Backyard parties, Taco Tuesdays, Friday night drinks—few cocktails fit a celebratory occasion as well as the margarita. You don’t need a store-bought mix to make a good margarita at home, but if you’re having a big gathering and preparing your own is too time consuming, or you like the convenience or sweeter taste of a premade mix, it’s a quick and easy option.
We tested 12 margarita mixes to find our favorites, focusing on options with widespread availability throughout the country. A store-bought mix will never taste as natural or fresh as a margarita you can make from scratch, and many of the mixes we tried exuded artificial flavors ranging from lime candy to lemon Pledge. But a few tasted natural enough to pass as real margaritas, and our top recommendations also provide the best value of price to serving. (...)
[ed. Recommendations follow]
How to make a margarita from scratch
A good tequila, a bottle of triple sec, and a couple of ripe limes are all you need to make a classic margarita that tastes more natural than any store-bought mix ever will. Some people may prefer the sweeter taste and thicker texture of a premade margarita mix, but all of them lack the zest of a fresh-squeezed lime. If you’re making a margarita for your own enjoyment, the process is simple enough for home bartenders of all experience levels. If you have the time to batch margaritas before a big party, you and your guests will likely be happier with the results.
There are two prevalent margaritas recipes: the classic margarita and the Tommy’s margarita. Both are prepared the same way (shaken with ice, strained, and served on the rocks with or without a salt rim), but the classic version uses triple sec while the Tommy’s recipe calls for agave nectar instead. It’s completely up to you which recipe you use; some people think the Tommy’s has a cleaner taste that spotlights the tequila, and others like how the triple sec rounds out the cocktail. You can use any triple sec or curaçao you like in a margarita, but we recommend Cointreau because it has an aromatic orange-peel flavor and a dry finish, and it’s a higher quality than some cheaper triple secs you can find. Additionally, it’s most common to see blanco tequila used in a margarita, but you can use any reposado or añejo you’re partial to.
For a classic margarita, we like the version from renowned cocktail bar Death & Co, which uses both triple sec and agave nectar. If you don’t have agave on hand, it’s okay to omit it for a slightly tarter margarita (which is the recipe that we used in our testing):
How to make a margarita from scratch
A good tequila, a bottle of triple sec, and a couple of ripe limes are all you need to make a classic margarita that tastes more natural than any store-bought mix ever will. Some people may prefer the sweeter taste and thicker texture of a premade margarita mix, but all of them lack the zest of a fresh-squeezed lime. If you’re making a margarita for your own enjoyment, the process is simple enough for home bartenders of all experience levels. If you have the time to batch margaritas before a big party, you and your guests will likely be happier with the results.
There are two prevalent margaritas recipes: the classic margarita and the Tommy’s margarita. Both are prepared the same way (shaken with ice, strained, and served on the rocks with or without a salt rim), but the classic version uses triple sec while the Tommy’s recipe calls for agave nectar instead. It’s completely up to you which recipe you use; some people think the Tommy’s has a cleaner taste that spotlights the tequila, and others like how the triple sec rounds out the cocktail. You can use any triple sec or curaçao you like in a margarita, but we recommend Cointreau because it has an aromatic orange-peel flavor and a dry finish, and it’s a higher quality than some cheaper triple secs you can find. Additionally, it’s most common to see blanco tequila used in a margarita, but you can use any reposado or añejo you’re partial to.
For a classic margarita, we like the version from renowned cocktail bar Death & Co, which uses both triple sec and agave nectar. If you don’t have agave on hand, it’s okay to omit it for a slightly tarter margarita (which is the recipe that we used in our testing):
- 2 ounces tequila
- ¾ ounce triple sec, preferably Cointreau
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- ¼ ounce agave nectar
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- ½ ounce agave nectar
by Haley Perry, Wirecutter | Read more:
Images: Connie Park
