Classic Tequila Margarita
When we hear ‘tequila,’ our minds jump straight to the flavor-packed and classic margarita cocktail. Many struggle with how much tequila to pour in their margarita so that all flavors are balanced, and we’re here to help. Did you know margarita means “daisy” in Spanish? Enough trivia — let’s get to the perfect margarita recipe.
5 minutes
1 cocktail
Beginner
Ingredients
- 2 ounces tequila
- ½ ounce triple sec*
- 1 ounce lime juice (about 1 whole lime)
- Kosher salt for rim (optional)
- Lime wedge (optional)
Instructions
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, triple sec, then squeeze in lime juice (keep the lime!). Shake for 10 seconds. If you’d like a salted rim, grab the juiced lime and run it along the rim of the glass. With the glass tilted at an angle, dip and spin the rim into a saucer of kosher salt. Pour all of the shaker contents into the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Ready for another? Try a Unicorn Margarita →
The origin of the margarita
While many claim to have shaken the first margarita, one of the more popular origin stories that seems to check out stars Carlos “Danny” Herrera. He owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico (Rancho La Gloria), and is credited with inventing the margarita in 1938. We wish we could take a time machine and taste that maiden marg.
*When deciding on which tequila for margaritas, consider how tequila tastes different with age. We use blanco and mixto tequila for margs and save our añejo tequila for sipping. We also recommend Cointreau triple sec. If you don’t have triple sec, substitute with simple syrup for a super-easy margarita recipe. Simple syrup is easy to make — just heat up one part sugar with one part water on a low stovetop until the sugar has dissolved.