Homemade Margarita Mix
When life gives you limes… make margaritas! Learn how to make the best homemade margarita mix. Perfect for making bright and fresh cocktails at home.
It’s winter citrus season, and that means all our limes are ripe and ready to be picked, just like our avocados! Fun fact: some lime varieties actually turn yellow when they’re ripe. I’ve shared many citrus recipes from our garden here (Kumquats, Grapefruit Soda, Dried Orange Slices, Blood Orange Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemon Water…), but the thing I make most often with our citrus is margaritas! If you want to go fancy, try a classic Caddilac Margarita.
Every January I start getting messages from friends and family requesting blood oranges and limes for the BEST MARGARITAS EVER. I’m always happy to share, either the fruit fresh from the tree, or juiced into this homemade margarita mix recipe. In fact, a bottle of the fresh mix and a bottle of tequila in a basket with a few limes make such a fun gift. Keep a batch of this homemade margarita mix in the fridge for quick and easy margaritas or mocktails.
Limes, lemons, and oranges from my garden.
What’s in Margarita Mix
Store bought margarita mix is usually made with lime juice, sweetener, citric acid, and sometimes gums and other flavors. The sweeteners are most often sugar, simple syrup, or high fructose corn syrup. Does margarita mix have alcohol? No, it doesn’t, margarita mix is simply the juice and sweetener and is intended to be mixed with alcohol.
How to Make Homemade Margarita Mix
With such simple ingredients, it’s easy to make your own homemade mix with fresh ingredients and whatever sweetener you like best.
- Lime and Other Citrus Juice. Limes are key in any margarita, but the flavor of fresh limes can vary quite a bit depending on the variety and season. As with most recipes, you may need to do some tasting and adjusting. If you find yourself with very tart limes, reduce the amount a bit and increase lemon or orange for a better balance.
- Sweetener. Simple syrup works perfectly well, but agave is a natural choice as it comes from the same plant as tequila, the blue agave plant (Agave tequilana). I like to make an agave simple syrup by mixing agave syrup. into the citrus juice and diluting with water.
Cointreau, Casamigos tequila, and homemade margarita mix.
How to Make Margaritas with Mix
Once you have your margarita mix ready, all you need is tequila and ice. Cointreau is optional, especially as this mix includes orange and agave, but I really enjoy the flavor it imparts. Triple sec is often used instead of Cointreau, and has a similar flavor, but is lower in alcohol.
If you’re not familiar with Cointreau, it’s a French-made orange liqueur that’s fresh, floral, and sweet. The original margarita was actually created in 1948 when a woman named Margarita Sames mixed lime juice with tequila and Cointreau.
I usually use about 3 oz. of the mix, 1 1/2 oz. tequila, and 1 oz. Cointreau, but you can play around with the ratios. Here’s a great guide all about ounces and cups, which will come in handy if you don’t have an ounce measuring cup.
The best way to make a margarita is to shake it for 30 seconds with plenty of ice. Don’t skip this step as the ice melts quickly while being shaken, diluting the mix and making it ice cold. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can use a mason jar or blend in the blender for a few seconds.
Do you like your margaritas salty? If so, simply run a cut lime around the rim and dip into a dish of salt.
How to Make a Blended Frozen Margarita
Though I usually prefer margaritas served on the rocks, homemade mix makes absolutely delicious blended margaritas too. If you’re a frozen drink fan, try our Watermelon Frosé. To make one blended margarita, add 1 1/2 cups of ice, 3 ounces margarita mix, 1-ounce Cointreau, and 1-ounce silver tequila. Blend until smooth. You can make these early and store them in the freezer too.
How to Make Virgin Margaritas
We love mocktails around here (see our Virgin Moscow Mule and Sparkling Cranberry ACV Drink) and you can use this mix to make a virgin margarita for yourself or little ones. Add the mix to lemonade or sparkling water and sweeten with more agave or stevia to taste if desired.
Skinny Sugar-Free Margarita Mix
When I’m making a quick margarita for myself I usually don’t use any sugar, simple syrup, or agave! Instead, I mix up the drink, then add organic liquid stevia drops to taste (about 4 drops). My favorite liquid stevia is from Trader Joe’s as it’s inexpensive and doesn’t have a funny aftertaste.
Another great healthy option is to use monk fruit sweetener, which is sugar-free and keto friendly. If you prefer not to add any sweetener, you can increase the orange and decrease the lime, which will naturally create a sweeter, though unconventional margarita. If you like sweet citrus cocktails try this Green Tea Shot.
More Fresh Citrus Cocktails You’ll Love
- Classic Aperol Spritz
- Greyhound
- Virgin (or not) Moscow Mule
- Winter White Sangria
- Homemade Limoncello
- Limoncello Spritzers
Cheers and don’t forget the homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa and Guacamole.
Margarita Mix
Make your own homemade margarita mix with this simple recipe that makes classic, frozen, or skinny sugar free margaritas with mix!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (about 1 large orange)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1/3 cup light agave syrup (or 1 1/2 cups simple syrup)
- 1 cup filtered water
Instructions
- Pour the lime juice, orange juice, and lemon juice into a lidded carafe. Add the agave and water and stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust as needed. The flavor of citrus can vary greatly depending on variety and season, so you may need to add more agave to sweeten, water to dilute, or lime to make more sour. Keep in mind the mix will dilute further when making margaritas as it is shaken or blended with ice.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to make margaritas. Margarita mix will last in the refrigerator for at least 5-7 days.
Notes
To Make a Margarita with Mix
Add 1½ ounces good sliver tequila, 1 ounce cointreau, 3 ounces of the mix, and 1 cup of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. You can also blend your margaritas in a blender. Increase to 1 1/2-2 cups of ice for a frozen margarita.
Variations
- For Blood Orange Margarita Mix, use blood oranges instead of the lemon and lime.
- Add a sliced jalapeno for spicy margaritas and either muddle it in or let it infuse.
- Sweeten with unflavored liquid stevia or monkfruit for a skinny, sugar-free margarita mix.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 3 oz.Amount Per Serving: Calories: 40Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 0g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your favorite calculator.
https://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/cocktails/article/the-secret-to-a-perfect-margarita
I live the cocktail shaker. Can you share the source for that please?
Oh thank you, Kari. I inherited that shaker from my grandmother. It’s from the 20’s and made by Hiram Walker. I couldn’t find any online but one may pop up on ebay in the future.
you had me at margarita! yummy! I wish we could have a one in your beautiful garden soon! xoxox
Soon ♥️♥️♥️
Wow Homemade margarita mix with fresh citrus sounds absolutely delightful! It’s a fantastic way to enjoy the bright flavors of limes, lemons, and oranges while making your own customized margaritas. Plus, your tip about agave syrup is a great natural sweetener choice. Cheers to homemade margaritas!