The formula
Tequila + fresh lime + orange liqueur (roughly 2 : 1 : 1), shaken over ice — salt rim to taste.
At heart the margarita is a tequila sour — blanco tequila, fresh lime, orange liqueur, in balance. That clean base takes to almost anything: muddle jalapeño for a spicy Picante, blend in ripe mango, drop the triple sec for a purist’s Tommy’s, or float good Cointreau and cognac for a Cadillac. Fresh lime juice — never sour mix — is the one rule that makes all of them sing.
Start with the original, then work outward.
21+ Northern Mexico / U.S. border (tequila country) · Mexican
The real margarita — good tequila, fresh lime, orange liqueur and nothing from a mix. The classic ratio, salt rim done right, and why fresh juice is non-negotiable.
21+ Mexico / American cocktail bars · Mexican
A margarita with a kick: fresh jalapeño muddled into blanco tequila, lime and orange liqueur, with a chilli-salt rim. Bright, tart and warm with chilli heat you control — the modern margarita everyone orders.
21+ Mexico / American cocktail bars · Mexican
A tropical margarita built on real mango: ripe mango purée with blanco tequila, fresh lime and orange liqueur, shaken or blended. Lush, fruity and tart — the sunshine member of the margarita family, best with actual fruit, not syrup.
21+ San Francisco (Tommy's Mexican Restaurant) · Mexican-American
The purist's margarita: just 100% agave tequila, fresh lime and a little agave nectar — no orange liqueur. Cleaner, drier and more tequila-forward, a modern San Francisco classic that lets good tequila shine.
21+ American cocktail bars · Mexican-American
The luxury margarita: aged reposado or añejo tequila, fresh lime and Cointreau, finished with a float of Grand Marnier. Richer, rounder and more aromatic than the classic — the one you order to celebrate.
21+ Dallas, Texas (frozen margarita machine, 1971) · Mexican-American
The blender margarita done right: tequila, fresh lime and orange liqueur blended with ice into a thick, slushy, salt-rimmed cooler. The Texas-born crowd-pleaser — balanced, not a sugary slush, and endlessly flavourable.
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