If you're looking to make Homemade Margaritas for a crowd with complete and total ease, you're going to want this recipe on hand. You only need 10 minutes and a handful of simple ingredients to serve up a crazy refreshing cocktail with just the right amount of sweet, tart, and boozey.
Mark my words: You will never buy a margarita mix again. But don't worry; you also won't be squeezing citrus until your arms fall off. We will be enlisting the help of a store-bought limeade, yet the results still turn out super fresh tasting. Plus, you can make this top-notch drink at home for less than even the cheap drinks at your local bar and grill.
Whether it's Cinco de Mayo, a cookout, or a pool day, you'll be the most popular hostess on the block when you start serving these margs at your next gathering. Another great one to beat the heat is our Frozen Margarita. And if you're looking to kick things up a notch, try our Cadillac Margarita as well!
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
This homemade cocktail comes with all the classic margarita recipe ingredients -- tequila, orange liqueur, and lime -- only with the help of a few extra store-bought margarita ingredients.
Whether you're whipping up a single serving or a pitcher of margaritas for a crowd, we've got all the measurements you'll need below. Ready to meet your new favorite cocktail?
Tequila | When it comes to tequila, you can use top-shelf or bottom-shelf tequila for your margaritas. Although, you might find a top-shelf, quality tequila a little easier to sip. You can use gold or silver tequila, whichever you prefer is fine.
Orange Liqueur | Grand Marnier and Cointreau are both awesome orange Liqueurs to use in Homemade Margaritas, but they can be a bit pricey. Feel free to substitute a triple sec if needed for a more budget-friendly margarita.
Limeade | We are typically a fresh-is-best food community around here. However, when it comes to making margaritas for a crowd, I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen juicing limes and oranges. This is where Simply Limeade comes in. Simply limeade has a much cleaner flavor than store-bought margarita mixes and is a much better product than those overly sweet, neon-yellow store-bought margarita mixes.
Orange Juice | Orange juice adds a touch of sweetness and lovely color to this Homemade Margaritas recipe. You can use fresh squeezed orange juice or a good quality store-bought orange juice for this recipe.
Fresh Lime | Although we are enlisting a store-bought limeade for this margarita recipe, you still need the flavor of fresh squeezed lime juice to make killer Homemade Margaritas. Luckily, the limeade gives us a pass on squeezing a silly amount of limes for a crowd, but the fresh lime flavor is necessary.
GLASSWARE & DRESSING THE RIM
You don't have to run out and buy specialty glassware for making margaritas at home. Sure, margarita glasses are fun, but rocks glasses (short cocktail classes) work just as well!
When your glassware is locked down, you must decide: salt, sugar, or none of the above?
If you love your Homemade Margaritas with a salted rim, be sure to have kosher salt and a lime wedge on hand. Kosher salt has a cleaner, lighter taste. That, in combination with its crystal size and coarse texture, makes it the clear winner for your margarita glass.
If you aren't sure how to salt the rim of a margarita glass, check out our margarita salt rim guide.
Love a sugar rim? So does an Italian Margarita spruced up with amaretto liqueur. Be sure you check that recipe out too! For a sugar rim on your margarita, you'll want to have granulated sugar on hand.
When adding salt or sugar rims to Homemade Margaritas, start off by pouring about ½ a cup of salt or sugar onto a small plate. Now, you'll simply run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and then set it upside down on the plate. Shimmy it around and use your finger to press the salt or sugar up against the glass. Lift it off the plate and give it a little tap to get rid of any excess and voila!
Once your margarita is equipped with the dressing of your liking, fill it with ice and move on to mixing. I will kick you off with the pitcher recipe since I think this marg recipe is absolutely the best for a crowd. However, we'll get to single servings with a cocktail shaker below!
HOW TO MAKE A PITCHER OF HOMEMADE MARGARITAS
Need to make a pitcher of margaritas for a party? Here's our homemade margarita recipe multiplied for a crowd!
- 2 cups Simply Lime Limeade
- ¾ cup of Tequila
- ⅓ of Orange Liqueur
- 1.5 ounce Orange Juice
- Juice of 2 Whole Limes
Combine the above ingredients in an iced pitcher, stir to combine, and serve in prepped glasses!
HOMEMADE MARGARITAS IN A COCKTAIL SHAKER
Add Simply Limeade, tequila, orange liqueur, orange juice, and fresh squeezed lime juice to a cocktail shaker full of ice. Seal the shaker and shake for about 30 to 45 seconds.
Pour the contents of the shaker into your glass, garnish with a lime wedge, if desired, and enjoy!
HOMEMADE MARGARITAS VARIATIONS
To make it sweeter | If you'd like your Homemade Margaritas to be sweeter, add a splash of simple syrup or more limeade.
To add tartness | If you'd like your margaritas to have more tang, add a bit more fresh lime juice.
Add jalapeno | You can easily add jalapeño flavor to your margaritas by cutting jalapeños into rings and muddling them either in the bottom of your shaker or pitcher.
Make it smoky | If you love a smoky cocktail, use Mezcal instead of regular tequila.
6 MORE MARGARITA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Coconut Margarita
- Pineapple Margarita
- Best Margarita Recipe
- Skinny Margarita
- Mexican Martini
- Strawberry Margarita
Coconut Margarita
Pineapple Margaritas | SO EASY To Make At Home!
The BEST Margarita Recipe
Skinny Margaritas (Less Sugar AND Less Calories!)
Mexican Martini Recipe
Strawberry Margaritas On the Rocks
If you're looking for maximum flavor with minimum effort, this Homemade Margaritas recipe is just the thing!
- ⅓ cup Simply Lime Limeade
- 1 ounce tequila
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- 1.5 ounces orange juice
- Juice of a lime wedge plus wedges for garnish
- Ice
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Add a half-cup of ice and all of the above ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour over ice into a rocks glass and serve with a lime garnish.
Recipe Video
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