Austin Eats

  • Recipe Index
  • Guides
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Guides
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Guides
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Cool Drinks

How to Make the Best Margarita

Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The best way to cool off in the hot summer sun is with an ice-cold margarita. The classic margarita is both delicious and refreshing.

Margarita with a salted rim and slices of orange and lime.

Personally, I prefer a margarita on the rocks. Frozen margaritas are also good, I just prefer to avoid the inevitable brain freeze that comes with them. If you prefer a frozen margarita, just follow the recipe below and put everything in a blender with some ice.

Jump to:
  • What's in a Margarita?
  • What Type of Tequila Makes the Best Margarita?
  • Equipment
  • Substitutions
  • How to Make Simple Syrup
  • Top Tip
  • Variations
  • Pairing
  • 📖 Recipe

What's in a Margarita?

The classic margarita is made with just a few simple ingredients. They are:

  • Tequila - Good tequila makes a good margarita. Expensive tequila will not make a margarita any better.
  • Orange Liqueur - Triple Sec or Cointreau work well.
  • Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice - This is the most important ingredient because nothing will ruin a margarita faster than bottled lime juice.
  • Simple Syrup - A little simple syrup goes a long way to rounding out the flavors, and it's simple to make.
  • Ice - Small cubes or crushed.
  • Margarita Salt - Margarita salt is a bit coarse resulting in the perfect amount of salt on the rim of the glass.

See recipe card for quantities.

What Type of Tequila Makes the Best Margarita?

There are three basic types of tequila available: silver; reposado and anejo. The difference is how long they are aged, which affects the color and the price. Silver tequila is clear, generally not aged and is typically the least expensive of the three. Reposado is usually golden in color, is aged a few months and is more expensive. Anejo is more amber in color, is aged about a year and is the most expensive.

My preference is to use good silver tequila or, now and then, a good reposado tequila. Anejo is just too expensive to use for a margarita and it changes the color of the drink making it darker and somewhat unappealing. Save anejo for sipping.

Equipment

A few pieces of "bar" equipment make the process of making margaritas a bit easier.

  • Jigger - A double sided bar jigger with markings inside for .5 ounce, .75 ounce and 1.0 ounce.
  • Juicer - Limes are hard to squeeze. A good hand-held juicer is helpful.
  • Shaker Set - This is a set of two cups, generally made of stainless steel, one slightly smaller than the other. Simply place all of the ingredients and ice in the larger cup, gently fit the mouth of the smaller cup into the mouth of the larger cup and shake.
  • Strainer - A bar strainer fits inside the large shaker set cup and holds back the ice when pouring the margarita.

A jigger with internal markings.

Large end of a jigger with internal measurements.

The line half way up the middle of the large end is 1 ounce. The top is 2 ounces.

The small end has internal markings at .5 and .75 ounce.

A hand juicer sized for squeezing limes.

The juicer opens to accept limes that have been cut in half.

Stainless steel strainer.

A stainless steel bar strainer.

Stainless steel bar set.

A stainless steel shaker set.

The small cup fits inside the larger cup for shaking.

The small cup fits inside the large cup allowing the margarita to be shaken.

Substitutions

Prefer a skinny margarita without the simple syrup? Try making a skinny margarita. Just replace the simple syrup with light agave syrup.

How to Make Simple Syrup

If you can boil water, you can make simple syrup. Heat one cup of water in a saucepan until it boils. Add one cup of granulated sugar to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Let it cool completely before using in a margarita. Store the simple syrup in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Top Tip

A margarita on the rocks is best shaken, not stirred. Invest in a quality bar shaker set. Also, use only fresh squeezed lime juice. It makes a big difference.

Variations

Try these other refreshing margaritas:

  • Skinny Margarita
  • Watermelon Margarita
  • Peach Margarita
  • Prickly Pear Margarita

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with a great margarita:

  • Carnitas nachos.
    Irresistible Carnitas Nachos - A Tex-Mex Delight
  • Brisket tacos from leftover brisket.
    Crispy Tacos Made With Leftover Beef Brisket
  • Brisket Stuffed Chile Relleno
    Tex-Mex Comfort Food: Brisket-Stuffed Chile Rellenos
  • Queso Fundido
    Ultimate Queso Fundido with Chorizo: The Perfect Party Appetizer

📖 Recipe

Margarita with a salted rim and slices of orange and lime.

Classic Margarita on the Rocks Recipe

5 from 1 vote
There is something incredibly refreshing about a classic margarita on the rocks.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Servings: 1 serving
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Calories: 229
Ingredients Method Nutrition

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 ounces tequila silver tequila works best
  • 1 ounce triple sec
  • .75 ounce lime juice freshly squeezed
  • .5 ounce simple syrup recipe below
Simple Syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Method
 

  1. Dip the rim of a margarita glass in lime juice then margarita salt. Hold the glass upside down for 15 seconds for the salt to set. Fill the glass with ice.
  2. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Strain into the ice-filled glass.
Simple Syrup
  1. Mix water and sugar together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow it to cool completely. Place in a squeeze bottle or mason jar and refrigerate. Keeps 7 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 11IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

More Cool Drinks

  • Watermelon margarita.
    How to Make the Best Watermelon Margarita
  • Peach margarita
    How to Make the Best Peach Margarita
  • Prickly pear margarita.
    How to Make the Best Prickly Pear Margarita
  • Margarita
    How to Make the Best Skinny Margarita
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Dave
Dave

I'm Dave, just a guy who likes to cook for family and friends and take pictures of what I make. I am not a chef. While some of my recipes might look complicated and intimidating, I assure you that they are all really quite easy. If you can cut an onion, you can make any recipe on this website. Have some fun and make something new.

I have a new cookbook coming out. Get notified when it is available.

Notify Me

Footer

back to top

Policies & Terms

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer

New Cookbook

A new cookbook is coming soon!

Get on the list.

Contact Me

  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 Austin Eats

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.