Mom and Margaritas
My mom had a signature drink, the Margarita.
Denial and Margarita!
It’s simple, refreshing and perfect any time of year but particularly on a hot and humid New York evening. And it can get you totally lit.
Mom opted for the no-frills José Cuervo mix from the supermarket with lots of kosher salt, on the rocks, and Sauza tequila. When her final cancer diagnosis came down, she was often heard saying: “Denial and a Margarita!”
That was how she coped… with a sense of humor and a little tequila. We even put it as a slogan on our Race For the Cure t-shirts one year.
While my current favorite cocktail is a vodka martini (straight up with extra olives), when it’s hot in the summertime, when I’m hoping for warm weather, or when I’m just missing my Mom – there’s nothing more satisfying than the perfect margarita.
There are lots of recipes out there and I’ve even recently tried a little taste test… you know, just to be sure. But I still come back to the Real Margarita recipe by Ina Garten, a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa. It’s simply the best. Profiled in her cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Parties!
If you haven’t made these Margaritas then you are missing out. Here’s the recipe:
Barefoot Contessa’s Real Margaritas (Serves 6)
- 1 lime, halved
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 limes)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1 cup Triple Sec
- 3 cups ice
- 1 cup white tequila
If you like margaritas served in a glass with salt, rub the outside rims of six glasses with a cut lime and dip each glass lightly into a plate of kosher salt.
Combine the lime juice, lemon juice, Triple Sec, and ice in a blender and puree until completely blended. Add the tequila and puree for 2 seconds more. Serve over ice.
If you prefer frozen margaritas, halve each of the ingredients, double the ice, and blend in two batches. Serve with a cut lime.
So this year, like every year, I will be raising a frosty, salted glass poured from a pitcher, yes that’s right, a PITCHER, of Real Margaritas and saying a toast to my Mom.
Miss you Mom. Denial and Margaritas!
All I need is you, your backyard, a sunny day, and one of those margaritas! I miss our little chats while the kiddos were playing together!
Mmmmm she had it all right – cuervo mix, tequila and salt, on the rocks… This baby better come soon so I can have one…. Xoxo