Margaritas Recipe

Chill and rim

If desired, place glasses in the freezer for 10–15 minutes to chill. Pour salt onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip the rim into the salt to coat. Set glasses aside.

Juice fruit

Roll the limes and lemon on the counter to soften, then juice until you have 1 cup fresh lime juice and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup to remove pulp and seeds if you prefer a smooth cocktail.

Combine mix ingredients

In a large measuring pitcher or bowl, combine the strained lime juice, lemon juice, triple sec, simple syrup, and cold water. Stir until the simple syrup is fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness—add up to 2 tablespoons more simple syrup if you prefer a sweeter margarita.

Shake single servings

For each cocktail (about 6 oz finished): fill a cocktail shaker with 1 cup ice. Add 1/4 cup (about 2 oz) blanco tequila and 1/4 cup (about 2 oz) of the prepared margarita mix. Shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the shaker is well chilled. Strain into a prepared glass over fresh ice (about 3/4 cup cubes). Garnish with a lime wedge.

Batch-serving (pitcher)

To serve a group, combine the margarita mix and tequila in a pitcher: pour the 1.5 cups blanco tequila into the pitcher with the margarita mix prepared earlier. Add 2–3 cups of ice to the pitcher and gently stir to chill and dilute slightly. Pour into salt-rimmed glasses filled with fresh ice and garnish each with a lime wedge.

If using a blender for frozen margaritas, replace the cold water with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of crushed ice per batch and blend with the tequila and mix until smooth. For a stronger tequila flavor, increase tequila by up to 25% and reduce simple syrup slightly. Always taste and adjust balance of sour (lime), sweet (syrup), and orange liqueur to your preference.