Short Margaritas

I've got an easy, short, FUN recipe on deck today!

I know I've shared margarita recipes before. First my Mangling Margaritas, and then my old stand-by, my Special Margaritas.  But sometimes you want a margarita and you don't want all the sugar from the mix. Sometimes you want just one margarita, and not a pitcher. What's a girl to do?

Enter the short margarita. Also known as the fresh margarita, the margarita for 1, and in some places, the authentic margarita. 

If you check out the origins of the margarita, most literature states that a true, authentic margarita consists of 4 ingredients: tequila, Triple Sec (orange liqueur), freshly squeezed lime juice, and most importantly (for me!) a healthy dose of salt on the rim of the glass. To me, there's a huge difference between my special margaritas (made with mix) and these fresh margaritas. I find the older I get, the more I appreciate a fresh margarita and seem to be reaching for those. Especially after you get served one of those sugary concoctions that they try to pass off as margaritas, like at chain restaurants such as Red Robin and Buffalo Wild Wings. Bleh. Not for me 😖

I've got my 4 ingredients, plus ice. I prefer my margaritas on the rocks, always.  

The freshly squeezed lime juice is the key to this cocktail. If you use mix, it will taste like mix. Stick with the fresh lime. 

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker or mason jar.

Get your glass ready! You need to wet the rim of your glass to get the salt to stick to it. You could just use some water but I prefer to run a lemon or lime wedge around the top of my glass. It makes a lot more salt stick for longer. Perfect for salt lovers 😋

Twist the glass around in the salt...

And you're done! The perfect salted rim. 

From there, you fill the glass with ice and simply pour your cocktail over the ice. Margarita heaven! My last note on this cocktail is that I doubled the tequila in the recipe. Yes, I really like to taste the tequila. I put 2 shots in one drink but depending on your margarita preference, you can make these drinks with 1 shot. Again, that's up to your proclivity for tequila. If you do increase the tequila, make sure you use a nice, higher-end one since you can really taste it. I used my favorite tequila that I discovered when the hubby and I were in Cancun 😎

Well, sorry about being gone for a week there. The hubby and I spent last weekend in Cincinnati with his cousin and wife where we attended a Garth Brooks concert. I'll talk more about Garth in my end of the month wrap-up, but I'll say this now- what an amazing show! Honestly my one complaint about the show is that it was too short! 😂 I've been a Garth Brooks fan since I was 10 years old and I've always wanted to see him. My mom used to record his live specials that were on TV years and years ago, and we always watched them together. I'm just so glad he headed back out on tour so I could see him. That's one life-long dream I can check off my list! ✔️😁

We got back from Cincinnati on Monday afternoon, and it seemed like immediately both the hubby and I began coughing. Flash forward 3 days, and we are both now sick. Ugh. I'm kicking myself because I was just talking to my mom yesterday on the phone and mentioning I had a cough, but no other symptoms. It was not even an hour after getting off the phone with my mom that drainage began. Later that night, my nose got stuffy. 

Why, oh why, didn't I knock on wood? Drat, drat, drat. 

Soooooo... I may or not be medicating myself with a short margarita this afternoon as the hubby and I listlessly make our way through this latest cold. Thank goodness for tequila!  

Have a great day everyone!

Recipe adapted from: Bon Appetit

Ingredients (makes 1 cocktail):

3 ounces tequila

1 1/2 ounces orange liqueur (I used Patron's)

1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

salt, ice, lime wedges

Directions:

1. Combine tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice in a shaker or mason jar. Shake to combine. 

2. Take a highball glass and wet around the rim of the glass. Dip the glass into margarita salt, and twist to coat the rim with salt. Shake off any excess. 

3. Fill the glass with ice, and pour drink into glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve immediately!

Printable Recipe

If you liked this recipe, you may enjoy these-

Jessica's Special Margaritas

"Mangling" Margaritas (mango + Yuengling lager margarita)

Lucky Mules