Margarita Recipes

All you need are 3 ingredients to make my favorite margarita recipe! Instructions included for how to make a single serving margarita or pitcher margaritas for a crowd.

This famously sweet, sour and salty drink will forever and always be my all-time favorite cocktail. But while I adore just about any kind of margarita — frozen or on the rocks, tequila or mezcal, fruity or spicy or fizzy or creamy, you name it — a classic margarita cocktail in my book simply cannot be beat.

By contrast to many of the diluted, super-sweet, and sometimes fizzy huge mugs of margaritas that are often served in restaurants around the world nowadays, a traditional margarita is actually a strong, tart cocktail made with three simple ingredients — good-quality tequila, orange liqueur, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. This simple margarita mix is incredibly quick and easy to make, either for a single serving or a larger batch for a crowd. And it is downright delicious served on the rocks, with or without a salted rim.

I have become quite partial over the years to making margaritas with mezcal instead of tequila, which I highly recommend if you love a good smoky cocktail. And if you feel like spicing your drink up a bit, I’ve also included tips below for how to make a spicy salted rim or muddle a few chile peppers into your drink — so good!

Bottom line, if you love margaritas as much as I do, take a moment to read through my tips below and memorize this simple recipe. Then let’s make a round of margaritas together. Cheers!

Margaritas

My favorite margarita recipe is made with just 3 easy ingredients! See instructions below for how to make a single serving or a big pitcher for a party.

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Yield: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces silver tequila
• 1 ounce orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
• 3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
• optional sweetener: agave nectar or simple syrup, to taste
• ice
• lime wedge and coarse salt for rimming the glass
• 3 cups silver tequila
• 2 cups orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
• 1 1/2 cups freshly-squeezed lime juice
• optional sweetener: agave nectar or simple syrup, to taste
• ice
• lime wedges and coarse salt for rimming the glasses

Instruction:

1. Run a lime wedge (the juicy part) around the top rim of your serving glass. Fill a shallow bowl or plate with salt, then dip the rim until it is covered with your desired amount of salt. Set aside.
2. Add tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and a few ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Give the mix a taste and stir in a teaspoon or two of sweetener if desired.
3. Fill the prepared serving glass with ice. Strain in the margarita mix, garnish with a lime slice, serve and enjoy. Cheers!

The Original Margarita Recipe

Here’s how to make the best homemade margarita recipe! Learn the ingredients and ratio to make the classic and popular riffs on this drink.

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Yield: 1

Nutrition Facts: servingSize None, calories 166 calories, Sugar 0.4 g, Sodium 1.1 mg, Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 1.9 g, Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 0.1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) tequila blanco or reposado
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Cointreau
• 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim
• For the garnish: Lime wedge

Instruction:

1. Cut a notch in a lime wedge, then run the lime around the rim of a glass. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of flaky sea salt (or for a festive look, use our Margarita Salt).
2. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with 4 ice cubes and shake until cold.
3. Strain the margarita into the glass with the salted rim. Fill the glass with ice and serve.

Classic Margarita Recipe

This classic margarita recipe is as simple as it gets. When you just want to make a quick and easy margarita for yourself, this is the go-to recipe.

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 254 kcal, Carbohydrate 18 g, Sodium 4 mg, Sugar 16 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Triple Sec
• 1 ounce lime juice (fresh squeezed)
• 2 ounces Tequila
• 1/3 ounce Agave syrup
• 1 cup ice

Instruction:

1. Fill up a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.
2. Add the rest of the margarita ingredients and shake 10-15 seconds.
3. Pour the margarita into a glass and garnish with lime wedge (salt the rim beforehand if you want).

The BEST Margarita Two Ways!