Originally made with equal parts red wine and sour lime soda, this wine spritzer cocktail made its way to Mexico thanks to well-traveled Mexicans during the 1960s and today is available on many restaurant and bar menus, especially in trendy neighborhoods of Mexico City such as La Condesa and Roma.
The invention of the margarita dates back to 1942, credited to a bar in the Northwestern state of Chihuahua, where they began making this famous tequila cocktail in 1942. Today, you can get a margarita just about anywhere in the world. This version is a slightly slushy one, similar to the frozen margaritas you may have tried before.
If you love frozen margaritas, you might also like to try my prickly pear frozen margarita recipe!
Rimming your margarita glass with Miguelito (a powdered form of chamoy) lends a particularly Mexican sweet-and-sour flavor. Miguelito is available in most Mexican or Latin American markets in the same aisle as bottled salsas, as well as online. Miguelito is even available on Amazon Prime! I’ve used it to rim the glass for other margaritas as well, such as my mandarin orange margarita.
If strawberries aren’t at peak season, your berries may not be very sweet or have that signature strawberry flavor you crave. A great way to enhance the strawberry flavor in your margarita is by using freeze-dried strawberries. They pack a lot of flavor without all the moisture and body of fresh berries.
Freeze-dried strawberries should be unsweetened and unsulfured. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s or Aldi, but you can also find them in many other supermarkets and online. A 1-2 ounce bag should cost less than $4. You can also find freeze-dried strawberry powder in 8-ounce bags. It’s more expensive up front but the per-ounce cost makes it less expensive in the long run.
I use Don Julio Tequila Reposado in my strawberry margarita recipe because it has lemon citrus notes that complement the sweetness of the berries. It may be more expensive than you’ve spent on tequila before, but worth the price (750 mL costs around $40-50). Tequila reposado is aged in oak barrels from 2 months to 1 year. This rounds and softens the tequila, making it perfect for margaritas and mixed drinks.
Remember: buying cheap tequila always results in two things—a hangover and thinking you don’t want to drink tequila ever again.
Not all orange-flavored liqueurs are created equal. I prefer Cointreau which is a true triple sec with a subtle orange flavor and balanced between bitter and sweet. You can use whatever brand you like if you don’t have Cointreau. Stay away from cheap triple sec because it’s often unbalanced and too sweet. Cointreau is 80 proof and can be a bit pricey, but you don’t use much, so it should last awhile. Cheaper brands of triple sec are often lower, around 60 proof.
Grand Marnier is also a French 80-proof orange liqueur but is NOT a triple sec. Grand Marnier is a mix of cognac (a type of brandy) and triple sec, which technically makes it curaçao-style liqueur.
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An easy slush margarita recipe that packs a big strawberry-flavored punch
For rimming glasses:
To rim the glasses: You’ll need two shallow dishes. Squeeze lime juice into one. Add 2 tbsp of Miguelito to the other. Dip the rims of the glasses into the lime juice first, then the Miguelito.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can add the freeze-dried strawberries straight into the blender and just blend for an extra 60 seconds to make sure they’re fully broken up and incorporated.
Keywords: strawberry, margarita
Paloma (grapefruit margarita)
Watermelon margaritas
Spiced pear frozen margaritas
Warm winter margaritas
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Mandarin oranges, or mandarinas, are extremely common in Mexico, so they’re used in all kinds of recipes, from aguas frescas, to gelatinas, salads, and more—including mandarin orange margaritas.
The juicer used in my video is a Chefn Citrus Juicer.
In this case, rimming the margarita glass with a mixture of kosher salt and Miguelito (a powdered form of chamoy) lends a particularly Mexican sweet-and-sour flavor. It’s salty, sugary, acidic, and very slightly spicy, and it’s often used on fresh fruit, veggies, and other snacks. You can buy Miguelito in most Mexican or Latin American markets in the same aisle as bottled salsas, as well as online. Miguelito is even available on Amazon Prime!
RELATED RECIPE: Easy watermelon margaritas
A note about mandarin oranges: The harvest in the beginning of the season is usually less sweet or even a little bit sour, while mandarins harvested mid- to late-season will be sweeter. For that reason, you may want to add a little bit of sugar to your juice if drinking at the beginning of the season and the fresh-squeezed juice tastes a bit too tart for your liking.
I like to use a liquid cane sugar such as Hey Shuga! Organic Pure Cane Liquid Sweetener because a little bit goes a long way and it’s easier than dissolving granulated sugar. You can typically find this in any grocery store near where you’d find maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners for baking.
RELATED RECIPE: How to make a paloma
There are a few different varieties of mandarin oranges, and that’s why they may look and taste slightly different. Their peak seasons are also slightly staggered, but you can use any variety listed below.
Clementines are sweet, less acidic, and almost always seedless. They’re in season from November-January.
Murcott Mandarins are sometimes also known as honey tangerines, and are very sweet with no seeds. They’re in season from January-April.
Golden Nugget Mandarins are smaller than other varieties, but very juicy and sweet. They’re seedless, and in season from March-June.
Tangerines are a cousin of the clementine, but are less sweet and have a lot of seeds. They’re in season from October-January.
You might be used to seeing these types of oranges called Cuties in the grocery store, thanks to some catchy marketing. Cuties actually sells two varieties of mandarin; clementines and Murcotts. Whatever you choose, I know you’ll love these mandarin orange margaritas!
I’ve used Don Julio Reposado in this recipe because it has lemon citrus notes with hints of vanilla and a silky, warm finish. It’s perhaps a more expensive tequila than you may be used to buying if you’re not a tequila connoisseur, but worth the price (750 mL should cost around $40-50).
Remember: buying cheap tequila always results in two things—a hangover and not liking tequila. It’s a liquor that’s meant to be sipped, not slammed. I’ve chosen a reposado because it’s aged in oak barrels from 2 months to 1 year (Don Julio Reposado is aged 8 months), which rounds and softens the tequila, making it perfect for margaritas and mixed drinks.
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To rim the glasses:
My preferred tequila for this recipe is Don Julio Reposado, but any reposado will do.
Cointreau is used here over Grand Marnier because it is less sweet, but any triple sec can be substituted to your preference.
If you’d like to make these ahead of time (24 hours in advance) or for a large group, you can easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe and refrigerate in a covered pitcher without the ice until ready to serve. Serve over ice.
Keywords: margaritas, mandarin orange margaritas, margarita de mandarina
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit The Other Side of The Tortilla at no additional cost to you when you purchase items linked from this site. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
A watermelon margarita is a tasty summer cocktail that’s easy to make and also a great way to use up extra fruit.
I can’t think of a better way to close out the final weeks of summer on the patio than a fresh watermelon margarita. Can you? These are also perfect for sipping by the pool on a hot day.
These margaritas are super easy to make, and you can even use fresh, store-bought watermelon juice if you don’t have a juicer at home. (Although there are so many inexpensive juicers on the market nowadays, you can find lots of decent options on Amazon with Prime shipping!) …
Several years ago, I was able to copy down abuelita’s recipe for rompope (which was for a very large crowd, based on the portions) from a typewriter-written version in a family recipe book at my mother-in-law’s house. Thinking it was going to be difficult, I didn’t make it until a few years later. It was then that I discovered the recipe wasn’t quite complete, the directions were sparse and it didn’t taste right on the first try. So I got to work in my kitchen, testing and tasting until it seemed right to us.
I’ve amended abuelita’s recipe slightly to my personal taste but so it still maintains its authenticity, and reduced the quantity of the original recipe to make a smaller batch in case we didn’t go through it quickly enough.
I recommend if you’ll be drinking your rompope solo, half-cup servings are best, and this recipe makes eight half-cup servings. If you’ll be serving a small crowd, make double the recipe and just refrigerate any leftover rompope.
RELATED RECIPE: Ponche navideño
One year, José’s Tía Annette hosted a fabulously catered posada, which is where I learned to put rompope in my coffee or make lattes with it. I’ve done it every December since!
A few notes:
RELATED RECIPE: Spicy Mexican hot chocolate
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Mexican eggnog, called rompope, is a popular drink during the holidays.
The rompope tastes better on the second day, as the alcohol settles with the other ingredients. If it doesn’t taste boozy enough to you at first, wait to add any more alcohol until at least the day after.
Keywords: rompope, eggnog
RELATED RECIPE: Champurrado
I’ve often enjoyed this cocktail while in Mexico, whether it be at a fancy restaurant in Mexico City, a late-night coffee bar in Acapulco or at vacation resorts spanning the country from Los Cabos to Playa del Carmen.
This drink is also similar to Italy’s caffè corretto (meaning “corrected coffee”) which typically contains grappa, sambuca or brandy and espresso. The carajillo can be served hot or cold, over ice, as pictured here.
Traditionally, it has tequila in it, and is part of the margarita family, but if you’re not a drinker you can leave the tequila out for a homemade grapefruit soda—technically a“toronjada.”
The drink is often made with grapefruit-flavored soda such as Jarritos de toronja or Peñafiel toronja or even Squirt or Fresca, but I also like to make the classic recipe with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and agua mineral (sparkling water) for a little fizz.
If you love margaritas, you should also try these recipes:
A paloma is a classic and original Mexican tequila cocktail made with grapefruit juice, mineral water, tequila and sugar.
Zulka Azúcar Morena Pure Cane Sugar is a Mexican brand of granulated cane sugar sold at many Latin grocers and can also be purchased online.
Keywords: margarita, paloma, cocktail
Warm margaritas are boozy and comforting, and an easy-to-make drink that’ll be sure to please your guests all winter long.
RELATED RECIPE: Ponche de tamarindo
I attended a Ladies’ Night In party in Chicago with Chef Marcela Valladolid, cookbook author and host of the Food Network’s “Mexican Made Easy.” We sipped and sampled numerous Sauza Tequila drinks and had a fantastic time tasting dishes from Marcela’s cookbook, Fresh Mexico.
One of the drinks Marcela showed us how to make was this warm winter margarita. It was an instant hit with the crowd and the perfect way to end the evening.
It was so much fun to hang out with her for an intimate evening of cooking tips and getting to taste some of her recipes!
RELATED RECIPE: Grapefruit margaritas
Here’s my photo album from the party:
Thanks so much to Sauza and Chef Marcela for a fabulous Ladies’ Night In. And thank you to the hostesses, Stacey Roney and Beth Rosen for inviting me! I had a great time. Each party attendee received a little tequila to practice making their own drinks as well as a copy of Chef Marcela’s book, which I really like and would recommend as a gift for yourself or the Mexican foodie in your life. I’ve already made this recipe a few times and several other recipes from her book and I’m definitely impressed. They taste very similar to the Mexican food I make in my own kitchen.
Click on the English or Spanish-language image of the book below to purchase that version.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
For added fun, you can sugar the rim of the glass if you like. Just gently wet the rim of the glass and dip it in a small dish of fine granulated cane sugar before pouring the margarita into the glass.
https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2010/11/warm-winter-margarita/
If you’re looking for other hot drink recipes to make your holidays a little more Mexican, check out Abuelita Elda’s ponche Navideño, a staple during our family’s holiday celebrations.
RELATED RECIPE: Cinnamon and chile-spiced hot apple cider cocktail