Have you ever wanted to make a margarita that goes beyond the typical store-bought margarita mix and tequila?  I’m sure you have.  This month, we asked our readers to suggest their favorite margarita recipes in our forum.  Unfortunately, we only had two responses to our request, and we only chose to sample one of them because the other included Nyquil.  It very well may produce a tasty drink, but I’d like to think we are too high-brow to throw cold medication into our concoctions.  Cue DrinksMixer.com to the rescue!  We threw in a couple of our own BoozeBasher creations and chose two highly-rated mixtures from DrinksMixer.com.  How did they fare?  Keep reading to see.

Original Margarita
0.7 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
0.35 oz lemon juice
1.4 oz tequila
Shake all ingredients and serve in a margarita glass.

Upon tasting this drink, it’s quite apparent why its creator chose to name it the “Original Margarita.”  This a very sour drink that tastes just like a margarita should.  Granted, this might taste a little more special than a well margarita at your local Mexican restaurant, but the sourness of this drink proved too much for most of those sampling.  In fact, the sourness was enough to almost make my eyes water.  I’m not a big margarita fan, so I was very much unimpressed with this recipe.  I couldn’t even stand to finish the amount I was given to sample.  I was worried that my initial assessment was unfair, but one glance around the room revealed all of the ugly faces and turned heads that an overly-sour drink will produce.  I was not the only one to vote this recipe as the worst one we sampled.

Mansion Margarita
1.25 oz Jose Cuervo tequila
0.75 oz Grand Marnier orange liqueur
0.75 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
1.25 oz sweet and sour mix
Shake all ingredients and serve in a margarita glass.

This recipe had a more citrusy flavor than the traditional margarita taste of the Original recipe and it gave the drink a more tropical feel.  Unfortunately, the citrus flavor was a little too potent.  It really overpowered the tequila and created a slight burn from the acidity.  When drinking the Mansion Margarita, you can also taste every bit of the liquor.  I’m not saying that is always a bad thing, but in this case, it was.  Using both Grand Marnier and Cointreau proved to be too much for the taste buds to handle.  This recipe was not much of a success, but if you really dig a citrus taste and don’t mind a little burn, you might enjoy a Mansion Margarita.

Dr. Unkard’s Mountain Dew Margarita
3 oz Jose Cuervo tequila
6 oz Mt. Dew
Place ingredients in a blender with ice.  Blend until good consistency is achieved.  Serve in a  cheap plastic cup.

Simplicity is really key to this recipe.  This recipe came about from a evening at the apartment with a former roommate.  We had a bottle of Jose but no mixers.  Our apartment complex had a Pepsi© machine.  We improvised, and the Mountain Dew Margarita was born!  It might sound like a disgusting idea for a drink, but it is actually quite good.  The Mountain Dew does an excellent job of cutting the harshness and bite off the tequila, and it also adds a mellow, citrus flavor.  Even though it cuts the harshness of the tequila, the agave flavor still shines.  This drink even looks like a margarita when prepared correctly!  Everyone was really surprised by how yummy this one was, and the fact that it’s so simple to make should tell you that this is a must-try recipe. 

Steve-K’s Margarita
1.5 oz Trago Añejo tequila
1 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
0.5 oz fresh lime
2 dashes of bitters
1 dash lemon juice
Shake all ingredients and serve in a martini glass with your choice or garnishes.

We had to stray a bit from Steve-K’s recipe he posted on our forum.  We elected to use Trago Añejo instead of his suggestion (for convenience), and we could not find the lemon bitters his recipe requires.  We used the handful of brain cells we still possess, and decided to use regular bitters with a tiny splash of lemon juice.  I hope Steve-K won’t be offended by us taking liberties, but we had to make due.  The result was a really impressive margarita.  This drink has a light citrusy taste that also possesses a distinct complexity.  The Trago Añejo is aged in used bourbon barrels and gives this cocktail an awesome spicy and complex taste.  Each sip seems to give hints of different flavors.  This margarita is citrusy and delicious!  Thanks to Steve-K for letting us have our way with his recipe!  Be sure to give his actual recipe a try too.  It might even be better.

Kevin’s Easy Limeade Margarita
6 oz Jose Cuervo tequila
4 oz Triple Sec orange liqueur
6 oz can frozen limeade
Place ingredients in a blender with ice.  Blend until good consistency is achieved.  Serve in a  margarita glass.

Kevin claims he got this recipe from some elementary school teacher.  I don’t know if she ever fed this to her students, but I think it would certainly make for a more interesting recess (The Boozebasher staff does not condone feeding margaritas to children, no matter how much you want them to go to sleep during nap time).  This Easy Limeade Margarita has a very strong lime taste.  It’s very sweet and absolutely delicious!  It might be a little too sweet for some, but the limeade does an excellent job of covering up any harsh tequila flavor.  The Triple Sec gives the drink very nice citrusy notes to go along with the lime taste.  When drinking this margarita, it is very possible to forget that you are drinking an alcoholic beverage at all.  It tastes like a delicious tropical slushy, so if you aren’t careful, this drink will put you flat on your face.  This was a consensus favorite.

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    What do you think of when year hear the word Cirrus?  Is it cloudy days, meteorology, spring showers, or maybe skipping through a field filled with daisies wearing a sun dress and a big floppy hat?  Okay, if you came up with that last one and you call yourself a man, then you might want to seek some psychiatric help.  Anyway, all of those thoughts are wrong because, as a self-respecting drinker, you should think vodka every time you hear Cirrus.

    Cirrus is a triple copper pot distilled potato vodka produced in the capital of Virginia by the Parched Group LLC.  The owner, Paul McCann, established the distillery in January of 2004 and began producing the handmade spirit the following August.  Now some companies claim to be handmade, but Paul lives it every day he spends on the job.  You see, Paul is the only full-time employee of the company.  The production of vodka is a labor-intensive process involving the selection of russet potatos, warming, mashing, cooking, fermenting, distillation, proofing, and finally bottling.  Paul does it all, and that ensures he can monitor the vodka every step of the way.  Is he a control freak obsessed with the quality of his product?  Probably, but we, the drinker, benefit from his obsession and hard work.  So far the guys with the professionally employed tastebuds think Paul is doing a pretty good job with the BTI awarding him a silver medal in 2005 and 2006 along with a Gold Medal at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

    The first thing we noticed about Cirrus was the design of the bottle.  It is a simple, clean, and classy design that is a refreshing look amid some of the flashier packaging you can find in the liquor store.  Upon sampling its contents, we discovered why Cirrus Vodka does not need a gaudy bottle to get your attention.  Popping the cork and taking a sniff will not allow you to experience the aroma of this vodka.  Initially you might think this is just another bland, odorless, and flavorless vodka.  However, pour it in a glass over some ice, and its character completely changes.  Getting your nose in the glass and taking another whiff will reward you with a light vanilla and slightly sweet aroma.  Vodka with a pretty bottle and an enticing nose is great, but the cold, hard truth is that the taste is what makes a liquor worth drinking.

    First off, I need to admit that I never have been a fan of sipping straight vodka on the rocks, and I never thought I would be, until we sampled Cirrus.  I love drinking this vodka on the rocks!  That vanilla aroma carries over into the initial flavor.  The vanilla on your pallet is stronger than a hint but less than what you would find in a specifically flavored spirit.  The initial vanilla then drifts into a creamy, earthy taste that cannot be achieved with a grain based mash.  Its triple distillation shows as this vodka is quite smooth and pleasant to sip.  If you want to mix a drink with Cirrus, it works just as a well as any other premium vodka.  Unfortunately, none of the vanilla and other tasting notes carry through into your cocktails, which was a bit of a disappointment.  I kinda of felt like I was wasting this precious liquid everytime I added something to dilute it.  However, the simple solution is to just drink it on the rocks for the full flavor effect.

    Cirrus is a standard 80-proof, but it was quite effective at getting me tipsy.  It probably got me tipsy so well because it goes down so smoothly; you can easily find yourself half a bottle down and wondering why everyone in the bar keeps swaying back and forth (Hint: it’s you and not them).  Fortunately, there was no hangover, so you can escape a night of drinking Cirrus with no ill effects except the ones resulting from all the bad decisions you made.

    If you are looking for a typical bland, colorless, odorless, and flavorless vodka, then any number of other premium vodkas should do the trick.  However, if you are looking for a vodka that has unique character, a fantastic light vanilla taste, and is a delight to sip, then Cirrus should be your new best buddy.  The good news is that, at $23 a bottle, you can spend plenty of time with your new-found friend.  The bad news is that, as a handmade boutique spirit, you are going to have a tough time finding it outside of Virgina and its neighboring states.  If you are in that geographic region, I highly suggest you take some time to track down a bottle because I doubt you will be disappointed.

Sipability - 7.0

Mixability - 7.5

Drunkability - 7.5

Hangover-ability - 9.0

Bang for the Buck - 7.0

Overall - 8.0 

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    Bacardi Limón is one of the first infused Bacardi rums.  I think it may be the oldest and most popular of the Bacardi girls (that’s what I call the Bacardi infused rums), even though it tastes exactly like 7 Up©, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for liquor.  Sadly, Limón may be the best infused rum that Bacardi has given us.  That’s not saying much.  It’s like being the best in the Special Olympics.  It’s basically the one that didn’t get too distracted by clouds or the sun and managed to finish the race.  I really shouldn’t say stuff like that because I’m fairly sure the participants in the Special Olympics are more athletic than I am, and I can’t stay sober enough or keep my eyes off girls long enough to finish a race at all.

    Bacardi Limón is easily one of the most drinkable of Bacardi’s infused rum line.  Limón tastes more like sour oranges than lemons or limes.  After swallowing even the smallest of sips, it leaves your mouth with a waxy aftertaste.  The best way I can describe it is chewing on a orange peel that has been covered in a mixture of lime juice and rum.  It’s one of those tastes that you know will leave you with cotton mouth in the morning.  The solo flavor really tastes a lot like 7 Up© without the carbonation.  So either Bacardi Limón is so weak that it tastes like a soft drink, or 7 Up© tastes like a really weak citrus rum.  No matter, I’m not a fan of either one.  Well, I’m not a fan of either one alone. Bacardi Limón turned out to be a great mixer.  It adds the perfect citrus flavor that most cocktails, drinks, and even soda may need sometimes.  It’s the garnish of the liquor world.  If you don’t believe me, next time you order a drink that comes with a lime or lemon garnish, have the waitress replace that damn piece of evil fruit with a shot of Limón.  It makes a world of difference, plus, it makes any drink an alcoholic one.  There’s nothing at all wrong with that.

    Sadly, as for getting average drinker drunk, Bacardi Limón falls short.  It took maybe 5 glasses (2 1/2 shots per cup) to even get me buzzed.  The buzz was shorter than Hunter’s attempt to become a dancer at that Coyote Ugly Saloon (don’t worry little guy, I’m sure they’ll call eventually).  I guess getting you wasted may be this liquor’s weakest point.  So I guess it makes sense for there to be barely any signs of a hangover the next day.  I didn’t wake up with cotton mouth for once, but I did have a minor headache and breath so sour and bad-smelling that it could bring the manliest of men to tears.

    As with all the infused Bacardi rums, Limón is cheap.  I found a half gallon on sale for around $20.  You can get your hands on a fifth for around $18 online if you are too lazy to get off your fat ass.  At that price, Bacardi worth trying if you haven’t already.  Since this is a liquor that can be mixed with so many things, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a bottle around the house.  We had a guest taster, Dr. Unkard (check our forum if you don’t know who he is), who gave Limón an 8 for its mixed taste, and he’s a raging alcoholic.  That makes me believe that anyone across the board can like this one.  So give Bacardi Limón a try; I doubt you’ll be let down too much.  Meanwhile, I’m going to see if I can come up with a way to make this rum into the best lemonade, ever!

Sipability - 5.0

Mixability - 7.5

Drunkability - 5.5

Hangover-ability - 7.0

Bang for the Buck - 8.0

Overall - 6.5

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