Margarita

Prepare margarita glasses by moistening the edge with a lime sliver, then dipping in coarse salt. Combine ingredients in a quart container, shake vigorously, add a few ice cubes and shake again. Serve over lots of ice in the salt-rimmed glasses. Drop in a sliver of fresh lime. Notes: There is no substitute for fresh lime juice. There's no need to use a really expensive tequila, but look for one that has a "NOM" code; don't buy the real cheapies that lack it. Triple Sec can be obtained at several alcohol levels; to reduce the potency of these margaritas, use a lower alcohol version. If possible, make 12-24 hours ahead and refrigerate; flavors meld together. For convenience, I use a plastic quart container that is marked in 4 oz increments. I strain the lime juice directly into a 1-cup measure, dump that into the container, add the triple sec and tequila to the appropriate marks, shake like everything, and it's ready. If you don't want your margaritas on ice, use a lot more ice in the mixture and pour into smaller glasses, these are potent, and need dilution as they are consumed!