What are Spring and Summer for if not sitting somewhere drinking some sort of alcoholic water? In fact, maybe we should just combine the two seasons into one mega-season titled “Cocktail Season” so that everybody knows where our heads are at. A cocktail of choice can be a really personal preference but if I had to pick only one to have for the rest of my life, it’d be a margarita. I thought I hated tequila until I had a good margarita, and I went years thinking they were difficult to make and contained a lot of different ingredients, but I was very wrong. One of the best things about margaritas is not only is a classic margarita delicious, there are just about infinite possibilities for different recipes. On a very basic level you can choose from frozen, not frozen, shaken, or stirred and beyond that you can create almost anything your brain can imagine. Here are 7 of my favorite margaritas to get you through the newly anointed “Cocktail Season.”
Classic Margarita {via chowhound}
Drinks (& food) that have short ingredient lists can sometimes be deceivingly simple looking at face value. It seems like you can just throw a few things in a glass, stir them, and out comes a perfect margarita. Wrong — and I know this from experience. It took some trial and error, research, and more than a few just-okay margaritas, but I finally found my ideal recipe in this one from chowhound. A few notes that I picked up during the aforementioned “trial & error” period: this recipe has no sweetener in it, so if you like your margaritas a tad sweet, add 1/2 tsp agave. To make things easier: I find that 1 regular sized lime generally gets you 1 oz of juice. You’ll see the link specifically says not to use triple sec but you’ll also see that triple sec is WAY cheaper that Cointreau. So unless you’re making these cocktails for extremely picky people, the triple sec is fine.
Image Credit: daBinsi
Blackberry Margaritas {via cooking light}
This is a fruit margarita that is made in a blender but is not at all a blended drink and would not be considered a frozen margarita. Do you follow or have I totally lost you? Doesn’t matter, all that really does is this is a really yummy twist on a classic. I love serving these at a party especially because not only are they a knockout taste-wise but they also have a really gorgeous color that looks super impressive with little-to-no effort on your part. They use a simple syrup, but it’s made in the microwave, and once that is done you just put the rest of the ingredients in a blender which does the rest of the work for you. To make it even easier: I don’t feel the need to strain these because the fruit pieces look pretty in the glasses, and I’ve never gotten any complaints.
Frozen Mango Margarita {via oh she glows}
This is the only frozen margarita here, because classic margaritas just tend to win over the frozen ones, with this mango one being the exception. And despite it being the analomy here, I have a feeling that it’s one you’ll continue to come back to. Mango and tequila works really well together and when it’s combined with acid from the lime juice, it is a special and addicting flavor. I generally skip the lime-zested rims for this to keep it simple and I almost always use frozen mango slices instead of the ones in the jars that the recipe calls for. It’s easier, frozen fruit goes on sale pretty often, and it keeps the drinks colder than they would be when using the standard un-frozen mangoes.
Grapefruit Margaritas with Ginger Salt Rim {via climbing grier mountain}
We’re getting a few degrees away from a standard margarita with this one. Not only does it contain grapefruit juice but it has ginger beer as well, which makes it pretty different from the standard but because the margarita flavors are so strong, it definitely still tastes like the drink. Well maybe we should call it margarita’s brother or sister just to be sure, but no matter the label, it is delicious. If you love ginger, this should be the next drink that you try out. While it may seem a bit strange, the ginger goes nicely with the tequila, and the tartness from the grapefruit juice brings it all back together. And don’t skip the ginger-lime rim here! It makes the drink.
Crushed Strawberry Margaritas {via hola jalapeno}
These are so gorgeous that I suggest you make them even if you don’t like margaritas. You can just stare at them instead. There is just something about crushed fruit suspended in liquid that is naturally gorgeous. And then it becomes even more beautiful when you realize it’s mixed with alcohol! I love the sweetness that the strawberries add to the margarita and although this recipe only makes one, the proportions can easily be doubled/tripled/etc, even for the most math-challenged among us, making this a really great recipe to have on hand for a party.
Image Credit: meg quinn
Jalapeno Margaritas {via ina garten}
I first saw this margarita back in December when Ina made it on The Today Show. It peaked my interest even though I’m not usually one for spicy drinks because jalapenos and tequila seemed like such a duh-match that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen this margarita anywhere before. A few months later, I was feeling particularly adventurous and I finally made the margaritas. Surprisingly, I loved them! Which tells me that even if you aren’t big on spicy drinks or food, you will too. They are spicy but not overwhelmingly so, just in that very addicting way. Ina does warn not to soak the jalapenos in the tequila for too long and I have to back up the Queen, there is such a thing as too much with these!
Blood Orange Margaritas {via smitten kitchen}
This one is a bit of a reach because we are at the tail end of citrus season. I’m still able to find blood oranges in my grocery store but I’m not sure they’re available everywhere or for how much longer they’ll be around. But I couldn’t offer you margarita recipes and exclude one of my favorites, no matter the time of year. Plus — if you can’t find blood oranges, this can easily be made with regular ones. Of course it won’t have that stunning pink color (which probably counts for 70% of my enjoyment of this drink if I’m being real with myself and you) and it’ll be a little less sweet, but it will still be fresh and yummy.
Are you a margarita fan?
Featured image is from dabinsi on flickr.
The Hudsucker 
I must try the Jalapeno one, thanks for the recipes!