Margarita

Margarita - a drink for the gods! As our selfless gift to humanity, we continue our research to perfect recipes for refreshing adult beverages. In the past we've posted recipes for Mojito and Mai Tai. Well, one of our favorite drinks is a plain Margarita. The problem is that most recipes call for using storebought mix (yuck! ...why do they have to add coloring and all those chemicals?). Today my wife took some time out from less important tasks, and experimented to come up with this simple recipe that yields great-tasting Margaritas ...without any store-bought mix:

• Juice of 2 limes
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 Tablespoons sugar syrup (to make syrup, warm equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is disolved)
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 ounces Tequila
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau
• 1 1/4 cup ice

Make the syrup if you don't have any. Toss everything into a blender, mix it up, pour into 2 glasses, and enjoy!

By the way, for those curious about the picture (click on the image to see it full-size), the statue on the left is the Hawaiian god of peace and love (purchased on Maui, July 2004), and the statue on the right is Tangaroa, the Polynesian god of fertility (purchased on Rarotonga, Cook Islands, November 2000).