Our Best Margarita Recipes (2024)

  • Drinks
  • Cocktails
  • Tequila Cocktails
  • Margaritas

Spicy, sweet, fruity, or frozen — there's a margarita for every mood.

By

Oset Babür-Winter

Our Best Margarita Recipes (1)

Oset Babür-Winter

Title: Senior Drinks Editor, Food & Wine

Location: New York City

Experience: Oset Babür-Winter has completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust's (WSET) Level 3 Award in wines and was previously the magazine's associate culture editor, where she edited Obsessions.

Updated on June 26, 2023

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Our Best Margarita Recipes (2)

Is there any cocktail more flexible than the margarita? Perfect for incorporating seasonal produce, from juicy Meyer lemons to blueberries, or for placating your friend that really prefers spicy drinks to sweet ones, the margarita is one of our favorite drinks to make year-round. Whether you're looking to make the most of that bottle of blanco tequila, aspire to select the best tequila for a margarita, or want to get a bit more creative with smoky flavors by incorporating mezcal, we've got you covered. Read on for our 15 favorite margarita recipes that range from colorful and over-the-top (looking at you, Green Beast), to classic and dependable. Oh, and don't forget to get creative with your rims!

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Classic Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (3)

Never forget the basics: There's a right and a wrong way to make this classic cocktail.

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Mumbai Margarita

Rose petals and rosewater make this fragrant margarita both eye-catching and delicious.

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Green Beast

Our Best Margarita Recipes (5)

Lorenzo Antinori, founder of F&B consulting company Lorenzo Antinori Studio, uses a product from Mexico to create a geographical tie to tequila for his spin on the classic margarita. Avocado adds creaminess and serves as a thickening agent, mezcal can bring smokiness, and cracked pepper on top contributes texture.

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Margherita

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At Italian-American, Michelin-starred restaurant Don Angie in New York, Quality Branded creative director Bryan Schneider combines Finocchietto fennel liqueur with a reposado tequila and Calabrian chili-infused honey syrup for this Italian-inspired margarita.

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Meyer Lemon Mezcal Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (7)

Mezcal gives this margarita a smoky flavor, while Makrut lime leaves, ginger, and Meyer lemons add floral, tart notes to each sip.

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Mezcal Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (8)

Smoky mezcal brings depth to a classic margarita recipe. A combination of slightly sweeter Combier and mildly bitter Cointreau balances the floral orange notes in the drink. Double the Cointreau if Combier is unavailable.

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Spicy Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (9)

When it comes to making a perfect spicy margarita, just add a jalepeño pepper to the mix, which serves double-duty as an ingredient and garnish.

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Sour Cherry Mezcal Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (10)

This fruity spin on a margarita combines smoky mezcal, citrusy Cointreau, and sweet-tart cherry puree in a vibrant red drink perfect for late-summer sipping. Bright, pleasantly tart sour cherries are in season for a limited window, so this simple roasted puree is an easy way to preserve their flavor.

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Pomegranate Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (11)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson loves a good margarita, especially when it's made with his Teremana tequila. This sweet-and-sour version has a tart kick from the pomegranate juice and a vibrant red color.

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Frozen Cucumber Margaritas with Chili-Sumac Salt

Our Best Margarita Recipes (12)

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons says her recipe for Frozen Cucumber Margaritas with Chili-Sumac Salt is an an ode to the Mexican street snack fruta con chile y limón. The tequila, cucumber, and coconut water creation is blended with cilantro and lime and garnished with a chili powder, sumac, and salt rim.

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Blueberry Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (13)

This quick and easy margarita recipe is made with muddled blueberries and bitters.

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Spicy Margarita Punch

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Muddled cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, and mint make this one extra flavorful.

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Salt Air Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (15)

Chef José Andrés uses Sucro, a powdered emulsifier beloved by avant-garde chefs, to make the salty foam topping for this innovative margarita recipe.

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Gingerbread Margarita

Our Best Margarita Recipes (16)

This winter margarita has a warm, cozy, cake-spice panache that wouldn't be out of place at a holiday party. The spiced syrup is key: It intensifies the orange flavors of the cocktail while adding a seasonal spice hit that brings much-needed warmth during the winter months.

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Grape-Margarita Paletas

Our Best Margarita Recipes (17)

Oven-roasted grapes develop a concentrated, caramelized flavor; paired with tequila, they give these deeply purple ice pops a grown-up twist. Use seedless grapes to prevent the juice from turning bitter when pureed. Blanco tequila works best in these boozy ice pops since its clean, unaged flavor lets the fruity agave shine through, a perfect match for sweet roasted red grapes.

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Our Best Margarita Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in margaritas? ›

We'll just tell you upfront: The secret to a tasty margarita is freshly squeezed lime juice (not the bottled stuff) and—here's the real secret—a splash of fresh OJ. That's right. Fresh-squeezed juice from an actual orange (not an orange-flavored liqueur) will produce a cleaner-tasting, more refreshing margarita.

What is the best formula for margaritas? ›

For A Single Margarita:

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.

Why do restaurant margaritas taste so good? ›

Just as important as the style of tequila is the use of a high-quality orange liqueur. Part of the Daisy category of cocktails, the Margarita calls for triple sec such as Cointreau for sweetness and balance. Though some may opt for agave nectar instead, the addition of the liqueur is what makes a true Margarita.

What margarita mix do most restaurants use? ›

In addition to powdered mixes, which are more affordable, restaurants also use liquid mixes they can purchase from their alcohol supplier -similar to the concentrate above. The two most popular mixes that restaurants use for margaritas are Zing Zang Margarita Mix and Jose Cuervo Classic Lime Original Margarita Mix.

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