After giving the Pure and Alton Brown margaritas to try we decided to go for one more – Chow.com’s “Perfect Margarita.”
Two things attracted us to this recipe. First, they call it the “Perfect Margarita” and given that Chow.com is an authority on great recipes this was a compelling name. Secondly, the recipe is very simple, sort of like the Pure recipe except that it adds Cointreau which seemed to be a potentially interesting twist.
What we discovered, however, is that although this margarita is very simple, it is also very tart. It would take a lot more Cointreau to sweeten it up, which of course would increase the level of alcohol and sugars in the drink, making it a little more dangerous in the drunk-and-hungover department if you were to have two or three.
Chow.com’s perfect margarita:
1.5 oz tequila
1.0 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz Cointreau (not Triple Sec)
See the complete recipe on Chow.com.
It’s tart because, according to my research, they have the lime and Cointreau flipped from most recipes that use only tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice, and not a sweetener such as agave nectar. It should be–I’m not saying this is my favorite version of the margarita (for that, see “Margarita Smackdown: The ‘Pure’ Margarita”), but it is way more common than the Chow version–3 parts tequila, 2 parts Cointreau, 1 part lime juice:
http://ohgo.sh/archive/margarita/#Margarita
http://www.drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=101
http://sloshed.hyperkinetic.org/2007/08/16/margarita/
This is similar to how I make mine; except I use Patron Citronge instead of Cointreau. It is tart and strong; which I like, but I’ll have to try the “pure” recipe and see if it’s smoother and sweeter.