Simple Fresh Margaritas with Colored Rimming Salt (including a non-alcoholic version, too!)

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Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, or just chilling and enjoying the beautiful weekend sunshine, consider making yourself a margarita from scratch. All I know is Cinco de Drinko isn’t complete without a nice refreshing margarita. In college, Durango margarita mix was my apartment’s favorite drink. If I had found that in the grocery store today, I would’ve dropped good money for a few bottles.

Click here for the recipe for ‘Fresh Margaritas’

Here’s a recipe for fresh margaritas from scratch, and I’m also including a little recipe for special blue-green rimming salt. My roommates and I used to buy this amazing rimming salt that was sweet, sour, and neon blue-green. I decided to recreate that stuff because it’s delicious and goes perfectly with these margaritas.

Click here for the recipe for ‘Colored Rimming Salt for Margaritas’

For those who would like to make non-alcoholic margaritas, I’ve included a recipe below!

Click here for the recipe for ‘Non-alcoholic Fresh Margaritas’

To start, here’s what you need for the rimming salt:

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Kosher salt! The left salt is regular table salt(iodized salt), and the right is coarse kosher salt. You can see the kosher salt grains are larger than the ones on the left. Do NOT use regular table salt(the left one) for rimming salt. The taste is too harsh, and the granules aren’t ideal for rimming salt.

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Oh, you also need granulated sugar, and blue and green food coloring. You don’t have to color the salt. But, what the hey, it’s a holiday tomorrow. I’m going all out with colored rimming salt.

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Drop a single drop each of blue and green food coloring onto the kosher salt and sugar. If you’re using gel food coloring, use a toothpick to help you. Liquid food coloring will probably be better for this, but I couldn’t find it.

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Drop one drop of verde and one drop of azul.

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What a fiesta! Mish mash it around with a spoon to distribute the colors.

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Want more color? Add a few more drops if you want a deeper hue.

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Grab a margarita glass. Cut a wedge of lime and run it all along the lip of the glass to moisten it.

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Roll the outside lip of the glass in the colored rimming salt. Roll just the outside lip — there’s no need to dunk the whole thing in there to coat the inside and outside lips. This will help prevent too much salt from slipping into your margarita as you drink it later.

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Nice. ¡Que linda!

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Okay, onto the margarita ingredients. You need ice, tequila (optional), agave syrup (substitutes: honey), fresh limes, and fresh oranges. That’s it, I swear! How simple. Don’t even think about using lime juice in those small plastic bottles shaped like a lime. Gross.

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Cut those limes and orange in half.

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And juice them in a liquid measuring cup. Squeeze all that you can out of them. You can use a citrus juicer if you have one.

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Save those lime/orange peels and cut the fruit up into small pieces, just like this.

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Throw them into the liquid measuring cup with the fruit juice. And muddle, muddle, muddle, you muggle. Muddle means you mash the ingredients with a wooden spoon (or wand). Do this to release the flavors of the zest. And do it violently for, oh.. say, 2 minutes or so.

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Now add the agave syrup and muddle that around to distribute the sweetness.

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Add some crushed ice and mix that around til the fruit juices are cold.

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Where’s the alcohol, you ask? Aquí, mi amigo. Pour a shot (or more, if you please) into the bottom of the margarita glass. (okay, I get it. This isn’t how a bartender makes a margarita, but you know what? This is delicious, and you don’t even need a cocktail shaker) If you’re making a non-alcoholic version, omit the tequila! That’s totally fine.

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My good friend in LA is an excellent bartender. I hope this unconventional method doesn’t disappoint. Anyway, hold a small strainer over the glass and pour your fruit juice through, with the fruit chunks and all.

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Use a spoon to push all that juice through the strainer.

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And top the margarita off with more crushed ice.

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Don’t forget the slice of lime as a garnish! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Colored Rimming Salt for Margaritas

Total time: 2 minutes
Prep: 2 min
Cook: 0 min
Yield: ¼ cup
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons kosher salt (not regular table salt)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1-2 drops blue food coloring (gel or liquid)
1-2 drops green food coloring (gel or liquid)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine kosher salt and sugar. Add drops of blue and green food coloring, and stir with a spoon until colors are evenly distributed. To store, pour rimming salt in an air-tight container and place in refrigerator for future use.

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Fresh Margaritas

Total time: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 0 min
Yield: 1 serving
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons rimming salt
2 limes
½ orange (substitutes: ½ cup orange juice)
2 tablespoons agave syrup (substitutes: 2 tablespoons honey)
1 shot tequila (equivalent to 3 tablespoons)
1 cup crushed ice

Directions:
Cut a small wedge of lime and wet the lip of a margarita glass with the lime in a full circle. Pour rimming salt into a small dish, and dip the outside lip of the moistened glass in the salt. Roll the lip of the glass in salt until the entire outside lip is covered in salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized liquid measuring cup, juice 2 limes and ½ an orange. Cut the remaining fruit (i.e., the peel and pith) into small 1-inch pieces. Throw the fruit in the measuring cup, and using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the fruit into the juice so that the zest can release its flavors. Continue to muddle, or smash the fruit peels, for about 2 minutes. Add agave syrup and stir with wooden spoon until mixed and dissolved. Add ½ cup of crushed ice, and stir with wooden spoon until juice is chilled, about 30 seconds.

Pour 1 shot of tequila into the prepared margarita glass (you may use more tequila, if desired). While holding a strainer over the salted margarita glass and tequila, pour the orange and lime juices into the glass. Use a spoon to press out all the juice through the strainer. Discard remaining fruit peel. Fill the margarita glass with remaining ½ cup crushed ice, or with enough ice to fill glass to top. Serve immediately.

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Non-alcoholic Fresh Margaritas

Total time: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 0 min
Yield: 1 serving
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
Rimming salt
2 limes
½ orange (substitutes: ½ cup orange juice)
2 tablespoons agave syrup (substitutes: 2 tablespoons honey)
Crushed ice

Directions:
Cut a small wedge of lime and wet the lip of a margarita glass with the lime in a full circle. Pour rimming salt into a small dish, and dip the outside lip of the moistened glass in the salt. Roll the lip of the glass in salt until the entire outside lip is covered in salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized liquid measuring cup, juice 2 limes and ½ an orange. Cut the remaining fruit (i.e., the peel and pith) into small 1-inch pieces. Throw the fruit in the measuring cup, and using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the fruit into the juice so that the zest can release its flavors. Continue to muddle, or smash the fruit peels, for about 2 minutes. Add agave syrup and stir with wooden spoon until mixed and dissolved. Add ½ cup of crushed ice, and stir with wooden spoon until juice is chilled, about 30 seconds.

While holding a strainer over the salted margarita glass and tequila, pour the orange and lime juice into the glass. Use a spoon to press out all the juice through the strainer. Discard remaining fruit. Fill the margarita glass with remaining ½ cup crushed ice, or with enough ice to fill glass to top. Serve immediately.

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