Margarita on the rocks

How to make the perfect summer cocktail: classic margaritas

If you’re after a fun cocktail that has the fresh flavour of citrus and is sour, sweet and salty all at once, then a margarita is the perfect choice. This popular cocktail originated in Mexico, and the classic margarita ingredients include tequila, of course, and a simple sugar syrup. Often, you’ll find a margarita served in a glass that has a rim of salt. It’s a simple drink to make at home, especially if you have a cocktail shaker, and will taste 10 times nicer than a store-bought mix. Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, try a jalapeño margarita or strawberry margarita, too.

Tips for how to make a margarita

Don’t be tempted to substitute the tequila in this margarita cocktail recipe – no other alcoholic beverage will do and it won’t taste the same. If you can, get good-quality silver or reposado tequila. To achieve the margarita’s characteristic flavour, you need to use lime, not lemon, and the lime needs to be fresh because you want the aroma of the lime and not its tangy, sour taste. While you can use store-bought lime juice, it doesn’t tend to have the same fresh fragrance, so fresh is best in this margarita recipe. You need an orange liqueur. To get a traditional flavour, go for Cointreau orange liqueur or Grand Marnier. 

To know when you have combined your ingredients enough, shake until the bottom of the shaker is frosty. You can use a mason jar to shake the ingredients together if you don’t have a cocktail shaker. Finally, it’s important to strain your drink as you pour it into a glass to get rid of any lime pulp. Add a few small ice cubes or a larger ice cube, which will not melt as quickly.

Continue quenching your thirst with our collection of easy drink recipes, all guaranteed refreshers that are simple to make and delicious to drink.

Now the fun part: serving your margaritas

Serve this easy margarita recipe on the rocks, poured over ice; frozen – blended with ice so it becomes slushy; or straight up, which means shaken or stirred with ice to chill it in the shaker, then served without ice. When choosing a glass, you can use a margarita glass, cocktail glass or an old fashioned glass. A simple margarita recipe is great paired with dishes that also use lime juice, like prawn tacos with lime avocado salsa or spicy lime beef skewers with pickled onions.