3 of the Best Margarita Recipes for National Margarita Day: Classic, Spicy & Skinny
(photo by Outsider)
We don’t need an excuse to start sipping tequila, but National Margarita Day on Feb. 22 is a great one. So get out the tequila, limes, and salt. It’s time to make some margarita magic with three versions of our favorite tequila cocktail: Classic, Spicy, and Skinny.
The International Bartenders Association calls for the margarita to contain a mix of 50% tequila, 29% orange liqueur, and 21% fresh lime juice. So if you like to play by the rules—and you have a graduated cylinder (remember science class?)—use 1.7 oz tequila, .7 oz. orange liqueur, and .5 oz. fresh lime juice. Otherwise, a simplification of the ratio to 2:1:1 (as in our recipes) should suffice.
For our margarita recipes, we’re using three of our favorite Blanco tequilas—Siete Leguas, G4, and Los Dos. Of course, you can use any tequila you please, but our list of Outsider-Approved Blancos is legit. Finally, we love fresh-squeezed lime juice in our margaritas, but if you don’t have time to squeeze, check out one of our favorite pre-made mixers, Tepetán.
1. Classic Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila
- 1 oz. Cointreau (orange liqueur)
- 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
- salt
- ice for mixing
- rocks glass with 1 large ice cube
- cocktail shaker
Directions
Rub the rim on your rocks glass with a cut lime. Roll the rim of the rocks glass in salt. Drop a large ice cube into the rocks glass. Juice your lime. Pour 2 oz. of Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila into your cocktail shaker. Add 1 oz. Cointreau orange liqueur. Add 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice. Add a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker, top, and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into rocks glass over ice cube. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy.
Lucas Assis has a similar recipe (though he goes with a high-proof tequila, which is always a good choice in mixed drinks). Check it out:
2. Spicy Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz. G4 Blanco Tequila
- 1 oz. Paula’s Orange Liqueur
- 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 fresh jalapeño
- salt
- ice for mixing
- rocks glass with 1 large ice cube
- cocktail shaker & muddler
Directions
Cut the lime in half and rub along the rim of a rocks glass. Roll the rim of the rocks glass in salt. Drop a large ice cube into the rocks glass. Juice the lime. Cut off the top of the jalapeño. Remove the white pith and some of the seeds. Slice the jalapeño and add 3-4 slices into the cocktail shaker. Muddle the jalapeño slices. Pour 2 oz. of G4 Blanco Tequila into the cocktail shaker. Add 1 oz. Paula’s Orange Liqueur. Pour 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice. Add a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker, top, and shake for 20 seconds. Add a couple of jalapeño slices into the rocks glass. Strain the shaker into the rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and jalapeño slice.
3. Skinny Margarita
ingredients
- 2 oz. Los Dos Blanco Tequila
- 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice (1/2 orange)
- salt
- ice for mixing
- margarita glass
- cocktail shaker
Directions
Cut the lime and orange in half, and rub along the rim of a margarita glass. Roll the rim of the glass in salt. Juice the lime. Juice half the orange. Pour 2 oz. of Los Dos Blanco Tequila into the cocktail shaker. Pour 2 oz. of lime juice and orange juice into the cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker, top, and shake for 20 seconds. Strain the shaker into the margarita glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and orange wheel.