Frozen Margarita

I’ve really got into tequila lately, so of course I need to include a margarita in my repertoire. As I mention in my Tropical Margarita Recipe, I don’t make margaritas according to bartender traditions. I don’t use Triple Sec because I just don’t have it in my cupboard and I wouldn’t use it often enough to warrant buying it, so I add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra zing. I also add a tad of vanilla to the simple syrup to add another dimension. You could miss the simple syrup out altogether and just add a squeeze of agave syrup when making your margarita. Oh and I also use sugar and salt on the rim. I just find the salt a bit too much on its own, so sue me.

As you can establish from the above, I like my cocktails on the sweet side, but if you’re a traditionalist, miss out the sugar syrup/agave altogether. I salute you!

You will need a blender for a frozen cocktail just fyi. That’s pretty self-explanatory but thought I would mention it just in case. Okay, get your ice out of the freezer and let’s get blending!

Ingredients & Method

Makes 2 drinks

For the Vanilla Simple Syrup (You’ll want 30 ml of this):

• 1/2 glass of water
• 1/2 glass of sugar
• 1 vanilla pod OR 1 tsp vanilla extract

*Store in the fridge for up to a week for midweek cocktail fun*

For the rest:

• 50 ml blanco tequila
• 40 ml lime juice
• 1 glass crushed ice (+ more to adjust for your preferences)
• Squeeze of lemon juice

For decoration:

• Sugar and salt mixed together on a plate
• 1/2 lime

1. Make the simple syrup: Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the sugar. If using a vanilla pod, run a knife down the middle to release the seeds, and add this to the sugar water. Alternatively, add your vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved and the watery substance has turned into a syrup, take off the heat, remove the vanilla pod if using, and pour the syrup into a bowl to cool for at least 1 hour. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
2. Coat your glasses: Start by coating the rims of your glasses. Run the lime half around the rim of your glasses and then dip the rims into your sugar and salt mixture. Congrats, you’ve decorated some cocktail glasses. Set aside.
3. Make your cocktail: Place all of the ingredients in the blender, liquids in first followed by the ice last. Pulse until the ice starts to break up and everything begins to come together. Then gradually start blending on low, increasing the speed as you go (this helps your blender blades out). If the mixture is too icy, add a tad more lime juice and simple syrup. If it’s too liquid, add more ice. When you’ve blended everything to the right consistency for you, spoon the icy drink out into your glasses. Delish!