Margarita Thursday

Today is Thursday. Yes. But it's a special Thursday because of the holiday weekend. Many of us don't have to work tomorrow. So, I thought I'd share with you a special recipe. Tonight's homework? Go home and make it!

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A while back, I posted about our BBQ menu. At the time, Mr. CB and I thought it would be fun to have margaritas as our signature cocktail. We live in New Mexico and in New Mexico you drink margaritas. We wanted to bring a little bit of that up to Colorado with us. The bad news is that our margaritas would cost $7 per drink. Maybe that's not a lot to a lot of people. It's not for us when we're going out to dinner. But when you serve 100 people a margarita each, you end up with $700 in tequila, sour mix, and, well, ice. Say quite a few people want two or more margaritas. We could end up with a bar tab (just for hard liquor) as large as $1500 or more. We just can't justify spending that amount on one type of drink. No budgeting article or website tells you to expect to spend 15% of your wedding budget on your signature cocktail.

That doesn't mean that you 'lil buzzing bees can't make this one at home and celebrate the holiday weekend. Reader eastwestbride asked me to share my recipe with you. It's not exactly my recipe but it's a friend's and he was willing to share it with you guys, so here goes:

- 2 ounces premium 100% pure Agave tequila

Use silver for a clean and crisp flavor or reposado for more flavor

Our choices of tequila: Partida for premium, Corralejo for mid-range and Cazadores if you're going for economical and good

- 1 ounce Cointreau which is orange liqueur

- 1 ounce fresh squeezed organic lemon juice (instead of sour mix)

- 1 ounce fresh squeezed organic lime juice

- 1 ounce pure raw agave nectar (you can find this at Whole Foods. It's the most important ingredient because it brings out the flavor of the tequila and sweetens it all)

- sea salt

- 1 lime

1. Add all ingredients into a Boston shaker.

2. Add ice and shake.

3. Pour into a large rocks glass.

4. Garnish with sea salt on the rim or lime wedge.

5. Always provide a stirring straw or two.

He made this drink for me and it's delicious. Not only was he a bartender, him and his girlfriend worked for a tequila company for years. (Note: none of the tequilas mentioned above were theirs).

Did you have to give up something fun because of money? What was it and how did you cope? (I'm going to go drink my worries away! Bottoms up!)