My Pantry Shelf

I do not have a lime tree, or a lemon for that matter, but that does not stop me from loving margaritas!  We recently had the sort of gathering that necessitated a jug of margaritas.  I dutifully headed for the market and loaded up a thousand limes for the effort (actually it was 86, yes, 86 exactly).  The funny thing was, the clerk did not even blink?  How long do you have to work as a grocery checker before it is completely unremarkable when a woman comes through picking up nothing, but a lug of limes?  I wanted to make her a drink.

Margaritas truly are the cocktail of the winter.  What you say?  You tend towards this cold citrusy drink in the summertime or at your annual Cinco de Mayo extravaganza?  Well sure, margaritas are great year round, but winter is the time of year when local citrus is most fresh and abundant.  Plus, there is something about the tart zing of a lime in February that is sure to chase the winter blues away.  The tequila does not hurt either.

Fresh Lime Margaritas are so incredibly tasty and easy to make that you will want to shun the tired “margarita mix” forever!  Juice up a bunch of fresh limes, mix with simple syrup, and a generous splash of tequila.  The drink is tart, sweet, salty, with an assertive nudge from a shot of tequila.This is a very simple version, which I prefer.  Trust me when I say that we fully tested this recipe experimenting with various proportions of the three solid ingredients.  They were all good, but this one was great.   As my husband says, “You cannot really go wrong.”  If you like it more sweet or tart, just adjust the ratio.  Want more or less tequila?  You can figure that out.   If you are serving these for a crowd (and you should), simply mix up a pitcher or lime and simple syrup in advance and add the tequila to each drink.  Cheers!

Fresh Lime Margaritas

for one drink

2 shots fresh lime juice

1 shot simple syrup (recipe follows)

1 shot tequila

ice

coarse salt to rim the glass.

lime for garnish

Moisten the rim of your glass with a wedge of lime.  Invert the glass into a small dish scattered with coarse salt.  Rotate glass until the rim is crusted with salt.   This can be done a bit in advance.

Mix the lime, simple syrup, and tequila.  Add to glass.  Add ice and lime for garnish.  Enjoy.

for four drinks

12 ounces fresh lime juice (1 1/2 cups or 8 shots)

6 ounces simple syrup (3/4 cup or 4 shots)

6 ounces tequila (3/4 cup or 4 shots)

ice

coarse salt to rim the glass.

lime for garnish

Moisten the rim of four  glasses with a wedge of lime.  Invert each glass into a small dish scattered with coarse salt.  Rotate glasses until the rims are crusted with salt.   This can be done a bit in advance.

Mix the lime, simple syrup, and tequila.  Add to glass.  Add ice and lime for garnish.  Enjoy.

You may also mix the simple syrup and lime in advance to create your own “Margarita Mix”.  This is great for parties when you do not want to have to do a bunch of measuring while guests are waiting for their drinks.  You can add the tequila in advance as well if you want it to be super easy.

Simple syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Heat water and sugar over medium heat  until the sugar dissolves.  Let cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Print this recipe: Fresh Lime Margarita

You may also like:

Tequila Lime Tart

Cranberry Daiquiris

Raspberry Lime Popsicles