Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Our margarita recipe is the only one you’ll ever need, we promise

You'll want to drink this tequila cocktail all day, every day

Christopher Osburn
By
Four glasses of freshly made Margarita cocktail decorated with limes on wooden table with shaker and limes.
Igor Dudchak / Adobe Stock

When it comes to classic, flavorful cocktails, it’s tough to beat the appeal of the Margarita. It’s simple, fresh, and citrus-driven. It’s made with only three ingredients: tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. What’s not to love? The tequila’s roasted agave, vanilla, and spices mixed with the tart acidity of the lime juice and sweetness of the triple sec make for a truly well-balanced, flavorful drink. This turbo-charged, agave-centered drink has been gracing menus all over the U.S. (and the world) since its inception in the early 1900s.

But like many classic cocktails, its history is as murky and hazy as a hand-shaken cocktail. Some believe a bartender named Carlos “Danny” Herrara created the drink in 1938 at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria in Tijuana, Mexico, for a dancer named Marjorie King. Another story says that a bartender named Francisco “Pancho” Morales created the margarita in 1942 at a bar called Tommy’s Place in Juarez, Mexico. These aren’t the only claims. There are others as well. Regardless of when it was first created and by whom, it’s a sweet, sour, agave-centered drink that has stood the test of time and might be more popular today than ever.

Recommended Videos

If you didn’t know it, the Margarita is a “sour” family member. Just like your favorite whiskey sour or pisco sour. For those unaware, a sour cocktail contains a base liquor (in this case, tequila), a citrus juice (lime juice), and a sweetener of some kind (usually triple sec). Some sours also contain egg whites, but that doesn’t apply to the Margarita.

Related

While all the ingredients are important, none carries the weight of its tequila base. Choose the right tequila style for you. Blanco is for brightness, reposado is for a mellow, smooth drink, and añejo is a more full-flavored, nuanced, smooth Margarita.

Let’s not forget the sweetener. While triple sec is common, you can choose from many options, including Cointreau, Combier, Grand Marnier, simple syrup, or even agave syrup. You can even mix them or try a half and half. Have fun with this portion of the recipe.

We can all agree that the Margarita, with its kick of roasted, vegetal agave, fresh citrus, and sweet triple sec is a borderline perfect mixed drink on its own; however, there’s some debate about the garnishes. Many drinkers, bartenders, and mixologists will add a lime wedge or wheel to complete the look. There is one garnish that divides drinkers, though. It’s the salted rim.

Some drinkers shy away from the salty flavor and opt to simply enjoy the main flavors, but salinity fans will tell you that the salt is there for a reason, and it’s not just to make you pucker up mid-drink. The salty flavor pairs well with the tartness and acidity of the lime and the vegetal flavor of the tequila. The salt makes the other flavors bolder, sweeter, and more flavorful. Still, salting the rim is up to the drinker.

Now that we’ve learned a little bit about the Margarita’s history and the flavors involved (and why), it’s time to drink it. Instead of making you scour the internet in search of the best, most flavorful margarita recipe, we did the work for you. Keep scrolling below to learn how to make a Margarita. But not just any Margarita. The best Margarita. Trust us, you’re going to want to make this for your friends and family.

Margarita
Kike Salazar N/Unsplash

The best margarita recipe

Directions:
2 oz. tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. sweetener

Preparation:

Shake all ingredients with ice for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a Margarita or pint glass. Add (or don’t) a salted rim and a lime wheel.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
Beyond the espresso martini: A speakeasy mixologist teaches us all about coffee cocktails
From cinnamon agave syrup to mole bitters, these modern coffee cocktails are one-of-a-kind
Spanish coffee cocktail

The interior of The Boardroom. bread & Butter

From the classic espresso martini to innovative coffee negroni creations, coffee and alcohol are classic combinations with endless possibilities. We spoke to Hernán Trujillo, general manager of The Boardroom, a recently opened speakeasy in Midtown Manhattan, to learn all about these coffee libations. Opened by brothers Eric and Jesse Jacobs of Fashioned Hospitality, The Boardroom is a sophisticated lounge offering a range of classic and innovative cocktails, with some of the best options being coffee-themed.

Read more
This new Wild Turkey bourbon is the brand’s highest-proof release ever (and its most expensive)
You can still get your hands on this limited-edition bourbon
Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey is well-known for its unmatched value-to-price ratio. To name a few, popular expressions like Wild Turkey 101 and Wild Turkey Rare Breed are bargain-priced, high-quality sippers that belong on every whiskey fan’s home bar cart. But just because the brand makes myriad low-priced expressions, bourbon aficionados still often look to the brand for long-aged, limited-edition expressions. Some of which carry a fairly large price tag.

The newest must-try expression from the iconic Kentucky-based distillery is called Wild Turkey Generations. The name is a reference to the fact that it’s the first collaboration between three generations of the Russell family (including the newly named Associated Blender Bruce Russell). The bourbon itself is a limited-edition blend of four hand-picked bourbons that were picked to create a sublime, nuanced flavor profile. Not only that, but the expression is non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof.

Read more
Why you should stock up on this Costco fan-favorite beer
This beer will get you through the holiday season
Close-up of a glass of beer

This time of year, festive, glittering cocktails are prominent at every at-home celebration, office holiday party, and post-Nutcracker soiree. The more ornate, the better, garnished with everything from crushed candy canes to coconut shavings made to look like freshly fallen snow. They slosh prettily in their frosted glassware and look beautiful paired with sparkling cocktail dresses.

And the wine that flows this time of year is equally exquisite, with many hosts opting to spend a few more dollars on better bottles, blaming their extravagance on festivity. For these libations, we are grateful. And it's because of them we have the patience to make it through Aunt Susan's annual ornament exchange. They are our supportive friends at the party, convincing us with loving encouragement that we're better dancers than we are. And they certainly make it a lot easier to endure Angela in human resources, rambling on about her snow globe collection.

Read more