Margarita Pitcher

Sofia met Tomás Reyes at a quinceañera the bakery was catering. He is a high school history teacher — thoughtful, patient, slightly overwhelmed by Sofia's energy, the way all people are slightly overwhelmed by Sofia's energy. Sofia doesn't date. Sofia works. But Tomás arrived at the tamale station and they talked about the history of Mexican bakeries in El Paso and the talking became a two-hour conversation and the conversation became a phone number exchange and the phone number became a first date at the bakery (naturally — where else would Sofia have a first date?) and the first date became a second date and the second date is happening next week and I am watching from the kitchen window the way I watched Luis Jr. propose on the porch, because watching-from-the-kitchen-window is the mother's primary observation platform and the platform has excellent sight lines.

I made birria — not for a celebration but for a Tuesday, because Tuesdays sometimes need birria, and the need is the reason, and the reason is: my daughter met someone, and someone might be something, and something deserves birria.

The birria was already on the stove before I thought to pour myself anything, and then I thought: if this Tuesday is the kind of Tuesday that gets remembered, it should have a proper drink alongside it. I made a pitcher of margaritas — the same way I have made them for every occasion that is not quite a party but is too large to be ordinary — and I stood at the kitchen window with my glass and watched the city and thought about Sofia, and Tomás, and the way a two-hour conversation at a tamale station can quietly rearrange the shape of a future.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups blanco tequila
3/4 cup triple sec or Cointreau
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 8–10 limes)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3–4 lemons)
1/4 cup simple syrup, or to taste
2 cups ice, plus more for serving
Coarse salt or tajin, for rimming glasses
Lime wedges and slices, for garnish

Instructions

Rim the glasses. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip the rim into a shallow dish of coarse salt or tajin, rotating to coat evenly. Set aside.
Combine the base. In a large pitcher, combine the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Stir well to combine.
Taste and adjust. Taste the mixture and add more simple syrup if you prefer a sweeter margarita, or more lime juice for extra brightness.
Add ice. Add 2 cups of ice to the pitcher and stir again to chill the mixture. For maximum chill without dilution, stir for about 30 seconds.
Serve. Pour over fresh ice in the salted glasses. Garnish each glass with a lime slice or wedge. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Margarita Pitcher — For the Tuesday That Might Become Something