Happy National Margarita Day! Every 22nd of February marks the celebration of the delightful Mexican cocktail known as the Margarita. This delicious concoction originated in 1938 and features a blend of tequila, lime, and triple sec. While various tales circulate regarding its invention, one of the most popular stories involves Carlos “Danny” Herrera. It is said that he crafted this drink for a regular customer named Marjorie King, who was allergic to all spirits except tequila. The first published recipe for the Margarita appeared in December of the same year in Esquire magazine. Through the years, this timeless cocktail has evolved, resulting in a number of tempting variations to enjoy. We’ve curated a selection of diverse cocktails for you to explore, whether you prefer it neat, on the rocks, or frozen.
Firstly, you can’t go wrong with a classic margarita recipe:
Ingredients
60 ml tequila
30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15 ml triple sec or Cointreau
Ice
Salt
Lime wedge
Instructions
- Firstly, rim the edge of a margarita glass with salt. To do this, rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a plate of salt.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, and triple sec.
- Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds to chill the ingredients well.
- Strain the margarita mixture into the prepared glass filled with ice.
- Optionally, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.
- Serve and enjoy responsibly!
For a slightly sweeter or tarter margarita, you can adjust the proportions of triple sec and lime juice to suit your preferences!
Next up, we have a recipe for those that enjoy their margaritas on the rocks. This blackberry margarita is the perfect drink to start feeling the Spring vibes.
Ingredients
60 ml tequila
30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15 ml triple sec or Cointreau
60 ml blackberry purée or blackberry syrup
Ice
Fresh blackberries (for garnish)
Lime wedge (for garnish)
Salt or sugar (for rimming the glass)
Instructions
- As above, rim the edge of a margarita glass with salt or sugar. To do this, rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a plate of salt or sugar.
- Fill a margarita glass with ice.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, triple sec, and blackberry purée or syrup.
- Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients well.
- Strain the margarita mixture into the prepared glass filled with ice.
- Optionally, garnish with fresh blackberries and a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.
- Serve and enjoy your refreshing Blackberry Margarita!
Or if your palate prefers citrus flavours, how about this delicious Blood Orange Margarita:
Ingredients
60 ml tequila
30 ml freshly squeezed blood orange juice
15 ml triple sec or Cointreau
15 ml lime juice
Ice
Blood orange slices (for garnish)
Salt or sugar (for rimming the glass)
Instructions
- Rim the edge of a margarita glass with salt or sugar. This time you can use a slice of blood orange to do this to enhance the flavour.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, freshly squeezed blood orange juice, lime juice, and triple sec.
- Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients well.
- Strain the margarita mixture into the prepared glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with a blood orange slice on the rim of the glass.
- Serve and enjoy your refreshing Blood Orange Margarita!
To get into the spirit of spring and summer slowly approaching, why not try this tropical frozen blue margarita?
Ingredients
60 ml tequila
30 ml blue curaçao liqueur
30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15 ml triple sec or Cointreau
1 cup ice cubes
60 ml pineapple juice
Lime wedge (for garnish)
Salt (for rimming the glass)
Instructions
- Rim the edge of a margarita glass with coarse salt, if desired. To do this, rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a plate of coarse salt.
- In a blender, combine the tequila, blue curaçao liqueur, freshly squeezed lime juice, triple sec, pineapple juice, and ice cubes.
- Blend the mixture until smooth and slushy.
- Pour the frozen margarita into the prepared glass.
- Optionally, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.
- Serve and enjoy your fruity Frozen Blue Margarita!
Lastly, we have one more tropical drink to get you really into the spirit of Margarita Day!
Ingredients
60 ml tequila
30 ml coconut rum
30 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
60 ml pineapple juice
15 ml triple sec or Cointreau
Ice
Pineapple slices (for garnish)
Orange slices (for garnish)
Shredded coconut (for garnish)
Salt or sugar (for rimming the glass)
Instructions
- Rim the edge of a margarita glass with salt or sugar. To do this, rub a slice of orange around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a plate of salt or sugar.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, coconut rum, freshly squeezed orange juice, pineapple juice, and triple sec.
- Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients well.
- Strain the margarita mixture into the prepared glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with pineapple slices, orange slices, and shredded coconut.
- Serve and enjoy your refreshing Pineapple, Coconut, and Orange Margarita!
Whether you’re a fan of the classic Margarita or love exploring new twists like the Blackberry, Blood Orange, or Frozen Blue Margarita, there’s a Margarita for every palate and occasion.
So, here’s to the Margarita – a timeless favourite that brings joy and celebration to gatherings everywhere. Cheers to many more years of Margarita magic!