The Margarita { paired with guacamole }

Tequila is America’s favorite spirit. No wonder — the Margarita has been lighting up our workaday lives for nearly seventy years. No matter how you shake it up, you know that a good time is just around the corner. This cocktail almost begs to be imbibed with a bowl full of tortilla chips and some salsa or guacamole.

Your Video Guide to Making the Perfect Cocktail

{ and what to pair with it }

Entry No. 2: October 8, 2007

{ If you cannot view the movie, you must download Quicktime. }

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The recipe:

3 parts silver or reposado tequila

2 parts orange liqueur

(try 1 part Cointreau, 1 part triple sec)

1 part fresh lime juice

salt

ice

lime wedge (optional)

Salt rim of highball glass and fill with ice. In a shaker half-filled with ice, add the tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Watch Steve make a Margarita and Paul some guacamole and chips. (Click ► to play.)

When making our Margaritas, we flip-flop between using silver and reposado tequilas. Silver, or plata, is smooth and not aged. (It is also known as white, or blanco). Reposado means “rested,” and this tequila has been aged several months in oak barrels and has more bite. Both tequilas have distinct qualities and you should experiment to see which you like better.

And, if you’re weary of the frozen, fruit-flavored Margaritas that somehow always manage to impart a brain-freeze, you’re in luck: no blender required for these perfectly balanced potables.

The Margarita

Be careful not to get salt on the inside of your rim. You don’t want salt to fall into your drink while you’re sipping. To avoid this, only rub the lime on the outside of the rim (the salt will only stick to where the lime pulp was wiped). This is tricky, but with practice, you’ll be an expert salt-rimmer.

Fresh limes are the key to any well-balanced Margarita. (Never, never, never use prepared mixes unless you cannot get limes anywhere.) If you cut into one and it looks slightly dull or amber, toss it. This lime will impart a bitterness you want to avoid at all costs.

Guacamole:

1 ripe avocado

1 shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (or lemon)

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt

pepper

1 Tablespoon cilantro

Combine 1st seven ingredients and mash, but keep slightly chunky. Stir in cilantro.

If not serving immediately, add the pit to mix and cover with plastic wrap pressed into mix to keep green color.

Guacamole & Chips