September Cocktail - Margarita

Margarita. It's something most of us have pretty average experiences with. Think hard. Can you remember the last time you had a great margarita? If so, how much of that "great" connects to the place, the people, or time of year? My point is that a pretty average margarita can taste great on the first warm day of June after a long workday, especially when shared with great company.

I set out to try and make a great margarita even if drank alone, on a rainy night in September.

Three rules I learned through my tests:

1. You must shake a margarita vigorously. It needs the intense chill and the aeration.
   
2. Cointreau is much better than standard triple sec. It's a little extra, but worth it.
3. A salted rim adds positive complexity.

I tried a few tequilas and preferred Puro Verde. I'm not enough of an expert to describe why, but this produced the margarita I expected. There's no harshness in this tequila.

Ingredients for 1 margarita:

1. 2 ounces tequila (preferably blanco)
2. 1/2 ounce lime juice
3. 1/2 ounce Cointreau
4. 2 dashes citrus bitters (I used Bitter Truth Grapefruit)

Technique:

1. Use the spent lime rind to moisten the lip of a rocks glass.
2. Roll the glass through a plate of kosher salt.
3. Add ice to glass
4. Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker
5. Shake vigorously (more than you think you need to)
6. Pour into rocks glass.
7. Garnish with lime wheel