cunningham]

okay, margarita gurus (now THAT's a multicultural image!), what about glasses? any opinions on stems vs. highballs? I have a slight preference for highballs, myself -- even though I love those kitschy green-glass stemmed margarita glasses, I find stems are too easy to spill (horrors!) and it's hard to fit more than 1 rock in them.  But I'd love to hear from the experts if anyone thinks otherwise.

Again, it matters if you prefer your Margarita up or on the rocks. A wine glass has a stem as well, and can be spilled just as easily, but some of those birdbath margarita glasses are a bit over the top..literally!. I prefer Margaritas on the rocks in a medium sized highball glass. It's easier to hold, allows for ice, which is an essential component to the drink, and is simply easier to drink from.

[vsky]

This is my secret ingredient that makes for absolutely killer Margaritas:

RE: AGAVERO I was trying to find out about marg places to go in restaurants and started looking at this thread ANYWAY I agree one hundered percent with Joe I had this tequila in mexico a few years ago and I have found no tequila like it since or have I been able to find a bottle since...or in a restaurant or bar since... Joe do you really have this in your store??? I would love to buy some - maybe today!

[porcupine]

To those of you who profess to be margarita fans and were not at Dino tonight: your loss. Chris is good. Really good. Go soon and ask him to make you an El Diablo, even if it isn't listed on the drink menu.

<hic>

[dcs]

National Margarita Day is observed annually on February 22nd.  That's today, people.  You know what to do.