Margaritas Recipe

Measure and Combine

In a cocktail shaker, add 6 oz tequila, 3 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz orange liqueur, and 0.75 oz simple syrup (or agave nectar).

Add Ice

Fill the shaker with ice (about 1 to 1.5 cups) until nearly full.

Shake

Secure the shaker lid and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels cold and diluted.

Strain

Strain the cocktail into prepared glasses (see Glass Prep). For a straight-up margarita, double-strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. For on-the-rocks, strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

Prepare Glass Rim

Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each serving glass. Dip the rim into coarse salt to coat evenly. Tap off excess salt.

Serve

If serving on the rocks, fill the salted glass with fresh ice (about 1/2 to 1 cup) before straining. If serving neat, do not add ice to the glass.

Garnish

Garnish each glass with the remaining lime wedge on the rim.

Strawberry or Mango Margarita (per cocktail)

If using fruit purée, add 1 oz fresh strawberry or mango purée to the shaker along with the base ingredients before adding ice. Proceed to shake, then double-strain into the glass to remove seeds/pulp if desired. Adjust simple syrup down to 0.5 oz if fruit is very sweet.

Spicy Jalapeño Margarita (per cocktail)

Muddle 2 jalapeño slices in the shaker (or add them and gently shake) with the lime juice before adding the other ingredients to infuse heat. Use caution: discard seeds for milder heat or leave them for more spice. Continue with ice, shake, and strain.

Batching for Happy Hour (about 4 cocktails)

To batch ~4 cocktails, combine 24 oz tequila, 12 oz fresh lime juice, 8 oz orange liqueur, and 3 oz simple syrup in a pitcher. Stir with ice in a mixing container to chill and dilute slightly, then strain into salted glasses over fresh ice. Add fruit purée to the pitcher if making flavored batches (about 4 oz purée).