It’s a Monday holiday, and that calls for a Skinny Margarita! In addition to being one of my favorite drink recipes, this simple, four-ingredient cocktail has become one of yours too. I added a fun video for a single serving (you can watch it below), but you can easily scale this recipe for a crowd. A few of you (hi Jordan and Jamie!) have even told me that, after you made these Skinny Margaritas once for ladies’ night, your friends started requesting you bring it to every gathering. Cheers. Also, if you have room for one more lady, you know who to call.
If I could only have one cocktail for the rest of my days (a semi-alarming prospect indeed), it would be a fresh margarita. No mixes, bottled juices, or frozen mumbo jumbo here. Give me my rim salted, my ice cubes large and in charge, and an extra splash of tequila for good luck.
When made properly—meaning the recipe ingredients include only fresh juices, liquor, and agave or simple syrup a margarita is one of the most refreshing, satisfying drinks you’ll taste.
Margaritas make me think of sunny, relaxed afternoons outside, long vacations, and nights out with my sisters. They remind me of Taco Tuesdays (and Taco Thursdays) at our favorite Mexican joint in Milwaukee and beaches where I’d like to dig my toes into the sand. I never tire of those feelings, and I certainly never tire of a well made margarita.
Skinny Margarita – What is It and How to Make It
Margarita romance runs in our family. They are one of my mom’s favorite drinks, so when she visited Milwaukee last year, I took her out for Taco Thursday, where she requested a “skinny margarita.”
I’ve witnessed my mom order a skinny margarita at numerous restaurants on numerous occasions, and unless it’s a drink the restaurant already has on its menu, the server usually doesn’t know what she means (and when asked, she isn’t quite sure herself). For her benefit, our servers’ benefit, and the benefit of margarita drinkers the world over, I did a bit of digging to determine what exactly makes a margarita recipe a skinny margarita recipe.
The results of my salt-rimmed research: a skinny margarita is comprised of fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice (in place of the more calorie-laden triple sec), tequila, and agave nectar. The exact ratio of these four ingredients is at your discretion, though most suggested more lime juice than orange juice, equal parts tequila and lime juice, and 2 teaspoons of agave.
I like my margarita to bite me back a bit, so I lean heavier on the lime juice and lighter on the agave, which this skinny margarita recipe reflects. Please feel free to adjust the recipe to suit your own margarita needs and preferences.
Skinny Margarita
This skinny margarita recipe is incredibly light and refreshing for fewer calories! Made with just fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, agave, and tequila.
Ingredients:
CLASSIC SKINNY MARGARITA:
- To rim the glass: kosher salt, lime wedge
- 1 1/2 ounces silver tequila (about 3 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large or 1 1/2 small limes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1/2 medium orange)
- 1 teaspoon light agave nectar (add 2 if you prefer a sweeter margarita)
- Ice
- Optional ingredients (see below)
OPTIONAL VARIATIONS:
- Make it fruity: Muddle fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries in the bottom of your glass, then pour the margarita on top and stir.
- Swap the citrus: In place of orange juice, try grapefruit juice (my favorite), blood orange juice, or pomegranate juice.
- Rim it up: Instead of just salt, try mixing half salt and half sugar into your rim blend. A pinch of chipotle powder is another of my favorite twists.
Directions:
Rim the glass: Pour a thin layer of salt onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the top edge of your glass to moisten it, then dip the glass into the salt so that it sticks, tapping all the way around. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
Fill a small cocktail shaker with additional ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave. Tightly close and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds (it’s longer than you think). Strain into the rimmed glass over the ice. Enjoy immediately.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size: 1 margarita
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145 Calories Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 100mg Carbohydrates: 12g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 8g Protein: 0g
