Margarita Recipes

Tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. That’s it. Most recipes run 2:1:1 or 3:2:1 depending on how dry you like it. Salt rim optional. Everything else you’ve seen poured into a Margarita over the years (strawberry purée, blue curaçao, chili salt, agave syrup) is a variation, not the original. The 2:1:1 classic is the benchmark; deviate from there.

Shaken. Hard. The shake does three jobs: chills the drink, dilutes it with a bit of ice water, and aerates the citrus for a slightly frothy, brighter texture. A stirred Margarita is possible but reads heavier and dull. The only time you don’t shake a Margarita is when you’re making a frozen one, which is a different drink.

Salt is traditional, and it’s traditional because it works. The salt hits first, the sour lime follows, the tequila finishes. Sugar is fine on sweeter variations (strawberry, raspberry), but on a classic Margarita it flattens the balance. If you want some but not all, rim only half the glass so sipping from one side gives you salt and the other doesn’t.

On the rocks keeps the tequila, lime, and triple sec in the foreground. Frozen dilutes them significantly with crushed ice, which is why frozen Margaritas usually add more sugar to compensate. Frozen is a hot-weather cocktail that tastes like a lime slushy with tequila in it. Both are valid. Purists pour on the rocks. Nobody at a pool party cares.

Depends on taste. Tommy’s swaps the triple sec for agave syrup, which makes the drink more tequila-forward and less sweet. Purists swear by it. Anyone raised on classic Margaritas will find a Tommy’s tastes incomplete the first time they try one. Try both. Drink what you like.