It's a refreshing margarita, but with sea-blue color, it's also absolutely stunning to behold! Make an orange and lime Blue Margarita recipe with just a ingredients; it's perfect for sipping on warm summer evenings.
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Bright and citrusy, and just a little wild, margaritas are one of my favorite drinks. And this margarita is a gorgeous one, too. A Blue Margarita features the flavors of blue curaçao liqueur and fresh lime juice. The vivid blue hue is like the color of the ocean in Cape Cod on a sunny summer day!
You can whip up a batch of blue curaçao margaritas with salted rims in a jiffy!
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A classic, citrusy margarita made stunning with an ocean hue, thanks to orange-flavored blue Curaçao.
- You'll love this part: It's easy to shake up a batch. The vibrant color makes it a fun and festive drink for warm summer evenings or for a festive holiday party.
- How it's made: Coat the rims of glasses with salt, shake the spirits up with lime juice and ice, then strain into the glasses.
Jump to:
What is a Blue Margarita?
To begin with, a traditional margarita is made with tequila, lime juice, triple sec or Cointreau orange liqueur, and a sweetener like agave nectar or simple syrup. My Blue Margarita has all of these ingredients, but with blue Curaçao instead of triple sec
So, what is blue Curaçao? Curaçao (pronounced cure-ah-SOW) is an orange-flavored liqueur named for the Caribbean island where it was first distilled from the peels of native lahara oranges. The sweet spirit typically has an ABV of 20% to 25%.
It's unclear who decided that Curaçao should be dyed blue, but there's no denying that it's a strikingly beautiful color in cocktails like Blue Hawaiians—and this Blue Margarita.
Why you'll love this cocktail
You'll really like the flavors in this blue 'rita recipe. Sweet, orangey blue Curaçao liqueur plus tequila, and tangy lime—they're the classic ingredients that make the drink so appealing. Curaçao is sweet enough that you don't need to add any other sweeteners.
What's really special about Blue Margaritas is that brilliant color. It's so eye-catching!
The sweet orange flavor of this Blue Margarita can be paired with New England summertime savory favorites like buttery boiled lobster, grilled chicken, or the salty flavor of fried clam bellies.
That sky-blue shade also makes a Blue Margarita a beautiful cocktail to serve for winter holiday parties. The blue drink takes on an icy coolness, and the jewel-toned hue is right at home with the festive red, green, silver, and gold decor of the season.
Try these drinks, too!
Margarita lovers should try a Peach Margarita, which has the classic flavors of a fuzzy navel cocktail. Another faborite of mine is the Lemon Margarita made with limoncello. For a more tropical take, a Coconut and Lime Margrita is creamy and refreshing.
Choose the salt for your Blue Margarita
One way I make this bright blue cocktail recipe is with a black lava sea salt rim. It's a black and blue margarita! The colors are striking together.
Other salt options are coarse salt, fine margarita salt, or flavored salt for the rims of your glasses. A fine-grain pink Himalayan salt rim is very pretty on this drink, as is pale blue salt.
For a sweet rim, I love to use an easy, homemade orange sugar recipe from Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussein. It's just sugar and orange peels ground together. (Here is her Instagram post that shows how to make it!) Once you have the orange sugar made, just dip the glass rims into it instead of salt.
🔪 How to make the Blue Margarita Recipe
Ingredients:
- Tequila: The best tequila for margaritas is silver or blanca; they're inexpensive and have a clean, lightly sweet flavor.
- Blue Curaçao liqueur: It's easy to spot this liqueur at the store! The orange-flavored spirit has a brilliant blue color.
- Lime juice: The best flavor in margaritas comes from freshly-squeezed limes. Pick up an extra and use lime wedges or slices as garnishes in the cocktails.
- Agave Nectar: I use this syrup to coat the rims of the glasses. Some brands of agave are very thin; try to use a thicker agave if possible so that it doesn't drip down the glass.
- Salt: To coat the rims, use margarita salt, black salt, pink salt, or blue salt.
- Ice: This margarita is served on the rocks; you'll also need fresh ice to add to the cocktail shaker.
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Salt the rims
Dip the rims of your margarita glasses first into agave nectar, then into the salt. Dab the rims all around until they're evenly coated.
Combine the drink components
Pour the tequila, blue Curaçao, and lime juice with ice into a cocktail shaker or a large mason jar with a lid. Shake the ingredients together.
Pour the drinks
Add ice cubes to the glasses carefully so you don't disturb the rims. Strain the margarita mixture into the glasses and serve immediately. If you want, add lime or orange wedges or slices to the drinks.
Blue Margarita FAQs
If you're not a fan of salt on the rim of your margarita, that's no problem! One option is to leave the rim uncoated, and just add a tiny pinch of salt to the drink to enhance the citrus flavors. Another option is to coat the rim of the glass in sugar instead. Regular sugar, decorating sugar, or sugar blended with edible glitter are all lovely with these Blue Margaritas.
The flavor of a Blue Margarita is primarily that of blue Curaçao: very sweet and orangey. The recipe for blue margaritas also has fresh lime juice to balance the sweetness with acidity and tart flavor.
Tips:
- If don't own any margarita glasses, use regular cocktail glasses, rocks glasses, or pint-sized mason jars.
- Stash your glasses in the freezer ahead of time to get them really cold for your drinks.
- The recipe below makes two modest-sized margaritas. If you're making drinks for more people or just second and third servings for yourself, you can double or triple the quantities listed.
It's time to try this margarita with blue Curaçao. (In Spanish, Curaçao azul. On the island of Curaçao they speak Dutch: Curaçao blauw!)
The Blue Margarita recipe is below! And here are more drinks to try:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Blue Margarita Recipe
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Equipment
- 2 margarita glasses or cocktail glasses
- Cocktail shaker or jar with tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
For the rims:
- Agave nectar (Or simple syrup)
- Salt Colorful options include pink Himalayan, black lava salt, and blue salt.
For the drink:
- 4 ounces tequila, silver or blanca
- 2 ounces Blue Curaçao liqueur
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Ice cubes
- Optional garnish: lime slices or wedges, orange slices
Instructions
Coat the rims:
- Pour some agave nectar into a shallow bowl. Spread the salt in a separate shallow bowl
- Dip the rims of two margarita glasses or cocktail glasses first in the agave nectar, then in the salt, turning to coat the entire rim. Hold the glasses aside.
Make the cocktails:
- Pour the tequila, Blue Curaçao, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and add in lots of ice. Then shake, shake, shake everything together until the liquid is cold.
Assemble the drinks:
- Carefully add 2 to 3 ice cubes to each glass without disturbing the salted rims.
- Strain the margarita mixture carefully over the ice. Add optional lime or orange slices to each glass. Serve the drinks immediately.
Notes
- If you're like me and don't own any margarita glasses, use regular cocktail glasses, rocks glasses, or pint-sized mason jars.
- Stash your glasses in the freezer ahead of time to get them really cold for your drinks.
Nutrition
armchairsquid says
That's beautiful. I had a friend in college who had a strong affection for blue drinks so, obviously, blue margaritas were a thing. We never had black salt on the rim, though - very classy.