Words by Ana Patterson
Today, you are not just learning about cocktails – you are learning about life. You’ll be introduced to a mixture so influential and so great; it can be described as when life truly began.
“But what was it?” we hear you cry
“The collision of matter and anti-matter to create everything in existence?” Nope.
“The formation of H2O?” Not that.
“The primordial soup containing the earliest forms of life?” Wrong, wrong, and wrong again.
The most influential mixture in history was obviously when tequila, lime and Cointreau came together to form the cocktail to reign all cocktails: the magnificent margarita. So come in close, grab a shaker and a healthy amount of ice and let’s explore some brilliant margarita variations, from the classic to the experimental!
Classic Margarita
You know what they say, you can’t go wrong with a classic – especially when it comes to cocktails. The classic margarita is a perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and punchy - a summer favourite but perfect for any time of the year. Often, margaritas are served with a salted rim, though this can take away from the lip smacking flavours of the tequila, so try it without! Here’s a classic recipe, which you should 100% commit to memory:
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
25ml fresh lime juice
25ml Cointreau
lime wedge for garnish
Method
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake for about 30 seconds until chilled. Strain everything into a margarita glass. Add plenty of ice and garnish with a wedge of lime.
Spicy Margarita
This is the cocktail. However hard you try, once you’ve had a Picante, no margarita will ever taste the same again. Spicy, sweet with a WHOOSH of reposado tequila – this delight is a Tommy’s margarita with the addition of chili. Knocking up a few of these will guarantee a great night in.
Ingredients
50ml reposado tequila
25ml fresh lime juice
20ml agave nectar
2 slices of chili to muddle
slices of chili to garnish
Method
Add the chili slices to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add the rest of the ingredients along with some ice and shake for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over large ice cubes and garnish with the chili slices.
Hibiscus Margarita
If you love a pretty cocktail, you’ll love the hibiscus margarita. The vibrant magenta of the hibiscus syrup is a brilliant contrast with the lime wheel, and it tastes great too! Though it might seem a little exotic, you can get your hands on hibiscus syrup pretty easily – so pick some up and try it!
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
25ml fresh lime juice
25ml Cointreau
25ml hibiscus syrup (we like Monin)
lime wheel for the garnish
Method
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into a margarita glass and garnish with a lime wheel. Enjoy!
Blood Orange Margarita
As we know, the margarita is all about tang – but what about some bitterness? This blood orange margarita is not only beautiful to look at, but the blood orange juice works brilliantly against the tequila and makes for a tongue-tingling drink. This cocktail tastes great with a sugared rim to contrast the bitterness of the blood orange, but feel free to omit it if that’s not your style!
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
50ml blood orange juice
25ml fresh lime juice
15ml agave nectar
caster sugar
blood orange wedge
blood orange wheel for garnish
Method
Run a blood orange wedge around half the rim of a rocks glass and dip the rim in caster sugar. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into the glass over ice and garnish with a blood orange wheel.
Tommy’s Margarita
Though fairly similar to a classic margarita, the Tommy’s margarita is a super popular (and super tasty) variation. The most notable difference is the absence of orange liqueur, instead swapping it out for some agave nectar. Some argue that this deduction disavows the Tommy’s margarita of its margarita status – but who cares when it’s this good?!
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
25ml fresh lime juice
12.5ml agave nectar
Method
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and enjoy!
Smoky Margarita
If you’re after something a bit moodier and closer to a dark spirits cocktail, you might want to check out the smoky margarita. Instead of the typical blanco tequila used for a classic margarita, this cocktail uses a mixture of aged ‘añejo’ tequila and super smoky mezcal. It’s dark, it’s moody and its perfect for sipping in the corner of a candlelit room.
Ingredients
25ml añejo tequila
25ml mezcal
30ml Cointreau
25ml lime juice
lime wedge
smoked salt for garnish
lime wheel for garnish
Method
Run a wedge of lime around half of the rim of a rocks glass. Dip the rim in smoked salt. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into the glass over ice and garnish with a lime wheel.
Wondering which tequila to use in your margarita? We’ve got your back! Check out The Best Tequila For A Margarita and just for fun, why not check out these Top Celebrity Owned Tequilas?!
