Spirits Beacon Logo

Recipes

Margarita Twists

Spicy, Fruity, Frozen or Tommy’s here are our favourite twists on the classic Margarita.

With twists and variations shaking up the iconic serve, we decided to dive a little deeper into Margarita’s spicier and fruitier cousins!

Margaritas are now ‘churned out’ by the bucket loads with fruitier, spicier, or frozen versions of the classic appearing everywhere. They are also dressed up with different rims, colours, and glasses, making this cocktail a pretty versatile tipple no matter your preference!

Here are some of our favourite alterations.

Tommy's Margarita
Tommy's Margarita

Tommy's Margarita

Bartenders and enthusiasts continuously find a way to tailor time-honoured staples to give some conventional cocktails a (sometimes) much-needed twist. The Tommy’s Margarita is the perfect model for what we think might be an improvement on the original.

The Tommy’s Margarita, created by Julio Bermejo at their second-generation owned ‘Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant’ in the early 90s, have cemented this twist as a modern-day classic. 

What differentiates a Tommy’s to a Classic Margarita is the absence of orange liqueur. It rose to fame as an emblem of the lighter, fresher style of eating and drinking that swept across California’s food and drink scene in the 90’s.

The bright, citrussy and crisp flavour is generally served on the rocks in a short salt-rimmed glass, using agave nectar to naturally sweeten and balance the drink. With the agave taking centre stage, drinkers can still enjoy a Margarita – just with a few less calories. We won’t argue with that!

1 serving
  • 50 ml Tequila Blanco
  • 35 ml Fresh Lime Juice
  • 15 ml Agave Syrup
  1. Rim your glass with lime and salt (optional) and fill an old fashioned with cubed ice.
  2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime and agave and shake until cold.
  3. Strain into glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
Frozen Margarita
Frozen Margarita

Frozen Margarita

Dallas restaurant owner, Mariano Martinez first blended tequila, ice, and automation in 1971 to create the first frozen margarita machine – now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. 

They’re not wrong when they say, ‘America has been hungover ever since’, as the ‘teeth shattering cold’ tequila tipple has been a modern mass production hit for decades. 

While many of the slushy machine variants you get a street stalls, festivals and big volume bars are terrible - It doesn’t have to be if you pick the right ingredients.

Tips to make a Frozen Margarita:  

Go bigger on the quantity of Tequila and the lime juice that you would as the blender adds a lot of dilution and you need to be bold with those to maintain the flavour. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth and want a fruity frozen margarita – the changes are quite simple. Here are some options…

Add 75ml of your chosen fruit puree or fresh / frozen fruit. 

Swap out the orange liqueur for a flavoured liqueur matching your fruit of choice. 

Swap out the salt rim for a sugar rim.

Garnish with a fresh fruit that reflects your fruity concoction.

1 serving
  • 50 ml Tequila Blanco
  • 35 ml Fresh Lime Juice
  • 20 ml Triple Sec
  • 20 ml Agave Syrup
  • 1 Handful Crushed Ice
  1. Add the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur and agave into the blender with a scoop of crushed ice.
  2. Blend and pour contents into a large coupe glass.
  3. Garnish with a salt rim and lime wedge (optional).
Smokey Margarita
Smokey Margarita

Smoky Margarita

Smoky Margaritas are the perfect place to start if you’re looking to inject a heavier, bolder personality to the classic margarita – and it’s so simple.

One of our favourite ways to infuse a little smoke is to simply swap out Tequila for Mezcal in a Classic or Tommy’s Margarita! 

Just like Tequila, Mezcal can offer diverse contrasting and complimentary concoctions – depending on the brand. Montelobos Organic Mezcal balances smoked cooked agave with a funky wild fermentation to create a complex Mezcal that will give a margarita a herbal and fragrant character. Zignum Joven Mezcal however is a clean, crisp Mezcal that focusses on the vegetal notes in Espadin, rather than the smokier nature the category is known for. Bringing it into the Margarita is a great gateway for those starting to explore and experiment with Mezcal.

1 serving
  • 50 ml Mezcal
  • 35 ml Fresh Lime Juice
  • 25 ml Triple Sec
  • 5 ml Agave Syrup
  1. Rim your glass with lime and salt. (For a smoky margarita on the rocks – fill old-fashioned with cubed ice. For a straight-up margarita – chill a coupe).
  2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the mezcal, lime, orange liqueur, and agave and shake until cold.
  3. Strain into glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Spicy Margarita

Similar to infusing a little smokiness into your drink, creating a Spicy Margarita can also be extremely easy. 

If you aren’t up for the fuss of a Margarita inspired twist – changing the garnish or rim could be the right option for you! Some of our favourites is a Tajin or chilli flaked rim, sitting in substitute for salt. Or, instead of a lime wedge garnish, maybe you will consider a slice of jalapeño for a spicy peppery kick.

If you want to push your spice limit through the roof – the addition of Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur alongside your typical Classic Margarita ingredients will offer a rich and complex warmth. It adds both the piquant sweet spice and a pleasantly smoky tone you want from ancho chili. 

1 serving
  • 50 ml Tequila or Mezcal
  • 35 ml Fresh Lime Juice
  • 25 ml Triple Sec
  • 10 ml Ancho Reyes Liqueur
  1. Rim your glass (Tajin / Chilli flakes / Salt / or combination).
  2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime, orange liqueur, chilli liqueur and agave and shake until cold.
  3. Strain into glass and garnish with a lime wedge (serve either on the rocks or straight-up).

Fruity Margarita

Whether frozen or decorated straight-up with a sugar rum, fruity Margaritas are always a fun twist. 

If you are looking for something extra sweet – flavours like passionfruit juice or a liqueur like Passoa, both make trustworthy additions. However, even if you are muddling fresh fruit, freshly squeezing your own or simply using store-bought fruit juice, there are endless ways to experiment with fruity Margaritas! 

Try a Muddled Melon Margi to cut a smooth Reposado with a vibrant Cantaloupe blast. Or if you are looking for something tarter – pomegranate is a wonderfully harmonious addition, whether it be through juice or grenadine. So, get those muddlers out and start smashing!

The bottom line is – so long as there is a good quality tequila, fresh citrus and a little sweetness – go crazy on where you want that sweetness to come from! With variation after variation propping up everywhere, why not have a little fun yourself…

Top Tip to make Fruity Margs: 

To prevent your cocktail from tasting too sweet and artificial try infusing your own fruit syrup to avoid any excess additives. 

Play around with the rim, some fruits call for a salty buffer to balance out the sweetness and acidity – however tarter fruits may work better with a sugar rim. Depending on the fruit of your choice, go crazy! 

Still not convinced and just want the original? Don't worry - we have explored the method, top tips and provenance that concocts a classic Margarita here, 

1 serving
  • 50 ml Tequila Blanco
  • 35 ml Fresh Lime Juice
  • 30 ml Flavoured Fruit Liqueur
  1. Rim your glass (sugar / salt depending on your preference).
  2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime, fruit liqueur and agave and shake until cold.
  3. Strain into glass and garnish with a lime wedge (serve either on the rocks or straight-up).
Spirits Kiosk
Cointreau Liqueur
Cointreau Liqueur
70cl40%FR
£23.95
Buy
Patrón Silver Tequila
Patrón Silver Tequila
70cl40%MX
£40.95
Buy
Casamigos Blanco Tequila
Casamigos Blanco Tequila
70cl40%MX
£49.45
Buy