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A great margarita is hard to beat: tequila, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur, and salt in sweet-tart harmony. But the classic margarita recipe is also an excellent starting point for experimentation. Small tweaks—swapping triple sec for agave syrup, say, or tequila for mezcal—can create a whole new drink. Perhaps even more compelling is the margarita’s ability to veer into maximalism. Blend yours with frozen mango, muddle in fresh blackberries, or infuse the tequila with chiles.
Below you’ll find 19 of our best margarita recipes, including frozen margaritas, spicy margaritas, fruit-forward riffs, and a few less traditional variations. There’s a salted watermelon margarita for summer, a blood orange version for winter, and an avocado margarita that blends up remarkably creamy. Whether you like yours on the rocks, straight up, or frozen, there’s a margarita here for you.
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Photographs by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. Prop Styling by Christine Keely, Food Styling by Taneka Morris
Magical Midnight Margarita
Coconut water and muddled blackberries give this Practical Magic–inspired margarita refreshing sweetness and its spellbinding purple color. Serve it on the rocks—or freeze the mixture for a slushy variation (pictured up top).
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Judy Mancini
Margarita, No Triple Sec
Think you need triple sec for a perfect margarita? Not so fast. This three-ingredient cocktail skips orange liqueur in favor of simple syrup, letting good tequila and sunny citrus really shine.
