Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt for rim
- 1½ ounces tequila
- 1½ ounces limeade
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- ½ ounce agave
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the rocks glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, limeade, orange liqueur, and agave.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into prepared glass.
- Garnish with lime wheel.
Variations and Substitutions
There are plenty of ways to add a spin to the limeade margarita, but options to keep it as classic as you'd like.
- Add a half-ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice to pump up the sour lime flavors.
- For a sweeter lime flavor, add a half-ounce of lime cordial.
- If you're out of agave, honey or simple syrup can be substituted in its place.
- Different tequilas, such as añejo or mezcal, can create a slightly sweet and smooth limeade margarita, while the mezcal can make for a smokey and more savory taste.
- Should heat be the way to your heart, you can muddle a jalapeño coin or two, but start small so as not to make it too spicy.
Garnishes
While a salt rim with a lime is a quintessential margarita garnish, you don't have to feel painted into a corner.
- A dehydrated citrus wheel is a modern garnish for a modern margarita.
- Use a lime ribbon, wheel, or twist to add a flair.
- If you use jalapeños to liven up your margarita, pierce a jalapeño coin with a lime wheel.
- For a sweeter margarita, skip the salt rim and use sugar instead. You can even use some tajin for a little less heat than jalapeños.
About the Limeade Margarita
Limeade is a familiar friend that you've never met, as it's the tart citrus cousin of lemonade. It is oftentimes a bit more tart than lemonade, but with that signature tart lime flavor. To make the limeade from scratch, juice approximately ten limes, giving you roughly ten ounces of lime juice. Add the lime juice to a pitcher along with five cups of warm water and a quarter cup of sugar. Then simply stir together to dissolve the sugar.
If you want your limeade to be less sweet, decrease the sugar amount, but increase the sugar if you like yours to be extra sweetened. Add more lime juice or use less water for a limeade that makes you pucker, so the lime flavor is even more concentrated. Try out a recipe using simple syrup or even honey to get that touch of sweetness.
Limeade in the Shade
With a limeade margarita, you've got it made in the shade. It's one of the simplest margaritas to put together, and if you're really in a pinch, you can toss tequila, limeade, and agave in a glass and call it good. What could be better than that?
