Originally Posted by
piper28
Have to admit, when I want one decent at home, I do my own mix. Equal parts lemon juice, water, and sugar for the base mix. Then 2 oz tequila, 3/4 oz orange liquer of some type, my mix from above, some orange juice, and the juice of half a lime. Done with a decent tequila I find this comes out pretty good.
Time and popularity among USAians has altered the original perspective of Margaritas from a relatively "dry" cocktail hour or per-dinner drink into what are today's grossly (if not grotesquely) over-sweetened versions popular in bars and "Mexican" restaurants. While personally I serve a 3:1:1 ratio of tequila:lime: orange liqueur (and no salt), but as I recall the "classic" of yesteryear, remembered from places like the bar at the Ancira in Monterey or the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo, the recipe was about 2:1:1, always with "White" (in the 50s, Cuervo or Sauza), "up", salt rimmed. Herradura was an old brand, favored by hardened drinkers, and Sauza Hornitos (green label) was the smoother alternative. I don't recall much availability of "call" brands or "premiums", and Patron, etc., were simply alternatives in joints which did not have "deals" with Sauza or Cuervo.