In the Kitchen: Perfect Party Margarita

Margaritas are always popular in our house- we make them often and have come to like them better at home- mostly because we are now margarita snobs and to get a good one out can cost a pretty penny. As you probably know by now, I love throwing a good party, and my favorite party food is any simple Mexican dish, so we often also have margaritas at our parties. Over the years, I've developed this Perfect Party Margarita- perfect because a) it's not quite as strong as a really high quality margarita you'd get from a good bar so people can have several without incidence, b) it's a little sweeter, thus appealing to folks who are used to margaritas made with syrupy sour mixes, and c) it uses simple, high quality ingredients so I still feel proud of what I'm serving my guests. It also gets rave reviews, which is always a bonus.

You'll Need:

6 cups good limeade- I like Simply Limeade, it's just water, lime juice and sugar.
1 1/2 cups 100% agave tequila- I use Sauza gold, it has nice vanilla notes and is quality, but not so nice you feel like you're wasting it by mixing it with other flavors.
2/3 c triple sec- for this recipe I use the cheapest I can find.
1 orange
Lime wedges
Flake sea salt, or the margarita salt they sell in the mixer section
Ice

Start by mixing the limeade, tequila, and triple sec together in a pitcher. Squeeze the juice from the orange in, and mix again. I like to also float a few small slices of orange in the pitcher for color, and a little more flavor.

Prepare the lime wedges by slicing a small slit near one end of each wedge.

Prepare the glasses:

-Using the slit, place a lime wedge on the rim of the glass and slide all the way around a few times to wet the rim with the juice.
-Remove the lime and dip the rim of the glass into a saucer or small bowl of salt. You may need to press it into the salt a few times to get good coverage.
-Fill about 2/3 full with ice and place a lime wedge on the rim.

Now just add the margarita mixture to each glass and serve! This recipe will make enough for about 4-6 drinks, depending on the size of the glass and how much ice you use.

I hope these Perfect Party Margaritas will serve you well at your next shindig- I know we'll be enjoying some this Sunday at our Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Enjoy the weekend everyone! ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

P.S. I'm trying to think of a name for a cocktail column, rather than lumping them in with the recipe column. If you have an idea for a name, I'd love to hear it!