Buffalo Rising Online

May 4th 2007, 5:33am By Christa Glennie Seychew

Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, providing us with the perfect excuse for a margarita moment.

The margarita, a tequila-based cocktail, has seen its reputation plummet as it’s been relegated to the twenty-page drink menus of bad chain restaurants. It’s really a shame that such an excellent drink has been turned into a beverage predominately made with bottled—or even worse—powdered drink mixes and shoddy tequila.

The classic margarita is made of blanco (or silver) tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice. Some bartenders prefer to substitute domestic lime or lemon juice for the more traditional key lime juice, as they tend to be less tart then their southern counterpart. The concoction is then shaken with ice and served up, or blended into a cold and frothy treat. The garnish generally consists a slice of lime and a coating of salt around the rim of the glass..

This simple set of ingredients is easy to fiddle with, resulting in margarita recipes featuring every combination of flavors that you can imagine. As many of our regular readers know, The Steer Restaurant and Saloon has recently re-invented their cocktail menu. Embracing the rising trend of handcrafting mixed drinks, they use only the freshest of ingredients and techniques as old as the profession itself.

Today, bartender Charlie Tripi shares simple instructions for blending an appealing warm weather recipe for a refreshing frozen pineapple margarita.

Have a few friends over, and make a few margaritas and one of the salsas featured in the May issue of BRM- it’s a great way to begin the sunny season.

The Steer’s Frozen Pineapple Margarita

2 cups ice ∙ 1 1/2 shots Petrone Silver Tequila (or tequila of your choice) ∙ 1/2 shot triple sec ∙ splash of fresh lime juice ∙ splash of sweet and sour mix ∙ 1 1/2 cups fresh cubed pineapple ∙ lime wedge ∙ kosher salt

Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into a stemmed glass. Rub the rim with lime and dip in salt.

If you prefer your margaritas the old fashioned way (unblended) simply substitute the pineapple with a good pineapple juice and serve up (which means chilled without ice).

The Steer Restaurant & Saloon, 3151 Main, 14214, 838.0478, call for hours