Here it is! The
CABORICARDO
Signature Margarita
Ingredients:
4 oz of Ice Cubes
2 oz. of Cazadores Reposado Tequila (Gold)
1 oz. Controy Orange Liqueur
1 oz. Damiana Liqueur
3 Fresh Squeezed key limes…
Note: The recipe here is for a normal CaboRicardo margarita. The pictures provided are of my personal conconction, which is the exact same proportions, but times 6, should you be feeling adventurous.
The process of making a CaboRicardo Signature Margarita is really quite simple, but there are a few rules that must be adhered to if you want them perfect.
Tequila—First off, contrary to what some people say, the quality of tequila does play a part in the final taste of your drink. Does that mean that you need to go out and buy Patron at a million dollars a bottle to have a good drink, no, but it does mean that if you are using too cheap of a tequila, you will never get it right. Believe it or not, in the States, I buy my mixing tequila from Costco, yes, Costco. They sell their own brand (Kirkland) of anejo tequila, aged 3 years, for a bit over twenty bucks, and it is 100% agave, and it is good. In Cabo, I like Cazadores! Regardless, cheap tequila, like Jose Cuervo Gold, is 30 to 40% sugar water. Jose Cuervo 1800, is another story, and a better grade of tequila. Kind of like the difference in flavor between using real butter and margarine. Our Signature Margarita calls for a decent grade of gold tequila, that is pure agave juice. Cazadores is my tequila of choice.
Orange Liqueur—There are a few different brands and qualities of orange liqueur you can use. The local (Mexican) brand is Controy, and is about as good as its American counterpart, Triple Sec. If you are desirous of really stepping up to the plate, you can use Gran Marnier or Cointreau which are European brands of a richer, and substantially more expensive liqueur. I use 60 proof Hiram Walker Triple Sec which is priced in the middle of the road, and is richer in flavor than the stardard triple secs.
Damiana Liquor—Here is CaboRicardo’s “secret” ingredient which, if you don’t know where to get it, you may not get it at all. Cabo San Lucas and other parts of Baja are lucky because this special stuff is made from the damiana flower, grown in the deserts of Baja. Try to find it anywhere else in Mexico is really a crap shoot, and I’ll bet you dollars to donuts, you won’t find it. In the States, sometimes, Bevmo will have it, but not with regularity, and then, you will pay a real price to buy it. In Mexico, I buy it for between 10 and 14 bucks, and when I go back to the States with liquor, this is the only stuff I ever bring home. If you fall for our signature margarita, you better find and bring some of this stuff home. The airport in San Jose always has this for you to buy and take home…and it’s only a few dollars more than in the regular liquor stores in town.
Limes—Although any limes will do, the small round ones are the best. They usually carry more juice than their larger counterparts, and are quite easy to squeeze. BTW, go spend ten bucks and buy yourself a lime squeezer. Otherwise, you will be making a mess, wasting some of the juice, and eating lime seeds as well. If you use the larger size limes, you will probably have to use the same number as the small ones because the juice quantity usually isn’t there. Plenty of limes are vital to making our CaboRicardo Signature Margarita. They counterbalance the sweetness of the other ingredients, creating the “sweet/sour” blend that is pivotal for making our Signature Margarita a success!
Make sure to use plenty of ice. I usually mix my CaboRicardo Signature Margaritas on the rocks, but the same mixture can be blended if desired. By no means, should you add anything else. Any bartender that adds sweet & sour mix, or margarita mix to any margarita should not only be put up in front of a firing squad, but should be sent back to bartender school first. The sweet/sour combination flavor should come from the ingredients listed above, and nothing more…and nothing less.
Finally—If you want to be a real margarita aficionado, the margarita should be served with a straw, but not consumed through one. The correct (if you are anal about it) way is to sip it from the rim of the glass. On top of that, the correct way to prepare the glass is with salt around the rim. The salt plays an important part in the mixing of the extreme flavors provided in this rather complex cocktail.
Stay thirsty my friends…Salud!
Ricardo
