How to Drink a Margarita

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: September 15, 2021 References Tested

Margaritas are delicious tequila-based cocktails that are the perfect drink for summer. Whether you like a classic or blended margarita, or even a fun variation like a spicy or fruity margarita, they're easy to whip up, serve, and enjoy!

Ingredients

Classic Margarita

2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of silver tequila
1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of lime juice
1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of triple sec

Makes 1 margarita

Spicy Margarita

3 fluid ounces (89 mL) of silver tequila
2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of lime juice
1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of simple syrup
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of orange liqueur

Makes 1 margarita

Blended Margarita

2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of silver tequila
1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of lime juice or 2 limes
1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of triple sec
3 cups (710 mL) of ice

Makes 1 margarita

Blended Mango Margarita

1 bag of frozen mango chunks
¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of lime juice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) of orange liqueur
2 tbsp (25 g) of superfine sugar
2 cups (470 mL) of ice water

Makes 1 margarita

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Drinking a Classic Margarita

1
Mix up your margarita ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Combine 2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of tequila, 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of lime juice, and 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of triple sec. Put your ingredients into a cocktail shaker to make them easier to mix up.^{[1]
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- You can use any kind of tequila you’d like, but most classic margaritas call for silver tequila.
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can use an airtight glass jar with a lid.
- To make a spicy margarita, combine 3 fluid ounces (89 mL) of silver tequila, 2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of lime juice, 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of simple syrup, and 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of orange liqueur.^{[2]
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2
Add ice and shake your ingredients for 10 to 20 seconds. Fill your cocktail shaker up to the brim with ice. Put the lid on your cocktail shaker and hold it closed. Hold the shaker in front of you and shake it vigorously back and forth for about 20 seconds.^{[3]
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- If you are using a glass jar, put the lid on tightly before you start shaking it.
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3
Pour your margarita into a margarita glass. Take the lid off your shaker or jar and pour your margarita into salt-lined glass. Fill the glass up all the way and serve it to 1 of your guests.^{[4]
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- If you are using a cocktail shaker, place a cocktail strainer over the shaker as you pour to remove any large chunks of ice.
Tip: You can add ice to the glass if you want to keep your margarita cold for longer. This is also called serving a margarita on the rocks.
4
Add a wedge of lime to your glass to make a classic cocktail. Take a lime wedge and stick it onto the rim of your glass on top of the salt. Tell your guests that they can squeeze the lime into the margarita or keep it as a garnish.^{[5]
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5
Lick the salt off the rim as you drink your margarita. Since tequila can be kind of bitter, it’s fine to cut that with a mouthful of salt. Grab some with your tongue as you drink your margarita and enjoy the flavor combination of the lime, salt, and alcohol.^{[6]
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- Rotate your glass to get all of the salt off the rim as you drink your margarita.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Enjoying a Blended Margarita

1
Pour your margarita ingredients into a blender. Combine 2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of tequila, 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of lime juice, and 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) of triple sec for a classic margarita. Use a blender with large blades that can blend ingredients into fine chunks.^{[7]
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- To make a blended mango margarita, combine 1 bag of frozen mango chunks, ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of lime juice, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of orange liqueur, 2 tbsp (25 g) of superfine sugar, and 2 cups (470 mL) of ice water.^{[8]
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Tip: If you have fresh limes, cut off the peels and put your limes into the blender instead of using lime juice.
2
Fill up the blender with 3 cups (710 mL) of ice. Add large ice cubes to your blender to fill it up most of the way. Depending on the size of your blender, this could be between 1 and 3 cups (240 and 710 mL) of ice.^{[9]
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3
Blend your mixture until it is mostly smooth. Turn on your blender and pulse it slightly until all of your ingredients make a smooth, slightly chunky mixture. You can add more ice to your margarita if you feel like it isn’t blended enough.^{[10]
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- You should only need to blend your ingredients for about 30 seconds until they reach the right consistency.
4
Pour the blended margarita into a margarita glass. Remove the top from your blender and pour your margarita into a glass that has been rimmed with salt. Fill the entire glass up all the way to make 1 margarita.^{[11]
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5
Garnish it with a wedge of lime and a straw if you’d like to. Add a wedge of lime to the rim of your margarita to make it look cute, and give your guests a straw if they’d like one. Make sure the straw is fairly wide so that the blended ingredients don’t get stuck.^{[12]
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- Consider using a metal straw for a reusable option.
6
Lick the salt off the rim as you drink your blended drink. Even if you are using a straw, you can still grab a mouthful of salt before each sip. Lift your drink up to you and lick the rim, then use the straw to sip your margarita.^{[13]
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- If you don’t like the salted rim, you can use the straw to avoid it altogether.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Salting the Rim of Your Glass

1
Pour rock salt into a shallow dish. Rock salt, also called margarita salt, is salt kept in small chunks. Cover the bottom of a shallow dish with a layer of rock salt.^{[14]
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- You can find rock salt at most grocery or liquor stores.
- If you don’t want to use salt, you can use sugar for a sweet rim or tajin for a spicy kick.
2
Run a lime wedge across the rim of your margarita glass. Cut the top and bottom off a lime. Slice the lime in half lengthwise. Then, slice one half of the lime in half widthwise to create 2 wedged pieces. Take 1 wedge piece and rub it across the entire rim of your margarita glass.^{[15]
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- Margarita glasses are stemmed glasses with curved bowls on top.
- If you don’t have a margarita glass, you can also use a martini glass.
3
Dip the glass rim-first into the salt. Hold your margarita glass by the stem with the rim facing downwards. Gently dip the rim into your shallow dish to cover it with rock salt.^{[16]
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- Try not to get too much salt on the inside of the rim. Instead, focus on the outer edges.
Tip: You may need to pick up your glass and hold it at an angle to reach every part of the rim.