Mama's Classic Margarita Recipe

Margarita simple syrup is an easy to make, non-alcoholic, sweet ingredient that is added to your margarita. Many cocktails have simple syrup as an ingredient, including my Classic Margarita Recipe. You can buy simple syrup from the store or you can DIY it with this recipe. All you need is granulated sugar and water.

Margarita Simple Syrup Recipe

This classic margarita recipe comes from mom, Nicole. When my family gets together for special occasions, my mom whips up a mean, lime margarita with homemade simple syrup. A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice, blended with ice, or without ice.

Classic lime margaritas are definitely one of my favorite cocktails. I love the mix of salty, sweet and sour.

Fun fact! Margarita, is the Spanish word for Daisy. You can impress your dinner guests with that bit of knowledge. You're welcome.

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Margarita Simple Syrup Ingredients:

• 2oz tequila
• 2oz triple sec
• 2oz lime juice
• 5 ice cubes
• coarse sea salt
• 2 oz simple syrup (see recipe below)

• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Can you use regular granulated sugar instead of simple syrup in your cocktail?

Think of simple syrup as a dissolved version of a sugar cube. Alcohol actually inhibits sugar crystals from dissolving, so using a syrup makes it possible to sweeten a spiritous cocktail easily, even if it contains little to no water or juice. Some recipes may indeed call for granulated sugar or a sugar cube.

Simple syrup is a common ingredient in mojitos, sweet martinis, and an array of other mixed drinks.

How long can you store simple syrup for?

Make only enough that you're likely to use within a reasonable time frame. Stored in the refrigerator,  simple syrup should last 1 month. Left too long, your syrup can get moldy.

What can you use in place of simple syrup?

No sugar in your kitchen and don't have time to go to the store? A number of cocktails call for honey, but it could be used as a simple syrup substitute as well. Honey has fewer calories than refined sugar, and contains a small amount of vitamins.

Mix ½ tablespoon with ¾ tablespoon boiling water, and stir until dissolved as a replacement for simple syrup.

Can you make simple syrup in the microwave?

Yes! Microwave 1 cup water in a microwave-safe 4-cup glass measuring cup at HIGH 1 minute and 30 seconds or until very hot. Stir in sugar; stir 20 seconds. Microwave at HIGH 45 seconds; stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is clear. Cover and chill until ready to use.

What is a rich simple syrup?

Sweeter than basic simple syrup, rich simple syrup doubles the amount of sugar for a 2:1 ratio of granulated sugar to water. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

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Classic Margarita Recipe Instructions

Combine the tequila, triple sec, simple syrup and fresh lime juice in a blender with 5 ice cubes and blend until frothy. Pour into a glass rimmed with coarse sea salt and garnish with fresh lime slices.

Freshly squeezed lime juice is the key ingredient. The most common lime in the United States is the thick-skinned Persian limes. However, margaritas in Mexico are generally made with Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin-skinned limes and have more tart and an often bitter flavor compared to Persian limes.

Can you make a margarita without a blender?

Typically, a blender is used to make a frozen margarita. Delicious, yes, but not the only way to make one. Try making a shaken margarita served in a cocktail glass or pour it over ice (on the rocks).