Make your next gathering stress-free with this homemade margarita mix. Provide cups, ice, margarita mix, tequila, and sides so your guests can make their own margaritas.
While we love to prepare for BBQs, picnics and other welcome celebrations, one thing is certain: a delicious cocktail in hand is a must. But with a crowd, bartending could quickly become tiring.
While making drinks for a crowd might get you down the aisle with pre-made drinks, I want to offer an alternative to those preservative-laden, electro-colored concoctions: make your own homemade margarita mix.
But the mix does contain some alcohol from the Orange Liqueur (although I offer an alternative below), so please remember to mark this classic mix as “Adults Only” even before adding tequila.
When your guests are ready for a drink, a well-planned process to get everyone through the line is not only considerate of your guests, but also reduces the chance of running out of everyone trying to get a drink .
Cups, ice, mix, tequila and side dishes neatly arranged on a table puts a drink in your guest’s hand and your guest gets back to the party as soon as possible.
What’s in Margarita Mix?
Homemade Margarita Mix is a mixture of lime juice, sugar, salt, Cointreau, and optionally citric acid. The syrup base is similar to a lime liqueur in that the lime and sugar are heated without additional water, creating a concentrated lime flavor.
You can make 8 margaritas with this mixture.
To make a margarita with the mixture, combine: 2 ounces of tequila, 2 ounces of margarita mix, and a cup of ice and stir.
Tips and tricks for making a homemade margarita mix
Looking for a way to make that mix NA? How about the right way to peel those limes? Find the answers with these tips and tricks.
- Peel limes: A fine microplane gets just the right amount of zest from the lime and no white pith underneath. Also, don’t feel like you have to pass this through a fine sieve. Some lime zest floating around lets your guests know Hey! There’s real lime in there!
- Non-Alcoholic Blend: Swap the Cointreau for orange juice and zest. Depending on the type of orange you choose, you may need to adjust the sweetness up or down. So feel free to try! Offer your guests this non-alcoholic alternative margarita mix with sparkling water or tonic as a bubbly alternative to tequila.
- If you’re looking for something other than tonic water to replace alcohol in your NA cocktails, we’ve got a whole list of our favorites in this article on the best non-alcoholic spirits for building a sober bar.
Homemade Margarita Mix Glassware
Since this mix is enough for a small party, a large swing top bottle is ideal for storage. You can double or even triple the mixture and then transfer it to a pitcher for easy pouring when serving at your party.
Alternatively, the margarita mix can also be filled into smaller swing tops and given away. (I have a neighbor with one on the way as a thank you for letting me raid her lemon tree.)
How Long Can You Keep Homemade Margarita Mixture?
Want to save yourself the hassle of squeezing limes the morning of your party? Homemade margarita mix can be made and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can store it for up to another week, however at this point the flavors will start to fade.
When ready to serve the mixture, shake or stir well as the lime zest will have settled to the bottom and some of the syrup may have separated.
Homemade Margarita Mix
If your limes are very sweet and you want an exceptionally tart mix, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid. Citric acid is available at your local grocery store in the canning section, at restaurants or beer stores, and from online retailers like Amazon.
ingredients
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1 Cup lime juice of 10-12 medium limes
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2/3 Cup granulated sugar
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1/8 teaspoon Salt
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1/2 Cup Cointreau or orange juice and zest
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Zest of half a lime
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1/4 teaspoon citric acidOptional
method
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Juicing limes:
Strain the lime juice into a small bowl.
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Make syrup:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine lime juice, granulated sugar, and salt. On a gentle simmer (just small bubbles!), beat occasionally for 3-5 minutes to dissolve all the sugar.
Remove from the heat once the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool to room temperature.
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Finished Homemade Margarita Mixture:
Once the lime and sugar mixture has cooled, stir in the Cointreau (or orange juice for the non-alcoholic version), lime zest, and citric acid, if using.
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How to store:
Store the margarita mix in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
When ready to serve the mixture, shake or stir well as the lime zest will have settled to the bottom and some of the syrup may have separated.
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Make a Margarita:
To make a margarita with this mixture, combine 2 ounces of tequila, 2 ounces of margarita mix, pour over ice and stir or pour into a shaker, shake and strain into an ice-filled glass.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 116 | calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 23g | carbohydrates |
| 0g | protein |
