Favorite drink?

[Craiga 01453]

Oh, someone with experience !!!!

Let me pick your brain

I've always liked Margaritas. Because they aren't so sickly sweet like some fruity drinks. That said, I do like them balanced, so not overly sour or bitter, either. Hard to explain..
In Restaurants its often a hit and miss, but every so often, one tastes great. Which lead me to try my hand at making them myself.
So far I've done a lot "wrong". LOL. Bought "Jose Cuervo" only to find out that is a no-no. Not 100% Agave. So then I bought Patron silver only to find people think its not the best, jeesh, but I'm using it.
I had Tripple Sec. That actually went into the Garbage and I bought Grand Marnier AND Contreau, since a lot of people say Contreau is great. But some recipes call for Grand Marnier.

Then I've been playing with the "percentages". Only to find out, holy cow, all of them way stronger then what is served at Restaurant bars !!

Yesertday I tried the 3-2-1 method. 3 parts Patron, 2 Contreau, 1 lime. Only I tweaked it some as I went along and it ended up being 3 Patron, 2 Contreau 1 1/2 lime, 1 cold water (i know..) 3/4 (ounce jiggers) of the syrup and actually 1/2 simple syrup, because it didn't seem balanced. It was not "sweet" when done, seemed pretty good actually. But gosh does it pack a punch!!

I do shake with ice and then strain.

So what do I do wrong? I mean, it was great actually, but is there a way to cut the alcohol just a bit while still not messing with the greatness and taste? Or just make it authentic and stick with 1. And drink it slowly. LOL.

Hahaha, you're not doing anything wrong at all. You're just finding what you like.

One thing I always made sure of was to shake extremely vigorously. Doing this will create a froth while also cutting the alcohol down a bit. I think this will help you achieve the balance you're looking for. You know you've shaken it enough when you get that foamy look on top. Since you're shaking and straining and drinking it straight up you're not going to get any dilution from the ice, so a good shake will serve the same purpose.

As far as the tequila is concerned, honestly, as long as you're not buying rot-gut you'll be fine. I always preferred Cabo Wabo myself, but Patron Silver is great too. Just stay away from Jose, Jose knock-offs and the cheapo selections and you'll be fine. Once it's mixed in a margarita you won't be able to tell the difference between one and another as long as it's not the cheap stuff. Shaking vigorously will break down any impurities and balance it out with the other ingredients anyway. I used to have people who were adamant about top-shelf. I would make them a top-shelf margarita and another margarita using a different tequila (exact same recipe, different tequila) that's more affordable, nobody could tell the difference. If you're shooting it or sipping it, that's a horse of a different color.

I think shaking well and finding your flavor combos will get you exactly what you're looking for. Just in time for summer!!

[WastelandExotics]

I like to keep it simple with Vodka and Cranberry Juice - either Absolut or Skyy

[rlditmars]

Not much of a beer person. I prefer the hard stuff. My favorites are a gin martini, dirty, preferably Hendricks but Bombay Sapphire will do as well. A good single malt scotch, neat. My daughter was in Scotland for a wedding and brought me back a bottle of Balblair 99 which was really nice. For tequila I found one I prefer over Patron and that's Maestro Dobel Diamante. It is a great tequila to drink straight and I don't mean doing shots. I mean actually sipping like you would a good glass of scotch.

[AveonSnoot]

A strawberry and rhubarb daiquiri is my go to, especialy when we have fresh strawberries and rhubarb 'n you just add a little more sugar(I cant have alcohol but still good would recomend 10/10)

[kxr]

Hmm... that's a tough one... I probably just haven't tried enough drinks to have a tried and true favourite...

I'm pretty boring haha I mostly drink beer, Heineken is probably my favourite, and rum and coke. Somewhat recently one of my buddies got me onto honey jack. That stuff is pretty damn good lol


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[ballpythonluvr]

I like a good Jack and Coke and or Wild Turkey 101.

[noblereptiles]

Rarely if ever do I drink. If I do it's a shot of a good silver tequila in an iced shot glass with a bit of lime or lemon. Followed by curling up on the couch. One shot tends to do me in. Not really a beer or FMB(flavored malt beverage) drinker even though I sell it for a living


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[Alicia]

'Nother wine drinker here It's between a dry Riesling and a not-too-heavy Merlot. But sometimes also a good whiskey or I'll try random stuff off the cocktail menu. Especially if it's something kinda weird or dessert-oriented.

[Neal]

Long island iced tea.