National Margarita Day is on the Thursday 22nd February, and now is the perfect time to collect all the essential ingredients to make the delicious tequila-based cocktail.
Margaritas are a great cocktail, and can be enjoyed on any occasion, whether it be for a sit-down meal or a girl’s night. They’re quick and easy to prepare.
With the winter months ending, this cocktail is perfect to get you into the summer mood.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 Margarita’s that have a quirky twist, and that you’ll need to try on the national day.
Watermelon Margarita (Courtesy of Las Iguanas)
This cocktail is a delicious twist on a classic!
Ingredients
- 50ml Olmeca Blanco Tequila
- 15ml lime
- 10ml simple syrup
- 50ml watermelon juice
Method
Shake and double strain into a Martini glass with garnish and the BIGGEST watermelon slice the glass can take without falling over!
Margarita Lollies
These lollies are a fun treat, and a different way to enjoy the classic Margarita cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 limes
- 75ml lime juice
- 35ml Tequila
- 15ml Cointreau
- 100ml lemonade
- 50ml sugar syrup
- 1 tsp Frank’s RedHot Original Sauce or Frank’s RedHot Chilli n Lime Sauce
Method
- Cut 6 ribbons along the length of the cucumber using a peeler. Place in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Set aside in the sink to drain.
- Zest 2 of the limes and juice all 3. Combine all the remaining ingredients with the lime zest and juice.
- Rinse the cucumber ribbons and pat dry with kitchen paper. Loosely wind round a lolly stick and place up right in the mould. Pour over the margarita mixture and freeze for 4-5 hours until solid.
Honey-Ginger Margarita
Ingredients
- 60ml Patrón Silver
- 30ml Honey Syrup*
- 22.5ml Fresh lime juice
- 3 Ginger coins
Method
- In the bottom of a mixing tin, muddle two ginger coins (round slices of fresh ginger about the size of a quarter) with the honey syrup. *
- Add Patrón Silver and lime juice; shake vigorously with ice to chill.
- Strain onto fresh ice in a double old-fashioned glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel and ginger coin.
*Honey syrup:
Combine equal parts honey and warm water, stirring until the honey is dissolved thoroughly.
Pineapple, Lime and Margarita Cake (Courtesy of Gizzi Erskine)
What better way to celebrate National Margarita Day, than with a cake that is bursting with an array of fruity flavours. This boozy treat is sure to go down a treat.
Ingredients
- 180g The Groovy Food Company Organic Coconut Oil, melted
- 180ml The Groovy Food Company Rich and Dark Organic Agave Nectar
- 4 Free range eggs
- 200g Self-raising flour
- 50g The Groovy Food Company Organic Coconut Flour
- ¼ Tsp Bicarbonate soda
- 350g Fresh pineapple, very finely chopped
- ½ Tsp Sea salt
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
Frosting:
- 170ml Double cream
- Juice and zest of 1 lime, plus more lime for garnish
- 70ml The Groovy Food Company Rich & Dark Organic Agave Nectar
- 300ml Cream cheese
Method
- Heat the oven to 160C. Grease and line 2, 20cm sandwich cake tins.
- Gently melt the oil or butter in a pan on the hob.
- Place the Rich & Dark Agave Nectar and eggs in a bowl or a tabletop mixer and beat together, slowly pouring the oil or butter in as you go, and beat together for 5 minutes or until fluffy. (Pouring the fat in slowly helps it to emulsify with the mixture and prevents it from splitting.)
- Sift in the flours and bicarbonate of soda and quickly beat them in. Finally stir in the pineapple, salt, fruit zest and lime juice.
- Pour the cake mixture into the tin, leveling off the top as you go, then pop in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- The cake is ready once you can slide a skewer into it and it comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer it carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, whip the double cream until thick and stiff.
- Then beat in the cream cheese and the Rich & Dark Agave Nectar. Stir through the zest and juice until well combined.
- Spread half of the mixture on top of one cake and then place the second cake on top.
- Spread the rest of the mixture on the top of the cake, and then grate over more lime zest.
Coralina Margarita
Ingredients
- 52.5ml Patrón Reposado
- 22.5ml Patrón Citrónge Orange
- 30ml Fresh lime juice
- 22.5ml Simple syrup
- 15ml Red Wine
- Sugar/Salt to rim
Method
- Combine Patrón Reposado, Patrón Citrónge Orange, simple syrup and lime juice in a shaker tin; add ice and shake vigorously.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe rimmed with sugar-salt rim.*
- Carefully float red wine on the surface of the cocktail.
* Sugar-salt rim:
Pulverize .25 cup dried hibiscus in a spice grinder. Add .25 cup sugar and .25 cup kosher salt and pulse until combined.
Dirty Margarita (Courtesy of Waitrose)
After something different, then try this Margarita with a fiery kick!
Ingredients
- 50ml Jose Cuervo Tequila
- 25ml triple sec or Cointreau
- 25ml lime juice
- 10ml gomme/sugar syrup
- 3 jalapeño slices
- 15ml jalapeño brine
To garnish
- 1 small wedge lime
- 2 tsp fine crystal sea salt
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1 large ice cube, frozen with chilli slices
Method
To prepare the glass
- Mix the salt and chilli powder on a small plate.
- Run the lime wedge around half the rim of a round tumbler and then dip into the chilli salt.
- Then add your large ice cube, frozen with chilli slices to the glass.
For the cocktail
- In your cocktail shaker, add the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, syrup, jalapeño slices and brine.
- Fill 3/4 full with ice and shake until well mixed and chilled.
- Strain into the tumbler over the ice.
The Mediterranean Margarita
Ingredients
- 50 ml Patrón Reposado
- 30 ml Patrón Citrónge Orange
- 50 ml Amontillado Sherry
- 30 ml Lime juice
- 10 ml Agave nectar
- 1 Barspoon orange marmalade
- + Lime peel for garnish
- + Chamoy/fajin rim*(optional)
Method
- Combine liquid ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill.
- Strain into a Chamoy/Tajin-rimmed coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lime peel.
*If available, use the Mexican condiment Chamoy to moisten the rim of your glass, roll in Tajln to coat lightly. Alternately, use citrus juice and any chili-salt combo to create a similar effect.
The LA Margarita
Ingredients
- 50 ml Patrón Reposado
- 30 ml Patrón Citrónge Orange
- 30 ml Lime juice
- 30 ml Lychee syrup*
- 10 ml Ginger syrup (such as Monin or Ginger Reál)
- + Whole lychee for garnish
- + Sprinkle of chia seeds and salt for rim
Method
- Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with
- ice to chill.
- Strain onto fresh ice in a glass rimmed with a 50/50 blend of chia seeds and kosher salt.
- Garnish with lychee.
*Lychee syrup: Empty the complete contents of a can of peeled/ pitted lychees into a blender. Blend until completely liquefied, then strain through a mesh strainer to remove solids.
Strawberry Margarita with Black Pepper and Basil (Courtesy of Waitrose)
Ingredients
- 6 Strawberries
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 25ml strawberry syrup
- 50ml tequila blanco
- 25ml triple sec
- 25ml lime juice
- 1 drop basil oil
- Salt & pepper (to garnish)
Method
For the strawberry syrup
- Blitz 5 strawberries in a mini blender with icing sugar, then pass through a sieve
For the cocktail
- Shake strawberry syrup, with tequila blanco, triple sec and lime juice over ice
- Double strain into a chilled martini glass with a salt and pepper rim and add a drop of basil oil to finish, garnish with a fresh strawberry
Classic Margarita (Courtesy of Waitrose)
Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with just a classic.
Ingredients
- 2 shots Jose Cuervo Clasico Tequila
- 1 shot Cointreau triple sec
- 1 shot freshly squeezed lime juice
- Salt to rim the glass
- Lime slices, for garnishing
Method
- Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice
- Strain into a chilled, salted Margarita glass and garnish
