Quick lemon margarita

Full of citrusy flavor, this is a twist on the classic margarita, and boy does it work, it’s perfect to sip on at the end of a hot summers day. We show you how to make a lemon margarita in just 5 minutes.

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If you’re anything like us, you’ll need a wonderful lemon fix every now and again.

So when we were preparing for summer cocktails with friends in the garden, our minds went to lemon drinks.

Our friends have already tried our lemon drop martini and we wanted to shake things up a bit.

We absolutely love margaritas, one of our favourites being our amazing refreshing watermelon margarita.

And so we prepared the most amazing lemon margarita!

A twist on the traditional margarita that’s usually made with lime, it was lemon all the way for this instant hit of a cocktail!

It’ll take you just 5 minutes to make this easy margarita recipe, so why not give it a try?

What alcohol goes in it?

In our lemon margarita, we include tequila and triple sec.

That’s all.

What equipment will I need?

We recommend the following cocktail equipment but if you don’t have it then don’t worry, just take a look at our tips section for some great DIY cocktail equipment!

You’ll need a cocktail shaker, a jigger (to measure the alcohol), a Hawthorne strainer, a lemon squeezer and last but not least, a cocktail glass.

Because this isn’t a frozen margarita, you won’t need a blender.

Is this a frozen margarita?

No, our lemon margarita is what’s known as straight-up, meaning that while you use ice to shake it, there’s no ice in the actual cocktail.

A frozen margarita is made in the blender and includes ice cubes and has a slush puppy consistency.

There are also traditional margaritas that are ‘on the rocks’ which simply means that they are served in a margarita glass with ice cubes in.

So simple and so refreshing, this is a lemon lovers dream margarita. Once you make your own margaritas, you’ll never want to buy shop-bought again!

Is it vegan?

We’ve got great news for you, our lemon margarita recipe is vegan friendly!

We always recommend that you always check the labels on your preferred brands as brands differ and they also change their recipes.

Do I have to use fresh lemon juice?

Yes, you do.

The whole emphasis on this perfect cocktail is on the fresh taste of lemon.

Store-bought bottled lemon juice simply doesn’t come close, think about all of the preservatives that they have to put into it to make it last.

When you cut and then squeeze a lemon yourself, it’s not only fresh and pure, it tastes sensational, it’s this lemon juice you want and when you take the first sip of your homemade lemon margarita, then you want to taste the difference (bet your mouth is watering now right?)

What lemon should I use?

In an ideal world, you’d use Meyer lemons.

If you’re living in America or Australia then use a Meyer lemon to make your fruity cocktail.

A Meyer lemon has smooth yellow skin, they are sweeter, not so acidic and beautifully lemony.

Cut a Meyer lemon open and there will be a real difference to the smell and it’ll look very different to a regular lemon.

Any way you look at it, Meyer lemon juice is a cut above the rest.

The problem with living in the UK is that they are rarer than hen’s teeth (I think I’ve seen them only once in the stores, Myer lemons that is, not hen’s teeth) and so we couldn’t use Meyer lemons. We have had to use regular lemons.

We think our margarita tastes great but can you imagine how much better if it was a fresh Meyer lemon margarita? Wow, that would be amazing!

What is a lemon wheel?

A lemon wheel is used a lot as a cocktail garnish.

It’s simply a slice of lemon that is from the middle section of fresh lemon.

What is the difference between a lemon margarita and a Texas margarita?

Our lemon margarita uses tequila, triple sec, lemon and agave nectar. A Texas margarita will use tequila, lime, triple sec and orange juice.

Can I make this ahead?

Our lemon margarita is great for making ahead and means that it’s an easy cocktail for a party.

Just mix all of the ingredients together and store it (without the ice cubes you don’t want it diluting) in the fridge.

When you’re ready to serve your cocktails, then just give it a good stir.

Make a batch of these delicious drinks by multiplying the servings in our recipe card.

You may like some other great summer cocktail recipes that can be made ahead, our passion fruit mojito and passion fruit margarita are just two wonderful cocktails to try.

Recipe notes and tips

• Not sure if you’ll like a lemon salt rim on your margarita glass?
  Only salt half of the rim, this way you can see the difference that it makes.
• Agave nectar is a great ingredient but if you don’t have it then just use sugar syrup instead.
• Don’t have a cocktail shaker?
  That’s no problem, just get a sterilised jar with a lid, put all of the ingredients in it, secure the lid and shake!
• Even though you’ll look like a pro barman, you don’t actually have to use a Hawthorne strainer, a simple tea strainer will also do a grand job, just make sure you pour slowly.
• If you don’t have a cocktail jigger then just use a measuring jug instead.
• Not everyone has margarita glasses at home, if you don’t then that’s not a problem, use a martini glass, a coupe glass or a tumbler glass. The main thing is to make sure your glasses have a wide opening.

How do I make it?

It’ll only take you 5 minutes to rustle up this sensational lemon margarita if you follow our easy instructions.

The first thing to do is to gather your ingredients.

For this lemon margarita recipe, you’ll need tequila, triple sec, fresh lemon juice, agave syrup (or sugar syrup) and flaky sea salt.

Before you start mixing your cocktail you’ll need to salt the rim of your margarita glass.

We use fresh homemade lemon salt which is really easy to make.

Take a couple of tablespoons of flaky sea salt and add the zest of half a lemon into it. Massage the zest into the salt with your fingers until it’s perfectly combined, it’ll smell lovely and lemony.

Pour the salt onto a flat plate or surface.

Then cut a fresh lemon wedge and wipe it around the rim, then turn your cocktail glass upside down and gently swirl the glass in the salt until you have a lovely even salted rim.

Now it’s time to start building your lemon margarita!

In a cocktail shaker, using your jigger add 25ml of tequila, followed by 25ml of triple sec.

Next to go into your shaker is 25ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice and finally 25ml of agave syrup.

Add a handful of ice cubes and secure the lid on your cocktail shaker.

Now shake your lemon margarita ingredients vigorously for 30 seconds.

Using your Hawthorne strainer, pour your mixture into your cocktail glass.

Cut a fresh lemon wheel for garnish and your sensational summer lemon margarita is ready to serve.

Lemon heaven! Cheers, and enjoy!

We hope you enjoy making our lemony margarita recipe and we’d love to know how you got on with it.

Please leave a comment or ask a question below as we love hearing from you.

More Margarita Recipes You’ll Love

• Lemon margarita
• Classic margarita – this lime-fueled
• Fruity watermelon margarita
• Passion fruit margarita
• Frozen strawberry margarita

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