Your Guide to Making the Best Margaritas
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A Margarita from scratch is one of the great classic cocktails that anyone can make! Learn about all the flavors and techniques for everything from a margarita on the rocks to dessert style margarita recipes with sorbet.
There’s a recipe for everyone in this incredible homemade margarita guide!
I love a fresh, vibrant cocktail… maybe as much or more than I love a glass of wine. There’s just something so special and festive about shaking, mixing, stirring and creating. It’s so satisfying!
Around here, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo all year long. I don’t need a holiday to mix up an incredible homemade margarita on the rocks!
However, many of us are still spending quality time at home and Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching. I thought it would be fitting (and FUN!) to do a margarita round-up to go along with all of my reader-favorite Tex Mex recipes!
If you haven’t tried my recipes for the best beef tacos, bean dip, chicken enchiladas, and this chorizo burrito breakfast casserole, you’re truly missing out! You can even find a full Cinco de Mayo menu to help with planning a big family fun fiesta night.
I’m also bringing you a comprehensive guide to the best tequila for margaritas, so these posts go hand in hand! You also can’t miss my new Mint Margarita, it’s so fresh and fabulous!
Margarita from Scratch
A classic margarita is always fresh, flavorful and delicious. Those vibrant flavors just can’t be captured in a bottled margarita mix! Not only is it more satisfying to make your own, but you’ll have control over each and every addition.
Want to save a few calories but keep all that yummy fresh lime juice flavor? You’ll find a skinny margarita recipe here. Want more of a dessert cocktail? I’ve got those, too!
Any margarita craving you might have, there’s a recipe for that- and it’s always better when it’s homemade. Skip the mix and let’s get the cocktail shaker out! Are you ready?
Learn how to set up a Margarita Bar for the ultimate fiesta! Guests can serve themselves and customize each cocktail.
What is in a Homemade Margarita on the Rocks?
Most scratch-made margaritas start with a few simple ingredients. Of course, there are so many variations and ways to enhance your experience, too! My favorite classic margarita will start with the following ingredients:
- Fresh lime juice. Okay, just purchasing lime juice will do. I have a juicer attachment for my mixer that makes fresh juice a breeze, but I also frequently use bottled lime juice. Either way it’s significantly better than a mix.
- Simple syrup, and it’s so simple to make. I’ll even let you purchase it at the store, just anything but sweet and sour mix, please!
- Great tequila. The tequila you choose can enhance or detract from the flavor. In fact, what many people don’t know is that often, the more expensive tequilas are NOT the ones you want for a margarita. Find out why in my tequila guide!
And my FAVORITE secret ingredient for enhancing a margarita from scratch?
- Crushed ice. So simple, but really makes a significant difference. Sometimes, it’s the little things – crushed ice included.
If you want the ultimate crushed ice for your margaritas (or any drink!) check out our counter top ice maker. It’s the perfect soft ice for cocktails!
Tips to Achieve the Best Margarita
- Pop a pitcher in the freezer to make it into a frozen margarita! It’s perfectly slushy!
- For another little twist, add a touch of orange liqueur or triple sec.
- To get the most juice out of each lime, let them come to room temperature and roll them on a hard surface before cutting them in half and squeezing them.
- Use a good quality tequila!
- Do a taste test to find your favorite tequila! Try a silver tequila for one and a reposado for another to compare. You might be surprised to find a new favorite!
Always make time for the things you love, like drinking margaritas.
How do you Rim a Margarita Glass?
A salt rimmed glass isn’t a requirement for a delicious margarita on the rocks, but it’s definitely an enhancement you don’t want to skip!
- Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a glass.
- Dip in thick flakes of kosher salt or margarita salt.
- Want to spice it up? Add a little chili powder to your salt!
Now that we’ve answered some questions and shared a little margarita love, let’s get to the recipes! Cheers!
Margarita Recipes for Every Occasion and Craving
A Margarita from scratch is a classic cocktail that anyone can make! Once you try a fresh margarita, you'll never go back to the bottled mix. There’s a little of everything in this incredible collection of homemade margaritas! You'll even learn how to set up your own margarita bar at home - is it Cinco de Mayo yet?
Let’s be honest, some days call for margaritas and not just any margarita, but a fresh, made from scratch margarita.
Truthfully, there is no substitute. I have yet to find a mix that stands up to a fresh, homemade margarita.
A spicy margarita recipe that is the perfect sidekick to so many of your favorite Mexican-inspired dinners!
This Jalapeno Margarita recipe has the perfect amount of spicy pepper flavor – just enough kick, but not-too-much!
Love a classic margarita? Then you’re going to love this smooth, premium margarita with a surprising burst of sweet orange flavor from the addition of Grand Marnier.
This margarita recipe is made with the best ingredients! Skip the Triple Sec – this margarita deserves so much more! Premium ingredients are what sets a cadillac margarita apart from the rest.
Cool off this summer with one of the best ice cream cocktails – a Margarita Float!
After a few attempts, I perfected the most refreshing margarita there is – a margarita float that doesn’t require a mix, but also doesn’t require any more effort than a mix!
A simple and refreshing Mango Margarita recipe. This cocktail is full of fresh flavors and it’s so quick and easy to make!
It’s the perfect drink for Cinco De Mayo and it comes together with just a handful of ingredients in less than five minutes.
Add some fall flavor to your life with an Apple Cider Margarita! It’s an easy four ingredient fall cocktail you can mix up in minutes for one or a pitcher for a crowd.
You’ll get the deliciously fragrant warmth of apple cider, shaken with tequila, lime and simple syrup. This combination turns a classic margarita into your favorite fall sip!
This homemade margarita mix really is the best! It’s so simple and easy to make and with just two ingredients, all you need to do is add tequila!
Make up a batch of the BEST margarita mix for easy to make cocktails for Cinco de Mayo and summer parties.
Add Poptails to your list of must-try summer cocktails. These Lime Popsicle Margaritas are a fresh, zesty and delicious way to stay cool by the pool!
These Margarita Poptails are the perfect combination of zesty lime, vibrant tequila and flavorful sweet lime popsicles. They are the ideal treat to celebrate summer when you’re chilling poolside or hanging at the lake!
Get the skinny on this amazing watermelon margarita that comes in at less than 112 calories each!
Puréed fruit is sweet enough to limit the amount of agave nectar. It’s so much more amazing than the super sweet pre-mixed margaritas.
This easy skinny margarita recipe is fresh and flavorful without all the calories! It’s a skinny margarita made with agave and lime that is so good you’ll never use a margarita mix again!
It is a fresh take on the classic cocktail, with fewer calories and 0 guilt. There are a number of ways to make one, but this recipe is all natural, all flavor! It’s made with a secret, yet simple ingredient that makes it stand above the rest.
This Mango Margarita Float made with mango sorbet is perfect for Cinco de Mayo and beyond. It’s a Mango Margarita Recipe you’ll crave time and again that will cool you off all summer long!
Sometimes you just want something special and this Mango Margarita Float is it! It’s special enough for get togethers, the perfect boat drink or poolside cocktail.
Kick off Cinco de Mayo or summer with a bright and beautiful margarita bar with everything guests need to create their own concoction.
In just a few minutes, you’ll have everything set up and can celebrate with a cocktail of your own.
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