This Fresh Lime Juice Margarita is so easy to make at home with just a few simple, clean ingredients. And no sweet and sour mix!
Ahhh the margarita! Such a refreshing and delicious drink. I am super picky about my margaritas though. Often times margaritas can turn into a sticky mess if you make them with those shelf stable pre-made mixes. Besides, who needs those mixes when the fresh homemade margaritas only need three ingredients! I dive deep into which brands of triple sec are the best and what type of tequila you need to use!
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How To Get Restaurant Quality Margaritas at Home
Making tasty margaritas at home is pretty simple and only requires a few ingredients. Of course, just like anything, the quality of those ingredients really matter, especially since there are so few ingredients in this cocktail. Here are my recommendations for the best ingredients for margaritas at home!
Fresh Lime Juice
If you want to get that fresh tasting margarita just like you’d get at your favorite restaurant, you need to start with fresh lime juice. We typically squeeze our own but some grocery stores will sell fresh squeezed lime juice in the produce section. If you are purchasing lime juice, make sure the fresh squeezed limes are the only ingredient. This will also mean that the juice will be refrigerated. If you don’t want to squeeze your own, you can order from this company and get their delicious juices shipped right to your house! I would avoid using shelf stable lime juice at all costs.
The Right Tequila
The quality of your tequila is really going to make or break this drink. I prefer to use tequila blanco in my margaritas. We have a few favorite brands like El Tesoro and Casamigos. Don’t skimp and go with cheap tequila or it’ll ruin your drink!
The Liqueur
Undoubtably, this is what makes a margarita a margarita versus just a tequila with lime drink. Margaritas call for triple sec, which is a liqueur made from oranges. There are a few popular brands but most often you will find margaritas made with either Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Cointreau is a tad brighter and lighter while Grand Marnier is weightier and a tad sweeter. Instead of making a sweet and sour or simple syrup, I use Grand Marnier. The tart lime juice mixed with the Grand Marnier makes for a well balanced margarita in my opinion without any overly sweet notes or weird after taste from pre-made mixes.
What You Need To Make Fresh Margaritas At Home
Getting your home bar set up makes creating cocktails at home so much more fun! And it’s always easier to make cocktails when you have all the gear. Of course, these fresh margaritas are so easy you don’t really need much but if you’re looking to step up your at home bar game, here are some of my favorite pieces!
- We get a lot of use out of our mixing glass
. It’s really useful for everything from margaritas to old fashioneds!
- I love my copper metal drinking straws! They make cocktails so much more fun to sip and they are dishwasher safe.
- This rose gold bar set
has all the goodies and we use ours often.
- A lime squeezer
goes a long way when making these margaritas! Takes all the hassle out of getting super fresh lime juice.
Fresh Lime Juice Margarita
Makes one margarita or scroll down for the batch recipe that makes 6!
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces tequila blanco
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce Grand Marnier
Directions:
- Measure tequila, lime juice and Grand Manier into a mixing glass and stir together.
- Pour over ice, preferably crushed, and enjoy icy cold!
Option to salt the glass rim or serve with lime wedge.
Recipe For a Pitcher of Margaritas
Makes 6 margaritas
Ingredients:
9 ounces tequila blanco
6 ounces fresh lime juice
6 ounces Grand Marnier
Directions:
- Measure tequila, lime juice and Grand Marnier into a pitcher and stir together.
- Pour into individual glasses filled with ice and enjoy while cold!
Option to place slice limes into serving pitcher.
To make ahead, combine ingredients and set aside in fridge up to 6 hours. Then pour over ice when ready to serve!
Fresh Lime Juice Margarita
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces tequila blanco
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Measure tequila, lime juice and Grand Manier into a mixing glass and stir together.
- Pour over ice, preferably crushed, and enjoy icy cold!
- Option to salt the glass rim or serve with lime wedge.
Nutrition
Recipe For a Pitcher of Margaritas
Ingredients
- 9 ounces tequila blanco
- 6 ounces fresh lime juice
- 6 ounces Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Measure tequila, lime juice and Grand Marnier into a pitcher and stir together.
- Pour into individual glasses filled with ice and enjoy while cold!
Awesome. Just the right amount of tartness!
Decent but too strong for me! Maybe I did something wrong but I felt it needed something to dilute it. I might play around with it more. I do like the idea of fresh lime juice vs. syrup mix though. Would you have any recommendations for diluting this? Thank you!
I suggest pouring it over a full cup of crushed ice to help dilute. You can also top it off with sparkling or still water. And I love an extra squeeze of lime sometimes! Hope that helps!