Margaritas!

I have been experimenting. I know you can buy margarita mixes. But I am a firm believer in homemade being better, particularly when it is so incredibly easy. Also, I do not really like margaritas and this recipe concoction is just so incredibly delicious.

Look, I prefer expensive bourbon and cheap beer. But I decided to take one for the team and the Baptists and give this a try and I’m adding this to my repertoire.

Prepare yourselves. This is great stuff.

Ingredients

• Juice of twelve limes

• Juice of one navel orange

• Juice of one lemon

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 16.9 oz bottle of spring water, cold

• 2 oz. tequila blanco (I recommend only Wild Common)

• 1 oz. Cointreau or Grand Marnier (optional)

Directions

1. Juice the fruits.

2. Add the fruit juices to a saucepan with the sugar and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Be careful not to let it boil. Take off the heat and rest for thirty minutes. Stir in the bottle of spring water.

3. This keeps in a jar for up to two weeks.

4. To make the margaritas, fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. Add tequila and, if using, the orange liqueur. Then fill the glass up with the margarita mix. Stir vigorously and then enjoy.

5. If you want a pitcher of margaritas, make a double batch of the mix, fill a pitcher up with ice and add two cups of tequila and a half cup of optional orange liqueur. Pour in the double amount of margarita mix and stir vigorously.

Notes

It sounds persnickety to say use spring water as opposed to just tap water or a bottle of purified water, but I actually tested this. The spring water makes it taste better. I did some research and spring water has dissolved minerals in it. It is, if you will, less pure than tap water. But the result of the dissolved minerals is it brings out the flavors more, particularly the citrus notes.

Also, I cannot recommend enough you try Wild Common tequila. This is truly the best tequila on planet earth.