Break out blender for inspired refreshment

You need just two things to create great frozen margaritas - a sense of proportion and a blender.

If you lack the latter, you're on your own. But learning the proper proportions for this icy refreshment is easy. And once you've mastered that, you'll never need another recipe.

• Tequila often is combined with orange liqueur, such as triple sec (any liqueur can be substituted depending on the flavor combination you're going for).

You'll need about 2 ounces of tequila per serving. Another ounce of liqueur is nice. If you'd rather skip the liqueur, up the tequila to 2½ ounces (no one wants a margarita without oomph).

And in case you don't have a measuring cup that does fluid ounces, 2 ounces is the same as ¼ cup.

• Consider how to flavor your drink. It's nice to balance the bite of the tequila with citrus, such as lime juice (the traditional choice), lemon juice (especially refreshing), orange juice or pineapple.

Other acidic fruits, such as pomegranate or cranberry, also are good. Non-acidic fruits are fine, too, but you may need to add a tablespoon or so of lemon or lime juice (such as lemon juice and watermelon) to balance the flavors.

In some cases, whole fruit can be substituted for some or all of the juice. Use your judgment here. This works well with tender berries and pineapple. Not so great with apples or lemons.

Whatever your choice, aim for about ½ cup to 1 cup of juice or fruit per serving.

• Round out the drink with something sweet. Simple syrup is traditional, but honey is splendid. Agave nectar (similar to honey) and maple syrup also are nice.

For quantity, you'll need to experiment, but if you like it sweet, use an equal number of tablespoons of sweeter as ounces of alcohol. So for a drink with 2 ounces of tequila and 1 ounce of triple sec, use 3 tablespoons of sweetener.

• Use more or less ice depending on how thick a drink you want. The easiest way to do this is to measure out the other ingredients, add them to the blender, then add ice and puree until you're happy.

For more intense flavors, freeze juice and use that for some of the ice. Frozen apple juice would be great. Frozen juice concentrates also add intense taste and chill. Even better, freeze fruit such as melon balls or strawberries.