Yummy, i can make these very well, with an extra kick The MARGARITA

The margarita has quietly and steadily become an international phenomenon, and according to Gourmet magazine, it is the now most popular cocktail in the United States.

MARGARITAS

Where did they come from?

No one knows for sure, but there a few different stories, so take your pick...

-In the early 1930's, it was created at the Caliente Race Track in Tijuana.

-In 1936, Danny Negrete invented this drink for his girlfriend, Margarita, while working at the Garci Crespo Hotel.

-Margarita Sames, a wealthy Texan, came up with the drink at a party in 1938. She enjoyed experimenting behind the bar and came up with a drink that was 3/4 Tequila and 1/4 Cointreau with a lime. Since it was "her" drink, it was called a "margarita".

-Sometime in the 1940's, Enrique Bastante Gutierez created this drink for Rita Hayworth, who's real name was Margarita.

-In 1942 at Rancho del Gloria Bar in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, Marjorie King asked the bartender, Danny Hererra, to mix her a cocktail because she was "allergic" to straight alcohol. The drink Hererra came up with was Tequila over shaved ice and Triple Sec. In Spanish, Marjorie translates into "margarita", hence the name of the drink.

-On the 4th of July,In 1942 at Tommy's Place in Juarez, Mexico, bartender Pancho Morales couldn't remember how to make a "magnolia" when a customer asked for the drink. Morales knew that a "magnolia" included Cointreau, so he added in Tequila and called it a "margarita", after the word for "daisy" in Spanish.

-In 1948 Margaret Sames created this drink for a party she was holding in Acapulco.

-In 1948 it was created in Galveston, Texas by Santos Cruz. Who mixed it up for singer Peggy Lee.

-In the early 1950's It was created at the "Tail o' the Cock" restaurant in Los Angeles in order to find a way to introduce Jose Cuervo tequila into the market.

.....and there are of course countless others as well.

Bar FACT

In 1969, an estimated 45 million margaritas were sold in the United States. By 2000, that number had increased to 800 million. The margarita’s phenomenal popularity has made it the country's most frequently requested cocktail during warm weather, and second only to the martini when there's a chill in the air.

KEYS TO A MAGNIFICANT MARGARITA

Tequila, a product made from Mexico's blue agave plant, is the centerpiece of this cocktail. The truest to the blue agave flavor is the silver, un-aged tequila that we recommend for all Margaritas, not because of its lower cost, but for its robust and vibrant character. Silver tequilas are exuberant and add a vitality to the margarita that the more reserved, aged tequilas don't quite manage.

Classifications

Beyond the two basic designations of Tequila—agave and mixto—there are four categories: Silver or Blanco/White Tequilas are clear, with little (no more than 60 days in stainless steel tanks) or no aging. They can be either 100% agave or mixto. Silver Tequilas are used primarily for mixing and blend particularly well into fruit-based drinks.

Gold Tequila is unaged silver Tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel. It is usually a mixto.

Reposado ("rested") Tequila is aged in wooden tanks or casks for a legal minimum period of at least two months, with the better-quality brands spending three to nine months in wood. It can be either 100% agave or mixto. Reposado Tequilas are the best-selling Tequilas in Mexico.

Añejo ("old") Tequila is aged in wooden barrels (usually old Bourbon barrels) for a minimum of 12 months. The best-quality anejos are aged 18 months to three years for mixtos, and up to four years for 100% agaves. Aging Tequila for more than four years is a matter of controversy. Most Tequila producers oppose doing so because they feel that "excessive" oak aging will overwhelm the distinctive earthy and vegetal agave flavor notes.

The Original Bloody Mary Recipe

In the vast world of alcohol drink recipes, vodka drinks take on the role of the Great Democratizer, serving as a cornerstone for cocktails and mixed alcoholic drinks for everyone ranging from the great unwashed to the obsessively antiseptic. Take the Bloody Mary. Besides the vodka-fueled Bloody Mary, no alcohol drink recipes appeal so greatly to the broad spectrum of humanity, from the ardent tailgater to the petite sophisticate.

But despite its egalitarian résumé, a Bloody Mary recipe prepared sloppily is an insult to the guest as well as the vodka that anchors the drink. Prepare your Bloody Mary recipes correctly, and the dignity of your bar is upheld.

The Original Bloody Mary

Ingredients
1.5 oz Grey Goose vodka
3 oz tomato juice
0.5 oz lemon juice
7 drops Worcestershire sauce
3 drops Tabasco sauce
freshly ground pepper
1 dash celery salt, freshly grated

Serving Instructions

Combine ingredients in glass filled with ice. Stir gently. Serve the Bloody Mary in a pint glass. Garnish with slice of celery, pickled asparagus.

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