Sip on sunshine with my vibrant Lemon Margarita! Made with simple ingredients including New England limoncello, it's my favorite cocktail for a relaxed weekend.
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My lemony take on the classic cocktail is bright and refreshing! Lemon Margaritas are made with fresh lemon juice, tequila, and sweet limoncello liqueur.
I love making a batch of lemon margaritas to sip on the back deck on warm evenings. It's a drink that's also perfect for weekend brunches and backyard cookouts.
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In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A bright twist on a classic margarita that tastes like a lightly boozy lemonade.
- You'll love this part: It's a lovely balance of sweet and tart. And I make it with a New England limoncello brand.
- How it's made: Moisten and salt the glass rims. Shake the ingredients with ice, then pour over more ice.
What's in a margarita?
With a name that means "daisy" in Spanish, this citrusy cocktail has been around for well over a century. Traditionally, a margarita is made from just three ingredients: tequila, lime juice, and an orange liqueur like Triple Sec. Margaritas can be served on the rocks or frozen, and include a layer of salt on the rim of the glass.
Sometimes you just can't beat the original. (Like the first Die Hard, according to my husband and son.) But a margarita? Well, I think margaritas are deliciously open to variation!
Taking inspiration from the original iteration, bartenders and home mixologists have created endless margaritas from different fruits, sweeteners, and flavorings. Tequila and a salted rim are constants, though, and usually a citrus component.
I have a few margarita variations of my own!
I ♥ lemons!
My Favorite Lemon Recipes
In sweet rolls, ice cream, and salads, lemon brings bright citrusy sunshine.
Are lemon margaritas good?
Oh yes, lemon margaritas are quite good! They're sweet, citrusy, and refreshing.
This Lemon Margarita skips the usual Cointreau or Triple Sec; instead, it's mixed with lemon juice, tequila, and limoncello, which is a sweet intensely lemon-flavored liqueur. This cocktail has the perfect balance of sweet and tart, like a grown-up lemonade.
The star ingredient is New England made!
Rather than relying on lemon juice alone to bring sunshiney flavor to this drink, I turn to limoncello liqueur. And I'm so happy that there's a New England-made limoncello for my New England margarita!
Fabrizia Spirits located in Salem, New Hampshire, makes limoncello from a recipe handed down through generations of the Mastroianni family. They import lemons from their own grove in Sicily, Italy. (Their website even has a lemon grove cam where you can watch the lemons grow!)
Those Sicilian lemons are used to make the genuine limoncello, and also their lemon spritz and canned cocktails. Fabrizia even has its own baking company where they pour that real limoncello into cookies, breads, and biscotti.
Their limoncello has an intense lemon flavor, with a light sweetness and a citrusy bite that tastes like freshly zested lemon rind.
Plan a trip to southern New Hampshire soon so you can take a tour of Fabrizia and see those Italian lemons up close! (And get a sample of limoncello too, of course.)
Why you'll love sipping on this Lemon Margarita
Add this tequila lemon cocktail to your rotation to give your guests (and yourself) a refreshing option any time of the year. It's a summery drink for sure, but that bright lemon flavor and color also feels perfect in springtime, as a drink to serve at weekend brunches and for Mother's Day. And make a batch of lemon tequila drinks to brighten up cold, dark winter days when you're dreaming of sunnier days ahead.
The cocktail is made with limoncello, an Italian spirit with a smooth, strong lemon flavor. The liqueur gives the margarita a bold lemon flavor with a balance of sweetness and tartness.
This simple lemonade margarita is quick to mix up, and you can even convert it to be a frozen margarita.
Sometimes I call this a Lemonheads margarita, because the intense, sweet lemon flavor reminds me of the old-fashioned, hard lemon candies.
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🔪 How to make a Lemon Margarita
Ingredients:
- Fresh lemons: For the very best and most refreshing flavor, pick up a fresh lemon for fresh-squeezed lemon juice. And slice up fresh lemons to garnish the drinks.
- Simple syrup: This is a simple liquid sugar used to sweeten cocktails like this one. You can buy simple syrup in liquor stores or the mixed drink section of grocery stores. Or, make your own simple syrup using just sugar and water.
- Tequila: I use Blanco or silver tequila, which has a short aging time that gives it a clean flavor and clear color. You can also use longer aged varieties like reposado or añejo if you'd rather.
- Limoncello liqueur: Find bottled brands at your liquor store; Fabrizia is my preferred brand because it's made here in New England! You can also use a homemade limoncello, like this recipe.
- Salt: Coat the rim of the glasses with regular salt, or if you'd rather a tinted or flavored salt. Not a fan of salt rims? The recipe below has more ideas!
Salt the rims
Use a lemon wedge to moisten the rims of the glasses. Then, dip the rims in salt spread out in a shallow dish.
Mix the ingredients
Pour lemon juice, sugar syrup, and the spirits into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to blend and chill them well.
Pour and serve
Add large ice cubes or cocktail cubes to the glasses. Pour the blended margarita mixture over the ice. Garnish the glasses with sliced lemons, then start sipping!
Lemon Margarita FAQs
Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made from fresh lemons. It has a light sweetness and intense lemon flavor, with a citrusy bite that tastes like freshly zested lemon rind. My preferred brand of limoncello is the New England-based Fabrizia Spirits, who make their limoncello with imported Sicilian lemons.
Yes! Put the ingredients in a blender pitcher. Add in about 2-3 cups of ice and blend them on high to make a lemony, boozy slush.
The purpose of coating the rims of margarita glasses with salt is to provide balance with the sour, citrus flavors, as well as to enhance the flavors of the drink in general. If you hate a salted rim, try adding just a pinch of salt to each lemon drop margarita instead.
Enjoy the citrusy, summery drink with salty chips and salsa, or with seafood like fish tacos and ceviche. The lemon flavor is also tasty alongside light pasta dishes and grill fare like burgers and steak.
For sweet pairings, serve lemon margaritas with fruit sorbets, fresh fruit salads, and crisp shortbread cookies.
Tips:
- Salt on the rims is up to you, of course. Feel free to omit it, or even try some fine sugar on the rims instead!
The Lemon Margarita recipe is below. And I have a couple more lively drinks for you, too!
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Margarita
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Equipment
- 2 margarita or cocktail glasses
Ingredients
- margarita or cocktail salt
- 1 lemon wedge
- 4 ounces tequila (Blanco or silver)
- 4 ounces simple syrup
- 2 ounces limoncello lemon liqueur (such as Fabrizia Spirits brand)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ice
- large ice cubes or cocktail ice
- lemon slices (for garnish)
Instructions
Coat the rims:
- Spread margarita or cocktail salt in a shallow dish wide enough for the rims of your glasses.
- Cut a slit in 1 lemon wedge and rub the lemon around the rims of the glasses to wet them.
- Dip the rims of two margarita glasses into the salt.
Blend the ingredients:
- Put 4 ounces tequila, 4 ounces simple syrup, 2 ounces limoncello lemon liqueur, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice in a cocktail shaker or mason jar, then add in some ice.
- Cover the container and shake it well, to combine and chill the margarita mixture.
Strain and serve:
- Carefully add large ice cubes or cocktail ice to the prepared glasses. Pour the margarita mixture over the ice, being careful not to knock salt off the rims.
- Slip lemon slices into each glass.
- Serve and enjoy the drinks immediately!
- Makes two margaritas.
To make a big batch of Lemon Margaritas:
- Double or triple the ingredients for the Lemon Margaritas (lemon juice, limoncello, tequila, and simple syrup), and blend them well. Pour the mixture into a pitcher and cover.
- Store the batch Lemon Margaritas in the fridge. Slice up a lemon or two and store the slices in a covered dish in the fridge.
- Just before serving, coat the rims of the glasses in salt, and add cocktail ice cubes to them. Pour the cold margarita mixture into the glasses and garnish them with lemon slices.
To store:
- If you have leftover Lemon Margaritas, transfer the liquid to a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
armchairsquid says
Sounds lovely. Those ice cubes are a nice touch, too.
Nancy Mock says
I do enjoy whimsical ice cubes!