How To Make Margarita Drink

Dont Salt The Entire Rim

How to Make a Margarita Cocktail

Like your Margaritas with salt? Season away, but take care when rimming the glass. Excess flakes will inevitably fall into your cocktail, throwing off its flavors and balance.

Cocktailers like industry legend Dale DeGroff advise salting a segment of the glass rim instead of its entirety. It prevents your drink from ever getting too saline, and gives you the option of taking a sip with or without a mouthful of salt.

Generally speaking, if we do a rim we do half a rim, Don Lee, partner, Existing Conditions in NYC, says. That way everyone has the option. Make sure you are only salting the outside of the rim of the glass, too, Lee says.

How To Make A Margarita

Whether sipped by the pool, at a fiesta, or just because it’s Tuesday, are a guaranteed crowd-pleasing drink. An instant celebration, this refreshing cocktail of tequila, orange liqueur , and fresh lime juice is typically served in a festive glass with a salted rim. We’ll show you how to make a margarita in several different ways, and share favorite recipes to try.

There are plenty of ways to make margaritas shake them with ice, blend them into a frozen treat, or if you’re in a rush, short-cut your way to success with a margarita mix.

This handy guide shows you three ways to make a classic margarita at home, plus plenty of tasty variations, so you can plan your next cocktail party.

How To Make A Homemade Margarita

Ingredients:homemade margarita mixice

Add 1 shot of tequila and half a shot of triple sec to a . Add the ice and fill the rest of the glass with homemade margarita mix.

Its super simple! Dont forget to salt your rim and try a lime-flavored salt if youd like.

This homemade margarita mix is perfect for parties. You can easily tweak the proportions to make a large or small batch depending on how many youll be serving!

You could even use a cast iron pot like this when making a bigger batch of mix.

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Is Triple Sec Required In A Margarita

Triple sec is one of the key ingredients in a margarita. It acts as the drink’s sweetener and adds a hint of orange flavor. You can use another orange liqueur, such as curaçao, and the Cadillac margarita uses the brandy-based Grand Marnier. Though definitely not an authentic margarita, some people prefer to skip the liqueur and use simple syrup with a squeeze of fresh orange juice instead . With these changes, you will need to play with the proportions to create a well-balanced margarita.

Fruit Sodas And Sports Drinks

Fruity sodas such as fruit punch, lime, pineapple, or mandarin orange Jarritos, or sports drinks such as blue or orange Gatorade, can substitute for triple sec. A margarita made with orange soda and beer is a sunrise beer margarita if it is made with carbonated fruit punch soda, it is a sunset margarita. The variant that uses grapefruit soda is called a Paloma.

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How To Make A Margarita :

Detailed instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a brief overview of how to make a single-serving homemade margarita:

Prep your glasses: If you would like to salt the rim of your glass, simply run a juicy lime wedge around the rim and then dip the rim in coarse Kosher salt. Set the glass aside until ready to use.

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker: Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.

Shake shake shake: Give the mixture a good shake for about 10 seconds or until chilled.

Taste and add sweetener, if desired: Give the margarita mix a taste and if you think it needs extra sweetener, add in a teaspoon or two of agave at a time until the mix reaches your desired level of sweetness.

Strain and serve on the rocks. Place a few ice cubes in the serving glass, then strain the margarita mix over the ice and garnish with a slice of lime.

Salting The Rim Of Your Glass

1Pour rock salt into a shallow dish. Rock salt, also called margarita salt, is salt kept in small chunks. Cover the bottom of a shallow dish with a layer of rock salt.XResearch source

You can find rock salt at most grocery or liquor stores.

If you dont want to use salt, you can use sugar for a sweet rim or tajin for a spicy kick.

2Run a lime wedge across the rim of your margarita glass. Cut the top and bottom off a lime. Slice the lime in half lengthwise. Then, slice one half of the lime in half widthwise to create 2 wedged pieces. Take 1 wedge piece and rub it across the entire rim of your margarita glass.XResearch source

If you dont have a margarita glass, you can also use a martini glass.

3Dip the glass rim-first into the salt. Hold your margarita glass by the stem with the rim facing downwards. Gently dip the rim into your shallow dish to cover it with rock salt.XResearch source

Try not to get too much salt on the inside of the rim. Instead, focus on the outer edges.

Tip: You may need to pick up your glass and hold it at an angle to reach every part of the rim.

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What Is In A Margarita

Tequila The number of tequila choices can be overwhelming. Theres silver, gold, aged, agave, and dozens of brands within each category. So how do you choose? For a margarita, the first thing to consider is your price point. Extremely expensive tequila is best for sipping straight, and its quality would be masked by margarita ingredients. Therefore, I go for the middle ground a mid-priced tequila thats smooth and still affordable.

Orange Liqueur These include triple sec, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier. Which orange liqueur to use also depends on how much you are willing to spend. Cadillac or Grand Gold Margaritas use more expensive Cointreau or Grand Marnier over triple sec.

Fresh Lime Juice This is where making a margarita at home has its biggest advantage. A lot of restaurants resort to concentrated lime flavoring instead of the real deal. Freshly squeezed lime juice is key for the classic, perfect margarita!

Extras These are the additions mixologists use to stamp with their own unique flair or taste. Sour mix and simple syrups give margaritas a sweeter taste. A squeeze of fresh orange makes the drink more citrusy, and a splash of Sprite makes a sparkly fizz.

Quick Tips And Tricks For Making This Classic Margarita Recipe At Home

How to Make a Margarita | Cocktail Recipes

Prep your ingredients before mixing your drink.
Turn it into a pitcher drink! Quadruple the recipe to turn this festive mule into a Cointreau Margarita Pitcher.
Purchase good lime juice. Truly, the combination of the freshly squeezed lime juice paired with the tequila, Cointreau and simple syrup is wonderfully balanced.
Shake it up! If you dont have a cocktail shaker, pour the ingredients into a to-go coffee cup or a mason jar, cap and then shake.

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It’s Associated With Improved Cholesterol

Drinking black coffee was associated with a positive effect on HDL cholesterol levels, according to November 2020 research in theâ Journal of Multiplidiscinary Healthcareâ.

HDL cholesterol is known as the “good” one because it helps remove bad cholesterol from your bloodstream, which ultimately lowers your risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But the relationship between coffee and cholesterol is a bit more complicated. Coffee contains natural oils from the coffee bean called diterpenes, and these may raise total and LDL cholesterol, according to the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee .

The amount of diterpenes in coffee varies with the brewing method, though. Coffee brewed through a filter will have less of these oils, while unfiltered coffee will have more.

An August 2018 study conducted at Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia, shows that people with HDL cholesterol levels of 41â60 milligrams per decilitre have the lowest risk of heart disease.

How Strong Is A Margarita

Using the original recipe and an 80-proof tequila along with Cointreau, the margarita is definitely not a low-proof cocktail. It shakes up to around 27 percent ABV , or just over half the strength of a tequila shot. If you serve it on the rocks, it will dilute and relax a bit over time.

Recipe Tags:

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What Youll Need To Make A Classic Cointreau Margarita

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In addition to these tools, youll need just two simple ingredients that youve probably got on hand already:

Silver tequilaa decent tasting one, mmmkay?
Cointreauor another orange liqueur
Limes or freshly squeezed lime juiceI purchase the squeezed kind from the refrigerated section at the grocery store. Its with the pre-chopped fruit and is worth the splurge. However, you can purchase limes and squeeze em yourself
Simple syrupyou can make it at home or you can purchase it from the store or online

Which Orange Liqueur Is Best To Use In A Classic Margarita

Orange liqueur is essentially vodka sweetened with sugar and orange peels. There are many brands of this liqueur on the market, but the most common brands are Cointreau, Curaçao and Grand Marnier.

For this margarita recipe I used Cointreau. Its the most commonly used and best orange liqueur for margaritas. The other two brands are a little different despite their orange liqueur label.

Cointreau is considered a triple sec liqueur due to its French origins and mix of sweet and bitter oranges.
Curaçao comes from the Dutch Caribbean island of the same name and is considered both a brand and type of orange liqueur. While traditionally rum-based, Curaçao produces a grain version too. Due to its tropical origins, the oranges for this liqueur are sweeter which is why its not considered a triple sec.
Also, from France, Grand Marnier is considered a triple sec and Curaçao hybrid. Unlike the previous brands mentioned, its orange flavor is mixed with cognac.

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Which Orange Liqueur Is Best For Margaritas

Triple sec and Cointreau are the two types of orange liqueur that are often used in margaritas. Theyre both acceptable to use, but I prefer one over the other depending on the type of margarita.

When making this classic margarita, I prefer using Cointreau because of its smoother finish and more balanced flavors.

When making blended fruity margaritas, I prefer using triple sec since its straightforward orange flavor is often diluted in the drink.

Sometimes Grand Marnier is used instead of triple sec or Cointreau, but it is not a traditional ingredient in a margarita.

Can You Make Margarita Mix

You can! We prefer the flavor of the pitcher variation above. But margarita mix is also great for parties and you can mix it up in advance. Here are a few options:

This that makes a big pitcher of 8 to 16 drinks. It uses a bit of lemon as well to get the sour mix vibe going.
Sweet and sour mix: You can also make sweet and sour mix! For each drink, mix 2 ounces tequila, ½ ounce Cointreau and 1 ounce sweet and sour mix.

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How To Make Margaritas At Home

First and foremost, juice your limes. I typically do this over a liquid measuring cup with a fine mesh strainer on top of it to keep pulp and seeds out of the final juice.

Pro tip: Youll get more juice from your limes if theyre room temperature. If you keep em in the fridge, pop them into the microwave for 20-30 seconds to get those juices flowing!

Also, youll want to rim your margarita glass with salt if youre into that at this point. You can also add ice to the glass, as well, if you want your margarita on the rocks to be extra cold.

Once your limes are juiced and other ingredients are acquired, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Measure in the silver tequila, Cointreau , simple syrup and lime juice.

Give it a good shake until the metal of the cocktail shaker is extremely cold, then strain and pour into your prepared margarita glasses.

Enjoy immediately with a lime garnish!

Enjoying A Blended Margarita

How to Make a Margarita (and 5 Mistakes to Avoid) | Bottle Service

1Pour your margarita ingredients into a blender. Combine 2 fluid ounces of tequila, 1 fluid ounce of lime juice, and 1 fluid ounce of triple sec for a classic margarita. Use a blender with large blades that can blend ingredients into fine chunks.XResearch source

To make a blended mango margarita, combine 1 bag of frozen mango chunks, 14 cup of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur, 2 tbsp of superfine sugar, and 2 cups of ice water.XResearch source

Tip: If you have fresh limes, cut off the peels and put your limes into the blender instead of using lime juice.

2Fill up the blender with 3 cups of ice. Add large ice cubes to your blender to fill it up most of the way. Depending on the size of your blender, this could be between 1 and 3 cups of ice.XResearch source

3Blend your mixture until it is mostly smooth. Turn on your blender and pulse it slightly until all of your ingredients make a smooth, slightly chunky mixture. You can add more ice to your margarita if you feel like it isnt blended enough.XResearch source

You should only need to blend your ingredients for about 30 seconds until they reach the right consistency.

4Pour the blended margarita into a margarita glass. Remove the top from your blender and pour your margarita into a glass that has been rimmed with salt. Fill the entire glass up all the way to make 1 margarita.XResearch source

Consider using a metal straw for a reusable option.

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How To Make A Strawberry Margarita And Other Variations

Now that you know how to make a great margarita, let’s switch up the classic recipe. Boost your margarita’s nutrition by infusing it with strawberries, bananas, grapefruit, and cucumber. Or pump up the flavor with unexpected secret ingredients like beer or jalapeños. You can also substitute the tequila in a margarita for mezcal, an intense, smoky-flavored spirit that’s also derived from the agave plant.

Check out these tasty margarita variations:

Spicy Mezcal Margarita

How To Make A Margarita From Scratch

This is a super simple margarita recipe trust me, a drink this good doesnt need any fussy ingredients or extra steps! This is technically a margarita on the rocks recipe since I poured the mixture over ice feel free to omit if desired.

Heres how to make homemade margaritas:

Squeeze two juicy limes over a cup.

Then, stir in a little water, agave, and tequila.

Give your margarita a taste to see if it needs any tweaks.

If desired, you can strain the margarita at this point to remove any lime pulp, but I personally dont mind the pulp.

Add ice to the glass and stir or shake .

See? Making a margarita without mix is so easy!

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A Mason Jar Margarita

The Spruce Eats / Claire Cohen

It has become popular to serve margaritas in a Mason jar with a ton of ice. The original margarita recipe was designed to be served as a short drink, with a volume of just 3 1/2 ounces. As with most classic cocktail recipes, it will barely fill many of today’s larger margarita and cocktail glasses, much less a Mason jar.

If you want to make a Mason jar margarita, you need a recipe designed for the larger volume. This modern version makes a drink that’s just over 6 ounces. With plenty of ice cubes and fresh fruit, it will fill the average Mason jar mug perfectly.

To make this margarita, shake 2 ounces tequila, 1 ounce triple sec, and 3 ounces fresh sour mix with ice. Strain it into an ice-filled Mason jar and add a few lime wedges.

This can also be mixed directly in your Mason jar. At first, cut back on the ice, shake or stir the drink, then fill it with fresh ice cubes.

If you’re a fan of mixing drinks in Mason jars, Shane Carley’s “The Mason Jar Cocktail Companion” is an excellent book. All of the recipes are measured in parts and many of the booze-heavy recipes have been adapted to the higher volume. Carley’s Mason jar margarita, for instance, mixes 3 parts tequila, 2 parts orange liqueur, and 1 part lime juice.

A Note About Measuring

In the recipe section, I referred to the ingredients as shots. Some recipes use ounces, cups, and shots, all in one. Holy confusion after youve had a few.

The very average-sized shot glass I use holds the same amount of liquid as a 1/4-cup measure, which makes it easy to make the recipe in bulk. X parts this to Y parts that.

While you could technically share the recipe as written, after having one, youll want another. So plan on it serving one, nicely. You can sip worry-free since theres no granulated sugar.

They go down so incredibly easy. Especially on vacation.

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The Best Margarita Recipes

Make some margaritas for Taco Night! Check out the full Taco Tuesday Guide for more tips, ideas, and recipes.

I hope this guide helped you learn how to make margaritas and find some new recipes! Dont forget to try out some for yourself, your friends, or at your next Cinco de Mayo party. And dont be afraid to get creative and try new flavors! A classic margarita is great, but you really cant go wrong here.

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky woke up on her 30th birthday and realized she didn’t know how to cook, anything! She started The Cookie Rookie as a way to document her journey to learn how to cook, one recipe at a time! The Cookie Rookie is a place to find easy recipes that anyone can make, and everyone will love!