Everyone loves Margaritas, and this is Top Shelf Margarita is one of my favorite Margarita recipes. There is a humongous difference between cheap Tequila and high-end, top-shelf Tequila. You can pay for your Tequila one of two ways. Pay for good Tequila with cash, or you pay for cheap Tequila with a massive hangover the day after. Long story short, although I love a blended frozen Margarita, I always order a top-shelf Margarita on the rocks.
Frozen Margarita History
The original frozen Margarita machine was invented in 1971 right here in Dallas, Texas. Mariano Martinez of Mariano’s Hacienda restaurant got the idea from a Slurpee machine at the 7-Eleven convince store. He and his buddy Frank Adams rigged a frozen soft-serve ice cream machine to make a Margarita that had the consistency of a Slurpee. The rest, as they say, is history. In fact, the frozen Margarita is such an important part of history, the original frozen Margarita machine is located in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Top Shelf Margarita
I really do love frozen Margaritas, but the difference in the quality of ingredients makes me want the top-shelf Margarita even more. However, unfortunately, not many places have frozen Margarita machines dedicated to top-shelf Margaritas.
Typically, a Margarita includes the following ingredients: Tequila, Triple-sec orange liqueur, lime juice, and a ton of sugar.
A top-shelf Margarita, as the name suggests has a higher-quality list of ingredients: Aged, good quality Anejo Tequila, and a high-end orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier. The better-quality ingredients allow you to use less lime juice and less sugar. Therefore, you get the great flavor of the top-shelf ingredients.
Salt and Tequila Shots
Margaritas typically come with the rim of the glass salted. This goes back to the tradition of licking salt before taking a shot of Tequila. The main reason for the salt is that it helps reduce the burning sensation from drinking a straight shot of Tequila. With a top-shelf Margarita, the salt is optional. However, I do like to use a nice smoked salt if I do use it, it makes the drink a little more special.
When you take a shot of Tequila, you hold a lime wedge between your thumb and forefinger. Place a little salt of the back of your hand between your thumb and forefinger.
1-Lick the salt.
2-Take the Tequila Shot.
3-Bite into the lime wedge.
And remember; 1-Tequila, 2-Tequila, 3-Tequila, floor. Please drink responsibly.
Here is my recipe for a Top-Shelf Margarita on the Rocks:
Top Shelf Margarita on the Rocks
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces Anejo Tequila
- 1 Ounce Grand Marnier
- 1/2 Lime Juice only
- 3/4 Ounce Simple Syrup
Garnish
- Lime Wedge
- Smoked Salt To rim the edge of the glass
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake until ice-cold.
- Rub the wedge of lime around the rim of the glass and dip it into salt.
- Place ice in the glass and add the Margarita mixture. Garnish with a wedge of lime
Mark Brown
This is a great recipe, and it covers the details perfectly. My only divergence is that a quality “silver” or reposado will suffice also, and that ,sometimes, I prefer the absence of the wood aging flavor of the anejo when I have a Margarita. I do love the wood component when I’m drinking the anejo neat. Thank You for all you do!