I am Good at Math

Q. You are having a BBQ for 30 guests. 1/2 of the guests are adults. 60% of the adults are talking a lot, 30% are talking too little, and 10% are late and should have called but didn't. 100% of the kids are running around screaming. It is 75 degrees outside, and everyone drove at least 2 miles but no more than 10 miles to get to your house. One family brought 4 desserts, one family brought 500 pretzels, and one family brought 2 extra children. 3 people will unexpectedly leave early, and 1 person is a vegetarian. Solve this problem. Show your work.

A. Formula for Killer Margs

1 part orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier
2 parts pretty good tequila*
3-4 parts sweet & sour mix**
1/2 part fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 part simple syrup***
Lime slices or wedges, for garnish

Mix everything up with lots of ice, and serve on the rocks immediately. You can rim glasses with salt for those who like that sort of thing. A "part" is as much as you need to make enough drinks. For the problem above, a part was 1 cup.

* Never use the cheap stuff, but since a margarita is mostly about the lime, you don't have to pull out the really expensive Patron unless these are special friends of yours, or you're drinking alone.
** You should invest in a good mix here. I like Trader Joes, or Bone Daddy's. Use 3 parts for very strong drinks, 4 parts for regular strength drinks.
*** Simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water, boiled together for several minutes to make a liquid sweetener. You can make your own and store it in the fridge, or buy it at Trader Joes.

For advanced math students, check out Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman. It's a cool little book that has every cooking formula on the planet in it. Kind of like having the teacher's edition of your kitchen.