Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Wasting Away

You all knew this was coming right? I mean how could I not mark the passing of Jimmy Buffett here. The man that epitomizes laid back tropical lifestyles, and is permanently associated with “that frozen concoction that helps me hang on” aka the margarita.

I was lucky enough to have seen Buffett twice in concert and both shows were fantastic. Not only was he a great live performer, but the general vibe around the shows was a great experience. Everyone was super chill and relaxed. We even traded some drinks with other tailgaters as they walked by. Swapping jello shots for samples of homemade margaritas. Understandably, the finer details of the rest of those tailgate parties and concerts are a bit….fuzzy to say the least. Anyway that brings me to this week’s post. There was no was I was not going to make a margarita in this spot. Which is fortuitous because surprisingly, I had not written about a regular margarita. I made a faux-rita and a broiled lemon one, but not a “normal” one. Until now. I use the one from the Waldorf Astoria bar book as my go to recipe when I want one, so I went with that one here:

Classic Margarita

2 oz. Siete Laguas blanco tequila (I used 1800)

1 oz. Combier liqueur d’orange (Triple sec today, more on that later)

1 oz. Fresh lime juice

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and shake well. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with lime wheel. Salted rim optional. 

The nose is pretty much all lime, with a decent amount of tequila underneath that. Not an oppressive amount of tequila, but enough to let you know it’s certainly there.

The sip is excellent. It starts out leaning heavily into the lime, and that really doesn’t go away. Normally, I’d say a strong lime flavor that this has going for it would be a detriment, but that’s where the tequila comes in. The tequila adds a nice depth that also helps counter the strong citrus flavors going on. Conversely, the lime helps keep the tequila from being too strong, and making this a nice easy and simple margarita. The  orange liqueur gets lost a little bit here. Though, in the drink’s defense, I used Triple Sec, when I would have preferred Cointreau in this spot. But that’s what I had so beggars can’t be choosers here. Both cointreau and triple sec deliver the necessary sweetness that helps balance out the tequila and lime. However I (personally) think the cointreau gives more of a subtle orange flavor than the triple sec does. That little touch is a nice addition that is missed here. Also, I opted out of the salted rim. I can never get a good salted rim on any glass so I skipped it. I think it would also work out well here.

This is a basic, basic margarita, but that’s ok with me. There is beauty in simplicity and this drink perfectly encapsulates that. I think Jimmy would approve of that thought as well. It’s delicious, simple, and lets you keep the chill vibes going while serving these.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)