Let's get the sexist part of this out of the way up front. The Margarita is probably the farthest a man can go in the mixed drink category and remain masculine. Your simple mixed drinks (gin & tonic, whiskey & soda, etc.) are OK, but when you start to get more complicated and fruity and sweet, you approach a class of drink technically referred to as Fru-Fru. If you drink Fru-Fru drinks, you are a little nancy-boy. It is not fair, but it's the price you pay for having testicles. A woman can drink anything and still be feminine. A man must use more discretion. (Note: An important exception is when a man finds himself in an open air bar within 100 yards of the ocean. In that setting, a man may drink Fru-Fru without concern.)

Of course, a man who drinks enough may find any number of things to be feminine. But I digress.

All Margaritas contain three basic ingredients: Tequila, some variety of orange flavored liquor, and lemon or lime juice or flavoring of some type. Let's examine all three in turn.

Tequila is made from the agave plant grown in the arid regions of northern Mexico, primarily in the state of Jalisco. It is the pungency of tequila that differentiates the Margarita from other mixed drinks. It's also the thing that makes you remember the first time you drank yourself sick on spring break. Smell is a powerful sense.

The quality of the tequila you use in your margarita is largely dependent on your recipe (more later), but it is a sad waste to use a top-shelf Tequila in a concoction of sickly-sweet ready-made sour mix, bottom of the barrel Triple Sec, blended and served with two ounces of table salt around the rim. On the other hand, do not use rot-gut. People who serve or drink rot-gut have dark and dire souls. Even in a drink where you can't taste the liquor. Even if the drinker couldn't tell the difference. Never use rot-gut. It is an infamia. (Note: An important exception is when you are entertaining house guests that you would prefer not return.)

The orange flavored liquor is usually labeled Triple Sec or Curacao. Virtually anything labeled Triple Sec or Curacao is rot-gut. At some bars you will find Margaritas tinted blue and named something cutsie like a Baja Blue; this is because they use Blue Curacao (same orangey taste, blue color). Skip both. Cointreau is a better choice. If you are feeling adventurous, you can use the expensive yet tasty Grand Marnier (that's pronounced Mar-nyay, not Mariner - it's Frawnch, you see). Grand Marnier is an orange-flavored brandy-like after-dinner cordial that's also used in many dessert recipes. Again, don't believe that by using Grand Marnier you necessarily make a better drink. It depends on your recipe.