Guide to Margarita Recipes

I admit it, my favorite drink is the margarita. I like the drink so much that when I am stressed at work instead saying it is a bad day I say "it's margarita time." And my co-workers understand what I mean. The margarita has come along way from the traditional lime flavoring, now they can be made in any flavor.

Jimmy Buffet's Perfect Margarita recipe

Crushed ice
3 wedges lime
2 ounces gold tequila (Cuervo 1800)
1/2 ounce tequila (Cuervo white)
1 1/4 ounces Rose's Lime Juice
1/2 ounce triple sec (Bols)
1 splash orange Curaçao (Bols)
Put all ingredients except the 3 lime wedges into a shaker. Squeeze 2 of the lime wedges into the shaker. SHAKE WELL! Rim outside of glass only with lime. Salt only the outside of the glass. Add fresh crushed ice to glass. Strain mixture over ice. Squeeze remaining lime wedge in glass.

Beer Margarita recipe

Pour into the blender (all in equal parts):
6 ounces tequila (preferably white Cuervo)
6 ounces beer (any will do)
6 ounces frozen limeade concentrate
Ice cubes to suit (leave room at the top)
Blend well.

Blackberry Margaritas recipe

1 (16.5 ounce) can blackberries, including syrup
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cups crushed ice
Blend berries and syrup in blender for 10 to 12 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and blend until ice is almost smooth. Pour into 12-ounce glasses.
Makes 2 drinks.

Blueberry Margarita Slush recipe

1/3 cup vodka
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2/3 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon lime juice
12 ice cubes
2/3 cup raspberry sorbet
Combine vodka, Triple Sec, blueberries and lime juice in blender. Add ice and process.

Cranberry Margarita recipe

1 1/2 ounces tequila
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce triple sec
2 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
5 ice cubes
Granulated sugar
Moisten rim of margarita or martini glass with lemon juice. Hold glass inverted and dust exterior portion with granulated sugar.
Place ice cubes in cocktail shaker and top with tequila, lemon juice, triple sec and cranberry juice. Replace lid on shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into prepared glass and serve

Double Apricot Margaritas recipe

1 1/4 cups halved, pitted unpeeled
apricots or 1 (16 ounce) can unpeeled
apricot halves (drained)
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup apricot nectar
Approximately 3 cup ice cubes
Extra lime juice
Coarse salt
In a blender, combine apricot halves, tequila, sugar, 1/4 cup of lime juice and apricot nectar. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes a few at a time until the mixture becomes thick and slushy.
Rub the rims of the glasses with the lime juice. Then dip the edge of the glass into a shallow bowl with the salt in it. Pour the margarita mix into the glasses.

Haagen-Dazs® Frozen Margarita recipe

1 pint Häagen-Dazs® Margarita sorbet
1 cup lime-flavored mineral water
1/2 tablespoon tequila (if desired, to taste)
Soften sorbet, place in blender. Add water and tequila (if desired). Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses.
4 (1/2 cup) servings

Honeydew Margaritas recipe

3 cups diced ripe honeydew melon
4 ounces gold tequila
2 ounces Triple Sec
1/4 cup fresh Mexican lime juice
12 to 14 large ice cubes
6 lime wedges
Prepare salted rims on serving glasses. Blend melon, tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice and ice cubes to a fine purée in a blender. Pour into prepared glasses, then garnish each with a lime wedge

Kiwi Margarita recipe

1/2 cup regular or superfine sugar
1/2 cup gold tequila
1/2 cup silver tequila
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1 cup fresh lemon juice (10 to 12 ripe lemons)
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (6 or 7 ripe limes)
2 kiwi fruit, peeled
Put all ingredients into a blender. On top of this mixture, pour crushed ice until blender is full. Blend. Pour into margarita glasses and garnish with lime wedge. If desired, salt the rim of the glass.
Makes 2 to 4 margaritas

Mango Key Lime Margaritas recipe

2 tequila
1 Cointreau
1/4 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Juice of 1/2 Key or Mexican lime
1 cup crushed ice
2 slices Key or Mexican lime (garnish)
Combine tequila, Cointreau, mango, orange juice, lime juice and ice in a blender and blend until slushy. Serve in large martini glasses. Garnish with lime slices

Pineapple Margaritas recipe

2 1/4 cups Pineapple Tequila
1 (12 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
4 chunks pineapple, from the tequila jar, finely chopped
4 trays ice cubes
Kosher salt, for rims of glasses
3 Mexican limes, quartered
In a blender container, combine half the tequila, half the limeade concentrate and half the pineapple. Fill the jar to the top with ice cubes, cover, and blend on high until slushy and thick. Transfer to a pitcher. Repeat with the remaining tequila, limeade concentrate, pineapple and ice. Stir to blend, pour into glasses that have been salted, if desired. Squeeze a lime quarter into each glass and serve immediately

Vanilla Margaritas recipe

1 part good-quality tequila
1 part Grand Marnier
1 part triple sec
1 (8-10 inch) vanilla bean
Using an empty tequila bottle, put equal parts of the mixture into the bottle. Add the vanilla bean, which you can purchase at health food stores. Let sit for at least 2 months, the longer it sits the better.
Once you open it, mix with margarita mixer and drink it on the rocks (or blended if you prefer).

Watermelon Coconut Margarita recipe

2 cups seeded watermelon chunks
2 ounces coconut flavored rum
1/2 cup shredded coconut
juice from 1 fresh lime
1 cup ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a sugar-rimmed glass.
Serves 1.

The following recipe I served at a margarita party and it was the hit of the party, so if you need a great drink I highly recommend this one.

Yucatan Margarita with Tropical Fruit recipe

Lime wedges
Granulated sugar
3 cups Homemade Sweet-and-Sour Mix for Margaritas
1 cup gold tequila
12 tablespoon papaya nectar
12 tablespoon guava nectar
1/2 cup canned cream of coconut
16 ice cubes
12 lime slices
Rub rims of 12 glasses with lime wedges. Dip rims in sugar.
Combine 1 1/2 cups sweet-and-sour mix, 1/2 cup tequila, 6 tablespoons papaya nectar, 6 tablespoons guava nectar, 1/4 cup cream of coconut and 8 ice cubes in blender. Process until blended. Pour into 6 glasses. Repeat with remaining sweet-and-sour mix, tequila, both nectars, cream of coconut and ice cubes. Pour into 6 glasses. Garnish each with lime slice. Makes 12 servings.
Homemade Sweet-and-Sour Mix for Margaritas
3 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 cups fresh lime juice
Combine water and sugar in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Cool syrup.
Mix syrup, lemon juice and lime juice in pitcher. Chill until cold. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)
Makes 8 cups.