When we were visiting Old Town Liquor in San Diego, we learned about a highly recommended tequila: Sin Rival. This new Reposado had to be worked into our search for the Perfect Margarita!

Another discovery in San Diego was this organic margarita mix. It is NOT FRESH, but it’s the best bottled mix we’ve found. When you don’t have time to make fresh margarita mix, this is not awful; it’s better than many bars serve!
Also on the agenda: checking out the idea that agave nectar is superior to simple sugar in margarita mix. Seems like a simple idea, right? But until you actually check it out, you just don’t know. Happy to do that for you!
Four of us did some quick little taste tests. In a word, YES, agave nectar makes a big difference. It’s clear that’s going to be our new standard in our search for the Perfect Margarita!
We used a slight variation of this Agave Nectar Margarita Recipe from Food.com:
1-1/2 oz reposado tequila
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
The first thing we did was make 2 versions of this recipe with Don Celso Reposado. We put agave nectar in one mix, and simple sugar in the other. All 4 tasters agreed: no contest. Agave nectar is the clear winner!
We then continued with a couple of other taste tests, using agave nectar but with different tequilas.
1. Don Celso Reposado again bested Sol de Mexico Reposado.
2. Don Celso Reposado bested Sin Rival Reposado.
Don Celso, you may recall, was the top-ranked tequila from our original taste test of 15 tequilas. It’s the undefeated champion so far. It must be noted, however, that each tequila brings a unique flavor to its Margaritas. As we continue in our search for the Perfect Margarita, we’re going to need to tweak the final recipe to match the flavor profile of the winning tequila.
Tough, tough work ahead of us.
aw, what a tough job – but somebody has to do it, lol – grins g