Mix up your Margaritas

Margaritas rank highly on many people's lists of favorite cocktails. That said, anything can be made better—or at least altered to suit particular taste preferences better, and margaritas offer plenty of opportunity for experimenting. In this blog, we discuss some exciting spins you can put on your margaritas to give them a little more intrigue.

We know what you're thinking: Tequila is the key ingredient in a margarita. We agree, and almost every other spirit wouldn't make a suitable stand-in if you're trying to keep your margarita variation authentic—every other spirit except Mezcal.

For those unfamiliar with Mezcal, it's a similar spirit to Tequila. Both are Mexican in origin and come from the agave plant. Where they differ is that Tequila is made from the blue agave plant, whereas Mezcal can be made from a variety of agave species. Due to its production methods, Mezcal typically has a more smokey, earthy flavor than Tequila, so bear that in mind when deciding whether to try out some Mezcal-based margaritas!

Margaritas may traditionally use orange liqueur, but these days, there are liqueurs for just about any flavor—plenty of which complement a margarita's tequila and lime juice components. You can opt for a lime liqueur, which will take your drink's existing liminess up a notch, or choose a different flavor that suits your preference. Perhaps a raspberry, mango, or passionfruit liqueur?

Since the liqueur you use contributes the sweetness component to your margarita, we should note that you can also add a splash of simple syrup, agave nectar, or flavored syrups (such as strawberry or mango) if you wish to sweeten your cocktail further. In some cases, syrups are actually used instead of liqueur, such as with the honey margarita, which uses honey syrup in place of orange liqueur.

While lime juice is traditional, it's also another easy area to play around with to put a twist on your margarita. To retain your margarita's sour component and to keep your variation feeling authentic, we recommend substituting the lime juice for other citrus juices like lemon, orange, or grapefruit. That said, you're free to try out other fruit juices like pineapple, mango, or passionfruit if you find those options more palatable.

Changing the juice you use also provides an excellent opportunity to switch up the garnish you put on your margarita, transforming its aesthetic. In fact, adjusting your garnish is highly recommended when adjusting your fruit juice since you're altering the component that a classic margarita's garnish is based on.

Many margarita variations stick with the traditional Tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice base, but spice things up by adding a fourth or even fifth base ingredient. The spicy margarita throws in a dash of hot sauce with the other liquids for shaking, while the breakfast margarita adds marmalade and agave syrup for an extra orangey sweetness (you stir this variation to allow the marmalade to dissolve properly). This approach to mixing up your margaritas can be more convenient, as it doesn't involve going out to buy a whole new bottle of liqueur. Just stick to your traditional Tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice combination, choose an ingredient or two that you think will alter the drink in the way you want, and test out the result!

A salted rim is one of the most recognizable elements of a classic margarita. That said, the effect of salt on the drink isn't to everyone's liking, and why avoid a cocktail you could enjoy just because of one feature you don't like? With that in mind, here are a few changes you could make to this component that may be more to your liking:

• Go half and half. The problem with a fully salted cocktail glass rim is you have no choice but to have some salt with each sip. By only salting half the rim, you can sip from the unsalted side if you prefer. To do this, cut into a lime wedge as you usually would, but only rub it along half the circumferences of your glass's rim, then dip that half into your salt for a slick-looking margarita that gives you more versatility.

• Sub salt for sugar. You might enjoy the look of a coated glass rim but prefer a little sweetness instead of salt's savory quality. If you're one of these people, coating your glass's rim with granulated sugar instead of salt could be an easy way to make your margarita more palatable while retaining the drink's signature aesthetic.

• Switch up the salt. Using flavored salts can add a refreshing twist to your margarita. Tajín seasoning, for example, is made using a blend of chili, lime, and salt and can be the perfect rim garnish for a spicy margarita.

Of course, there's also always the option of not garnishing your glass's rim at all, but where's the fun in that?