The Best Margarita Of Your Life. Cross Our (Tequila-Loving) Hearts.
You know we love Mexican food, so it’s maybe not a huge surprise to find that we’re big time margarita lovers, too. We’ve been chasing after the absolute perfect margarita recipe for a while now, and look—there’s just no laidback way to say this—we’ve truly nailed it. Tirelessly tested, night after tequila-soaked night, we can 1,000% promise that this margarita recipe will not let you down. It’s the perfect balance of the classic three margarita ingredients—tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur—plus a little something extra (we’ll tell you what in a minute) to make this beloved, boozy, tangy cocktail as delicious as it can possibly be.
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The Best Margarita Calls for The Best Margarita Ingredients
Alright. You’re thirsty now, right?! You’re convinced that it’s time to gather the ingredients and get shaking. So, what's in a margarita? First, maybe we should clarify—our margarita of choice is a margarita on the rocks—no slushies here! So, you’ll just need a little ice, and:
- Blanco tequila—more on this in a minute.
- Limes. One lime has roughly one ounce of juice, so for our recipe—which calls for 1.5 oz. of lime juice—you’ll need two limes to make one margarita.
- A high-quality triple sec liqueur.
- Angostura bitters! Our secret ingredient! We love margaritas, but we absolutely cannot stand it when they’re too sweet. We want that tangy, booze, refreshing punch—and a tiny dash of bitters adds a just-right herby kiss that really elevates the cocktail.
And The Best Tequila for Margaritas Is...
...Whatever your favorite tequila is! Just be sure to make it blanco. You want that lean, mean, delicate finish to pair with the lime juice—a margarita is a spritely cocktail! Zippy, perky, bright. Save the aged tequilas for another day. When we mix up our margarita, we usually reach for:
- Espolòn Tequila Blanco. Just a really affordable, high-quality blanco tequila.
- Hornitos Plata. This is Hornitos blanco tequila, and it makes a killer marg.
- Trader Joe’s Tequila Blanco! A pretty darn good Casamigos dupe and we’re on board!
Is Cointreau the Same As Triple Sec?
Yep, kind of! Buckle up, because we’re about to rock your world. Triple sec simply means a relatively dry orange liqueur and Cointreau IS triple sec. Cointreau is just a brand of triple sec. Mind blowing, we know. We usually use Cointreau to make margaritas because it’s easily available and we love that it’s not very sweet and that it has a really lovely, orange-y perfume. Combier is another high-quality brand of triple sec that would be delicious in this margarita recipe. Just don’t reach for the stuff on the bottom shelf—your head (and whole body, for that matter) with thank you.
How To Make Margaritas from Scratch
Have some chips and guacamole at the ready and let’s get mixing. Here’s how to make a margarita:
- Make a decision—are you a salted rim person? Or a no-salt person? If you’re a salted rim person, pour some kosher salt on a plate. Rub the rim of the glass with a lime slice to wet it, and then dip the rim in the salt.
- Juice your lime.
- Fill your glass with ice.
- Measure the blanco tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau into an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake! Cover the shaker and shake it vigorously for 20 seconds.
- Strain that beautiful cocktail into your ice-filled rocks glass and sip away!
Our Favorite Tools For Making Cocktail at Home
More Summer Cocktail Recipes We Love
What more do you need than a summer breeze, a porch swing and no plans? A refreshing cocktail—that’s what. Here are three cocktail recipes we love to make in the summer:
PSA: National Margarita Day is February 22.
But we celebrate year round! Once a year is definitely not going to cut it. Whenever you whip up this cocktail—February 22nd or whenever—we’d love to hear about it! Snap a photo of your margarita and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can toast you from afar. Happy eating!
