Tequila Archives - GoodStuffAtHome

October 12, 2015May 2, 2017

Pomegranate Margarita

Everyone loves margaritas but did you know that with the simple addition of some Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice, you can take your margarita to the next level. Why have a regular margarita when you can have a Pomegranate Margarita? Let me tell you why I started making Pomegranate Margaritas.

The past couple of summers we have vacationed with a bunch of other families at the Outer Banks, NC. We rent a big 10 bedroom house on the beach with a pool and an elevator and it’s just a great time for everyone. The 13 kids have a blast with minimal parent supervision and the 10 parents have a blast with minimal children supervision.

Me and another Dad like to bring our margarita machines to the beach house. We keep those machines spinning away from the 1st day we get there to the last. But by mid week people tend to get burnt out of all the lime and tequila goodness and want something else.

They say things like, “How about something different?” And “Oh none for me thanks. I’m going to try this slo gin fizz mix that I got at the liquor store.” What you need in this situation is a way to recharge everyone’s margarita batteries. Seriously, if I’m going to lug my margarita machine all the way from New Jersey in my totally stuffed car then we’re going to use it. And the way to use it is with Pomegranate.

Now I don’t sit there and peel pomegranates and then juice them for hours. No sir, that does not sound like a fun vacation. All you need is some Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. Adding Pom Wonderful to the margarita mix gave a nice variation and recharged everyone’s margarita batteries. Now everyone was saying things like, “Wow, can I have another of those Pomegranate Margarita?” and “Man, this slo gin fizz is crap, I’m having a Pom Margarita.”

How to Make A Pomegranate Margarita

Whether you make your margaritas from a pre-made mix or you actually squeeze the limes yourself, just adding a little Pomegranate juice to the mix will do the trick. For a full blender, I like to add about a cup of the pom. If you’re making individual drinks (how’d you get stuck doing that?) add about a shot.

If you want to rim the glass, regular salt will work just find. To go the extra mile, mix salt and sugar and rim with that. The Pomegranate and the sugar go great together plus you get the regular salty flavor as a bonus.

Garnish with a lime slice or if you want to go all out drop a few pom seeds in there. It’s really not necessary because most people won’t notice them floating at the top of the drink and they could be a choking hazard. Now that is not the way to make a great drink for a memorable vacation.

June 20, 2013May 2, 2017

Strawberry Margarita

The frozen strawberry margarita is a very sweet drink. If you’re sitting by the pool and plan on having margaritas all day long, then I do not recommend the strawberry margarita. It’s a giant headache waiting to happen. The best way to enjoy one of these delicious drinks is to avoid over indulging and have only one or two.

For this recipe, throw out the best margarita ratio of 3:2:1. You want to use 1 part triple sec, 2 parts tequila, 2 parts lime juice. Next you’ll want to add about 4-5 large strawberries to the blender (or your margarita machine). One last optional ingredient is a tablespoon of agave syrup.

A great variation of this drink would including making a strawberry simple syrup where you boil down pureed strawberries in a sugar and water mixture. If you have time, definitely give it a try. You’ll also avoid the strawberry seeds in your drinks that you get when using a blender. So as usual, if you would like a better drink, it will take more time to do the prep work. Enjoy!

Margarita Week is coming to a close. I have about three more recipes that I’d like to share but I may save them for another time. Plus, I feel like I’m neglecting the DIY and gardening posts that I want to write. Perhaps I’ll sneak a few extra post in this week. Stay tuned.

June 18, 2013November 4, 2018

Blueberry Margarita

Margarita Week continues here at GoodStuffAtHome and today we’re doing the frozen Blueberry Margarita. The key to a great blueberry margarita is really tart blueberries. So if it’s summertime and you just visited the farmers market you’re all set. If you plan on using frozen blueberries in a bag or a little basket from the supermarket, your drink will still be okay but definitely not as awesome as it can be. There’s something about the tartness of blueberries that goes great with lime.

Now a blueberry margarita, the way I make it is refreshingly light drink. It tastes like spring. Here’s how you do it. Start with the margarita recipe that you’re comfortable with. Whether that means using a margarita mix or using my margarita recipe with the 3-2-1 ratio, you’ll be fine. If using the recipe you may want to double up the lime juice, so try a 3-2-2 ratio and see if you like it. And remember, fresh squeezed lime juice is the way to go.

This next step is really hard. Add a cup of blueberries to your blender or margarita machine. And that’s it. You may think that I’m just trying to crank out blog content but after many attempts and variations this is the recipe that I like best. I tried making it sweeter with agave syrup and honey but that decreases the tartness that is unique to this drink. That’s why the really tart blueberries are important. I also tried to blue it up more by adding Blue Curacao but that sort of gave it a diet soda kind of flavor that wasn’t very appealing either. I’m sticking with my recipe of just adding tart blueberries to an extra limed up margarita.

Another variation I tried was to first puree the blueberries in the blender and then strain them. This way you don’t get little tiny pieces of blueberry skin in your margarita. But it my opinion, it wasn’t worth the effort. Enjoy the little bits and remember to check your teeth every once in a while.

Your taste buds might be a little different than mine so give it a shot and see how you like it.

June 17, 2013May 2, 2017

Margarita Mix vs Margarita Recipe

Margarita Mix vs Margarita Recipe

Yesterday was Father’s Day and I decided to completely block out my 9-5 job from my mind and pretend I was a full time blogger/writer. So of course, the first thing I did was declare that this upcoming week would be Margarita Week at GoodStuffAtHome. Full time bloggers declare things all the time, so I wanted to get in on the action. Making drinks, trying new recipes and taking pictures of it all is a great way to spend the day. The kids had a long weekend and were glued to their iPads while watching a movie so, Happy Father’s Day to me. After a quick trip to the store for some margarita ingredients the taste testing was underway.

The first drink I made was a regular frozen margarita. Now remember that I am the proud owner of a Margaritaville Frozen-Concoction Maker and it’s of my opinion that it’s the best margarita machine on the market. I did a full review of the Margaritaville DM0500 Frozen-Concoction Maker if you’d like to read it but the quick summary is that shaved ice is better than ice that gets smashed in a blender. It doesn’t clog the straw and it goes down nicely. And the cool factor of owning a margarita machine is also a big factor at my home.

The Margaritaville DM0500 Frozen Concoction Maker

Now if you’re throwing a party and you have to make margaritas all day/night long, then I recommend using a margarita mix. You really don’t want to spend all your party time squeezing limes do you? Jose Cuervo Margartia Mix and Mr & Mrs. T Margarita Mix are very readily available at liquor stores and they will suit your needs just fine. But do you know how to jazz up the flavor a little bit? Add a quick splash of orange juice to the mix. I learned this from a friend of mine who also has a Margaritavilla machine. Something about that OJ just makes things right. Now my brother in law has a similar opinion about adding the orange flavor to a margarita but he goes with a splash of Grand Mariner. Either addition to your mix is a-okay.

When I’m in the mood for a great margarita, I take the time to squeeze the limes myself. You really can’t beat fresh lime juice. If you have a good lime squeezer you can get about a 1/4 of a cup of lime juice from each lime. That means that you’ll need a few limes for each and every drink. Hey it’s a lot of work but like I said, it’s worth it. Go with my favorite margarita ratio of 3-2-1 and you’ll be set. Here’s a post all about that margarita recipe.

This week, I’ll be posting more margarita recipes including strawberry and blueberry. Hey this is a tough job but someone has to do it.

June 9, 2012October 9, 2016

What is Tequila Reposado?

What is Tequila Reposado?

If you put the word Reposado into a translator, you’ll get the result restful. So why would people want restful tequila? Looking back on some parties where I drank a lot of tequila, they were anything but restful. No, with tequila reposado, the restful part comes from letting the tequila rest or age and has nothing to do with the person who drinks it.

The regular no name tequila that you got on Cinco de mayo or the stuff they put in shot glasses during spring break in Cancun was most likely un-aged tequila. The manufacturers distill it and then bottle it immediately. In fact it probably wasn’t made from 100% Pure Agave. Some tequilas with the word “Gold” in their name are made of equal parts agave and cane sugar. Its the cane sugar that’s a major contributor to the headache you get when you have a hangover.

Next time your buy tequila, make sure it’s made with 100% agave 1800 Silver is a good mix of quality and price. But when you’re ready for the next step, it’s time to move up to a Reposado tequila.

Reposado tequila is aged at least 2 months. Usually in a wooden barrel. Although some tequila makers will also use storage tanks which sounds a lot less appealing. Since the wooden barrels are usually made of oak, a reposado tequila will pick up a hint of oak flavor. And that blends nicely with the agave to create a nice flavor. Some premium brands will actually age their tequila in used whiskey barrels to pick up some additional flavors from the barrel. This definitely creates a more complex tequila.

Some Reposado tequilas to try:

Patrón Reposado
Tequila Reserva 1800 Reposado
Herradura Reposado
Cabo Wabo Reposado
Tequila Don Julio Reposado

And the best way to enjoy Reposado Tequila is with a margarita machine

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November 23, 2011May 5, 2017

Best Margarita Recipe

Best Margarita Recipes

When you think of tequila, you probably think of a margarita. The margarita is one of the most popular tequila drinks around today. And it’s no wonder because they taste great and also pack quite a punch. I know a place in Hoboken, NJ that has a three drink maximum policy for it’s margaritas because they’re loaded so loaded with tequila that after three you can still stagger home. After four, you’re a lost cause (Don’t ask me how I had 4) Even though they’re so strong you’d never know it from the taste. These margaritas are that good.

A blended margarita — Image via Wikipedia

As usual with most drinks there are many ways to make this drink and then many variations on top of that. I’ve already discussed my margarita concoction machine in a previous post and that really helps me make a great margarita. But another important part of making the best margarita is the recipe. The key ingredients are tequila, triple sec and lime juice. The ratios that I think are the best are as follows:

Margarita Ingredient Ratios:

3 Parts – Tequila
2 Parts – Triple Sec
1 Parts – Lime Juice

So when you’re making a margarita at home it’s pretty easy to remember, 3:2:1. Whether you make it frozen, straight up or on the rocks, 3-2-1 is the way to go. Serve in a salt rimmed glass and garnish with a lime. You can add some more lime juice if you want but

As with all recipes whether they’re for cocktails or even food, the key is quality ingredients. Cheap tequila that you can find on sale at your local liquor store will result in a cheap tasting margarita. Fresh lime juice can also make a huge difference in how the drink tastes. Go the extra mile and squeeze some limes if you want to impress your guests. Once you become a master margarita maker, you may have to impose a 3 drink maximum at all your parties.