A bartender shares easy tips for making the best at-home margarita

We kicked off our series at Providence, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Los Angeles with a $100 margarita on its menu. Kim Stodel, Providence's bar director, wanted to infuse his drinks with more fun and interaction. So he launched a tableside cocktail program featuring one-of-a-kind creations, including the $100 Margarita — which features Grand Marnier Cuvée du Centenaire cognac, Casa Dragones tequila, lime juice, strawberries, agave syrup, and a diamond-shaped ice cube right in the middle. Get my full review of Providence's $100 Margarita here.After Stodel whipped up the $100 Margarita, I asked him how to make the perfect marg at home — especially when you don't have premium ingredients. Lucky for us, Stodel spilled his secrets for making an easy margarita that's sure to impress. So what are you waiting for? Let's get shaking! Grab some limes and squeeze them yourself instead of using a store-bought sweet and sour mix — which is traditionally made with lemon or lime juice and simple syrup. Don't use a 'sweet and sour,' Stodel said. That's gross. Ina Garten said freshly-squeezed lime juice is also very important for her famous 9 a.m. cosmopolitan, so listen to the pros! <blockquote class=instagram-media data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdL7WHUgD7e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading data-instgrm-version=14 style= background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);> <path d=M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Food Insider (@foodinsider)

Before Stodel began making my cocktail, he asked if I preferred my margaritas sweet, dry, or in the middle. This would determine how much agave to add to the drink. If you like your margaritas dry, you can just skip this step. But if you're like me and want your margaritas sweet, Stodel said you should always use agave syrup. It's an excellent sweetener for your margaritas, a natural product, he told me. It comes from the thing that makes tequila, so I think it's awesome. Not sure where to find agave syrup at your local grocery store? Check the baking aisle.Stodel warns against using mixto tequila. Only agave sugars are used in the fermentation of 100% agave tequila, but mixto tequila consists of 51% blue agave that's been combined with other types of sugar — which may be low-quality, and thus more hangover-inducing. Read the label carefully, and try lots of things, Stodel added. Maybe you'll find something you really like. Some popular tequila brands that are 100% pure agave include Patrón, Casamigos, Don Julio, and 1800. People who sit at Stodel's bar often ask why their at-home cocktails never taste as good as they do in restaurants, even when they use the same ingredients.That's because they're forgetting about the ice. Chances are at home, you're using the ice out of your freezer that comes in one of those molds, Stoldel told me. Those are really hard and dense. So Stodel recommends breaking up the ice before shaking your margarita. You can use the back of a spoon and just break them in [the shaker], and we'll get an excellent result, he said. You'll get more dilution, it'll be colder, it'll be crisper — it'll be delicious. Stodel says a great at-home margarita needs a really nice orange liqueur. He recommends ditching triple sec and using Cointreau or Grand Marnier instead. Once you're ready to get the cocktail shaker going, don't be shy. Shake it real hard, like you're having the best time of your life, Stodel said. And making it at home, you don't have to be too fussy, he added. You don't have to add more ice, you can just pour it straight from the shaker. Now grab some limes and tequila and whip up those delicious at-home margaritas. Cheers!

A bartender shares easy tips for making the best at-home margarita

Welcome to Insider's Happy Hour series, where we're taking you to the coolest bars and learning how to make the best drinks.

But this series isn't just about wild cocktails. I'm also asking the experts for tips to help you make better cocktails at home. And today, we're making margaritas!

Always, always, always use fresh lime juice.

Agave syrup is the perfect margarita sweetener.

And always use a tequila that's 100% pure agave.

Ice can make a big difference in your margarita.

Skip the triple sec.

Give your margarita a really good shake, and don't add extra ice when serving.