• A good bottle of tequila - I recommend a decent Reposado or Anejo (I found a cheap Reposado under the brand Zapopan that I really dig).
• A good bottle of Lemoncello (lemon liquor) - I have to admit, I don't know the best brands. I've tried several and some of them can taste a little funky. Short of knowing some crazy person that has a passion for making homemade lemoncello, a couple of brands I like are Pallini and Sogno di Sorrento.
• A good bottle of orange liquor - Obvious choices are Cointreau and Grand Marnier, but I personally like Gran Gala from Italy. It's cheaper and it tastes fantastic.
• Simple syrup (recipe below) OR frozen limeade.
• Kosher salt - You should have some anyway.
• Limes - You can never have too many.
• Ice - You can never have too much.

The first thing is you need to decide is if you're using a simple syrup recipe or you're going the easy route with a frozen limeade can. Basically it's convenience and that evil corn syrup vs. a little more work and less evil processed sugar. If you're going with the simple syrup recipe all you have to do is mix equal parts water and sugar and bring it to a boil while stirring and then let it cool. There are lots of simple syrup recipes on the web http://tinyurl.com/dhysu6. I've also tried using portions of brown sugar and even honey with interesting results.

The way I make my personal margarita...

1. Squeeze limes to make a bunch of juice. You can strain it or whatever, but the pulp doesn't bother me. Make at least 1 cup per person, 2-4 cups per drunkard. If using limeade as I often do, just make a batch in a pitcher.
2. Mix your simple syrup and lime juice (a good rule of thumb is 1 part syrup to 3 parts lime juice) and set aside.
3. Pour Kosher salt onto a small plate.
4. Rub a lime wedge on the rim of a glass. I use a small glass around 6-8 oz.
5. Dip the rim of the glass into the salt.
6. Place ice in the glass (smaller ice is better).
7. Pour tequila until about half full (I like to taste my tequila).
8. One splash of Lemoncello.
9. One splash of orange liquor.
10. Pour your lime/syrup or limeade mixture over the top.
11. Squeeze a lime wedge and drop it in - enjoy...

That's pretty much it. Obviously some of you are going to want less tequila and possible want to *shake* your drink before the pour. The appropriate ratios for wimps are: 4 parts tequila, 3 parts lime mix (syrup/juice OR limeade mixture), and 1 part liquors.

I definitely use limeade when I'm in a hurry or making large batches. Also let's face it, liquor is expensive. After a couple of these babies, I will sometimes begin to leave out the lemon and orange liquors. After about 5 or 6 you may just use a cheaper silver tequila and just add limeade! Most people won't know the difference...