RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Jack Kerouac's Margarita

Margaritas are wildly popular cocktails that can be enjoyed in standard and frozen varieties. Typically made with tequila and lime juice, margaritas lend a tropical flair to most any occasion and are the ideal accompaniment to Latin-inspired cuisine.

Although margaritas commonly are consumed poolside or seen as warm-weather beverages, National Margarita Day falls during the month of February when the weather is chilly for many people. Perhaps sipping a margarita can evoke the coming days of sunshine and outdoor antics? That's especially likely when you make this recipe, a favorite of author Jack Kerouac on one of his many Mexican sojourns, courtesy of How to Drink Like a Writer: Recipes for the Cocktails and Libations that Inspired 100 Literary Greats (Apollo Publishers), written by Margaret Kaplan. Serves 1.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ounces silver tequila

3/4 ounce Cointreau

3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoon agave nectar (optional)

Rock salt for garnishing

Lime wedge for garnishing

DIRECTIONS:

Pour salt onto small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the lip of a rocks glass and dip the rim in the salt. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and agave, if using. Shake vigorously. Strain into the salt-rimmed rocks glass over ice. Garnish with the lime wedge.