Classic Margarita

The classic margarita has a nobility that's expressed by its simplicity—tequila, orange liqueur for sweetness, and tart lime juice.

Just three ingredients, harmoniously combined and perfectly balanced.

This is a cocktail recipe that you should memorize since it's so easy to whip up at impromptu dinner parties, summer BBQs, or when you need a reminder of sunshine in the middle of winter.

What's the Best Tequila for Margaritas?

I highly recommend using only good-quality tequila to make your margaritas. With only three ingredients in the cocktail, a bad tequila will result in an equally bad margarita.

Look for bottles with labels that say “100% de agave,” which means the tequila is distilled only from Mexican blue agave plants. Cheap tequilas are often cut with alcohol made from corn or sugar cane, resulting in a tequila that tastes flat and burns on the way down.

• Want to learn more about tequila? Check out our comprehensive Tequila Guide!

In addition, good-quality tequila is aged in oak barrels for 2 to 12 months, which gives it nuanced flavors. Blanco tequila (also called plato or silver) is aged for 2 months, reposado for 2 to 11 months, and añejo for 12 or more months.

You can serve this cocktail with salt, or not. Straight, or over the rocks. That part is up to you!

Margarita Variations

Want to change it up? Try any of these variations on the basic margarita:

• Reposado or Añejo Margarita – Having aged longer in oak barrels these tequilas are darker in color and display more complex flavors and aromas. Using them in a margarita can be an eye-opening experience.
• Mezcal Margarita – Swap out tequila for mezcal, tequila’s smokier, wilder-in-flavor cousin.
• Spicy Margarita – Add a few slices of jalapeno to the cocktail shaker to add a bit of heat.
• Pineapple Margarita – Swap out the orange liqueur for pineapple juice.