Happy Cinco de Mayo! I’ve never been much of a margarita person, but I think that’s because I was introduced to them in my twenties by way of the frozen, slushy type. Sure, they certainly did the trick back then, but they were super sweet and often made from a mix. I recently got reintroduced to what a real margarita should taste like through our friend Juan. He is a cocktail aficionado and often shakes up amazing drinks for friends.
I based this cocktail recipe off of one that Juan shared with me. It originally contained simple syrup, which does make it extra delicious, but I think the orange liqueur provides enough sweetness that you don’t need the additional sugar from the syrup. And I am not a fan of a salted rim, but if you’d like to add salt, just use a paper towel soaked in lime juice to coat the edge of the glass, and then dip into kosher salt, or a specialty cocktail salt.
You do need a cocktail shaker for this recipe. I’ve had one sitting in the cabinet for months now, gathering dust. I pulled it out, washed it off and it was actually really fun to shake this drink up. If you have a shaker, but don’t have a built-in strainer, you can use a fine mesh sieve instead. Salud!
Makes one drink
1.5 ounces tequila blanco
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce Cointreau or other orange liqueur
3 ice cubes
- Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake until the outside of the shaker becomes cold–about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Strain the margarita into a glass. If you prefer it on the rocks, add one or two ice cubes to the glass first. Enjoy!