A Graduate Student no Longer

Cheers! Sunday evening is a great time for a cocktail, is it not? I just recently finished up school and started my first real job, finally becoming a contributing member of society. My husband also just started up a new year at his job after taking the summer off (teachers need the whole summer to recuperate, so I'm told). We just realized we're all ready to face another week ahead, and wanted to sit back, relax, and enjoy the evening. So naturally we headed to the liquor cabinet.

Living in San Diego, in such close proximity to Mexico, great margaritas should be flowing on every corner, in every cantina. Unfortunately, we've been searching for the perfect margarita for quite some time here, and have yet to find it. Sure, we have our favorite watering hole where the tequila is good and chips and salsa are fresh. But most places seem to cater to the tourist crowd where margaritas are served pre-mixed, in huge glasses, and with plenty of high fructose corn syrup and "lime flavoring." Sad, so so sad. So when we want a perfect margarita we have to take matters into our own hands.

Break out the shaker! The best rule I've found to making a decent margarita is to use just three ingredients:
a. tequila
b. orange liqueur (we use triple sec)
c. fresh lime juice

The ratio that our tastes prefer is a 3:2:1. Simple, right? Easy to remember even when tired after a hard day's work, or when tipsy after a few rounds.

So, here we go, Margaritas for Two-

Measure out 3 shots of tequila into a glass.
Add 2 shots of triple sec.
Top off with 1 shot of lime juice.
Shake with ice, then pour into margarita glasses.
Savor with ease; it's not Monday yet.

Feel free to salt the rims of the glasses, but I usually don't. The salt in the chips and salsa should be enough!

A fun tip: One lime usually equals about one shot, how convenient is that? But juice yield per lime can vary, so I usually squeeze the lime into a separate glass, then measure out a shot.

Here's to hoping we all have a great week!