Classic Margarita

Ninety-three Wednesday. Tending a twelve-pound packer brisket I'd put on at five AM. Salt and pepper rub only — Texas style. Hickory smoke because Kentucky means hickory. Spritzed with apple cider vinegar every hour after the fourth. Wrapped in butcher paper at the stall. Pulled at two-oh-five internal. Rested two hours in a cooler. The bark was mahogany, smoke ring a quarter inch, meat tender enough to pull apart with fingers but firm enough to hold a slice. I ate the first slice standing up because some things are too important to wait for a chair.

Travis and Jolene brought Earl Thomas Saturday for what I'm calling Brisket Day — a holiday I just invented. Connie says it's not real. I say it's more real than most holidays because most don't involve twelve hours of effort. Earl Thomas is two months old and slept through the entire meal, which is correct. His time will come. I'm already planning his first bite of brisket the way other grandfathers plan college funds.

Walked every morning despite the heat. Moved to six AM — at that hour in June the light is gold and the air still cool and the birds loud and walking feels like having a secret, a version of the day nobody else knows about.

Twelve hours at the smoker in ninety-three-degree heat, and then Travis and Jolene arrived with Earl Thomas and a whole lot of occasion — that kind of afternoon calls for something cold and intentional in a glass. I’ve tried fancier things, but when the bark is right and the company is good and you’ve just invented a holiday, the classic margarita is the only drink that keeps up. Salt on the rim, lime all the way, no shortcuts — same philosophy as the brisket.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime)
3/4 oz triple sec or Cointreau
1/2 oz simple syrup (optional, to taste)
Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim
1 lime wedge, for garnish
Ice, for shaking and serving

Instructions

Salt the rim. Run a lime wedge around the outer edge of a rocks glass. Spread salt on a small plate and press the rim into it, rotating to coat evenly. Fill the glass with fresh ice and set aside.
Combine ingredients. Add the tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec, and simple syrup (if using) to a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice.
Shake. Seal the shaker and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker is thoroughly chilled and frosted.
Strain and serve. Strain the margarita over the ice in the prepared glass. Garnish with a lime wedge on the rim and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Classic Margarita — The Only Thing Cold Enough for Brisket Day