Now America's favorite mixed drink, Margaritas can be made in numerous ways. Nothing, however, is better than the original Margarita made with quality ingredients. The origin of the Margarita is a bit fuzzy; most people seem to agree that the first one was named for a beautiful woman named Margaret. A man at a bar in a Mexican village, some say San Miguel de Allende, couldn’t take his eyes off the woman. He was drinking shooters of tequila with fresh lime and salt. Because he was so enraptured watching the woman, the bartender accommodated him by squeezing fresh lime juice into a salt-rimmed glass and adding tequila.

Years ago, our backyard neighbor in Albuquerque, Bob Tolliver, began calling my Perfect Margaritas, made with three parts tequila, “crawl home Margaritas” and the tamer ones, made with two parts tequila, “walk home Margaritas.” The names stuck; I even tell the story in my cooking classes. My favorite recipe follows. I prefer them made with the optional egg white.