"margaritas" news and stories

Cinco de Mayo is upon us and what better way to celebrate than with a margarita in your hand. While homemade margarita -- fresh lime juice and all -- is the preferable way to go, sometimes a lack of time and/or a need for quantity has us reaching for a mix. This past weekend, we sat down with good friends, six mixers and a blender to determine the best one.

All of the margaritas were blended with ice and rated on a scale of one to five for sweetness, sourness and the "syrup" factor (in our experience, the more syrupy the mix, the less authentic the flavor, probably due to sugar/corn syrup). We skipped salting the glass rims so we could taste the mix clearly.

So which one of these mixes can actually pass for the real thing? Our picks after the jump.

Happy National Margarita Day!

Surely you've encountered the usual varieties of the margarita -- whether straight up, on the rocks or slushed, with a salted or unsalted rim, the standard drink usually takes a base of tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice. And while the classics are eternally refreshing and tasty, like photographer Beurremanie, we like a little more spike with these wintertime renditions.

If you're feeling adventurous, try these unique margarita recipes yourself -- or head over to your favorite happy hour joint today.

• Ancho-cranberry margarita (pictured above)
• Beetroot margarita
• Ruby red grapefruit margarita
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten's ginger margarita
• Cranberry margarita
• Strawberry-basil margarita
• Mango-cilantro margarita

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The New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys are teaming up to improve your ballpark experience with better food!

The two teams have become partners in a new company: Legends Concessions. According to the chairman, Mike Rawlings (a former Pizza Hut president), baseball fans want quality products more than they want low prices. So get out your credit card.

Still, according to the New York Times:
"'It's the nonsuite holders where we hope to see the biggest jump in satisfaction,' said Mike Rawlings, the Legends chairman, and a former Pizza Hut president, who cited research saying only 31 percent of fans are satisfied with ballpark customer service. He promised faster service, shorter lines and hot food that will stay hot."

Legends Concessions is going to bring us beer, hot dogs, and margaritas, and we have a feeling that it's going to be really, really good. I can't wait to try it at the new Yankees' Stadium!

Oh, and Mike Rawlings? Prepare for a heckuva rant if the food's not worth it. Your friend, Annie

Source

I think I understand the premise behind cocktails that come pre-mixed in the bottle which you just chill, shake, and pour right into your glass. It's for convenience, right? But I still can't understand why convenience would win out over the taste factor when mixing a cocktails is so easy to do yourself. I guess with a margarita, though, there can be an argument for something like this new produtc, Margarita King - margarita in a bottle made with double distilled blue agave Eapolon tequila, orange liqueur, and lemon juice - because a lot of people do, in fact, use a pre-made "margarita mix" anyway.

Here are a fwe resources for making margaritas from scratch:

• Rick Bayless's Honest-to-Goodness Margaritas for a Crowd
• The classic Cadillac Margarita with all of only three ingredients
• If you have to do a blended margarita, Texas Cooking's got one

Some of us may have sworn tequila off the last time we spent four hours in the bathroom as punishment the morning after a long night somewhere in Tijuana. However, tequila is fast-becoming known as a "fine" liquor, with some rare and "boutique" imported tequilas going for as much as $1,700 a bottle. Cuervo's 1800 Collecion is $1,000 a bottle.

Margaritas and tequila shots were once the standard ways to drink tequila, but with these finer tequilas, there's an increasing trend toward drinking premium tequila like a high-end Scotch - slow, and straight-up.

Of course, there is no right nor wrong way to drink tequila, but it's always good to know a few things before sallying forth into the night with tequila. 100% agave costs a lot more, but here is where "You get what you pay for" really matters. The higher the percentage of agave sugars in the tequila, the lower chance of waking up with a killer hangover. 

"100% agave" means no other sugars have been added. (Those sugars are what give you a hangover). "Mixto" means that the tequila is at least 51% agave, with sugar added during fermentation, or sugar spirits added after distillation.

"Plata," "Silver," and "Blanco" are unaged tequilas that look clear, whereas "Anejo" are tequilas that have been aged for at least one year, and have turned a deep dark golden color.

"Oro" is similar to the blanco and silver tequilas, but has coloring added to it to give it a golden color.

"Reposado" is a tequila that has been "rested" in oak barrels for at least two months and up to one year. "Curado" means that the tequila has been flavored with other ingredients, much the way flavored vodkas are made like vanilla, orange, and berry flavors.