To mark the 30th anniversary of Jimmy Buffet's legendary cocktail song we've deconstructed the noble margarita and come up with a couple failsafe recipes -- enough to have you “wastin' away” right through to the fall. NOTE: not responsible for lost or stolen shakers of salt.

Margaritas come in many shapes, sizes and colours but a basic margarita is made with three ingredients -- tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice, then shaken with ice. Although, if you insist on blending yours with ice, we'll let it slide. However, if you have a bottle of “gold” tequila in your cupboard and insist on using that to mix drinks, we're sorry but that just will not do and you should dispose of it immediately.

Types of tequila
There are four types of tequila: Blanco. Joven, Reposado, and Añejo. Blanco or silver as it's also called is clear and bottled right from the still. Joven is silver tequila with colouring added to it -- also known as gold (see note above). Reposado and Añejo are aged, usually in French oak barrels, lending them a more mellow and refined flavour. If you want a great tasting margarita use one of these types. You'll pay more for them but it's the equivalent of staying at a four-star resort on a secluded Mayan beach as opposed to a hostel in the depths of Mexico City.

Orange liqueurs
Orange liqueur also has many incarnations including triple sec/Cointreau, curacao and Grand Marnier. Curacao is made from sour or bitter orange peels in the Caribbean and comes in three colours, orange from ripe oranges, green from unripe oranges and blue, from lots and lots of colouring. More refined is triple sec and the best example is Cointreau (sec meaning dry and triple from the three-time distilling process) but most bartenders and aficionados will agree that either Cointreau or Grand Marnier make the tastiest margaritas. Grand Marnier is made with cognac and therefore lends a smooth brandy flavour to the drink -- all a matter of personal taste though.

Hosting a party? Click here for step-by-step photographed instructions to make Mexican Corn and Chicken Tamales.

Dave and Ryan are the authors of Cooking with Booze (Whitecap Books, 2006). For more margarita ideas visit www.cookingwithbooze.com