Walk into any tequila bar and order three margaritas from different bartenders. You'll taste three completely different drinks, most of them mediocre. The culprit isn't the spirit; it's the lime juice. Fresh-squeezed lime oxidizes in under two hours, turning bitter. Professional bartenders often work with lime juice that's been bottled and rested for 24 hours—a step home bartenders skip entirely. The 24-Hour Juice Method Squeeze your limes and let the juice sit overnight in a sealed container. The citric acid stabilizes, and the flavor deepens. Meanwhile, your standard margarita ratio (2 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 0.75 oz lime juice, 0.5 oz agave) fails because it doesn't account for juice acidity variance. Taste as you build. If your lime is particularly bright, dial it back to 0.5 oz and add 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice instead for complexity without harshness. "People think they need a $60 bottle of tequila to make a good margarita," says Luna Garcia, bartender at Oaxaca Kitchen in Los Angeles. "A solid mid-range reposado with proper technique beats a premium blanco made wrong every time." The real investment is in your technique: chill your coupe glass, shake with ice for exactly 10 seconds, and strain immediately. That's the secret restaurants won't sell you.