Want to know how to make frozen margaritas like your favorite Mexican restaurant?
Americans love Mexican restaurants, from the bottomless fresh chips and salsa to the frozen margaritas. You may think you can only enjoy frozen margaritas that require specialized equipment that you can only find at a restaurant, but this fun treat is attainable at home. We have you covered with our guide to how restaurants make their margaritas and how to make frozen strawberry margaritas at home.
How Restaurants Make Their Margaritas
Many restaurants make their frozen margaritas unique equipment that mixes, chills, and dispenses frozen beverages. Restauranteurs like that these machines allow them to make big batches of their popular frozen cocktails. The drinks are readily available and can be dispensed and served in a matter of seconds. The machines keep the frozen margaritas cold without any added ice that can water down drinks. They deliver frosty, tasty frozen margaritas consistently and quickly, which makes bartenders and guests alike happy.
Some people maintain that making a frozen margarita at home will never be as good as a restaurant. Often recipes for frozen margaritas use ice, and the added ice can result in an overly watery drink that tastes more like a tequila-lime snow cone than a margarita. The only way to find out is to try it at home and see if you can outdo your favorite local spot for Mexican.
Hardcore tequila enthusiasts maintain that it is better to enjoy your margarita on the rocks. They argue that frozen margaritas are too cold and prevent you from tasting the subtleties of tequila. The truth is that frozen margaritas and margaritas on the rocks are both delicious cocktails to unwind with after a long, hot day, and we are happy to live in a world where we do not have to choose between the two.
How to Make Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
We have you covered with a quick, easy recipe for delicious frozen strawberry margaritas. This recipe is perfect for the next time you host your friends for cocktails or need the right beverage to accompany your taco bar.
Recipe: Restaurant Style Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
Servings: 4
- 4 cups of strawberries
- 2 cups of ice
- 1 cup of tequila
- ½ cup of triple sec
- ¾ cup of orange juice
- ½ cup of lime juice
- Optional: 1 tbsp agave syrup or your preferred sweetener
- Optional: coarse salt, sugar, or tajin for rimming glass
Directions: Turn your blender on the lowest speed and then gradually increase the speed until the margaritas are smooth and homogenous – about two minutes. You may add additional lime juice if the consistency of the margaritas is too thick. To rim your margarita glass:
- Place a generous amount of salt, sugar, or tajin on a small plate that is wider than the rim of your glass.
- Lightly wet the edge of your glass.
- Immediately place the moistened rim directly on the plate.
- Turn it slowly until it is fully coated.
- Be careful to avoid the rim when pouring your frozen margarita into the glass.
- Enjoy!
This recipe primarily relies on frozen fruit to achieve the frozen margarita texture, which minimizes ice and prevents the drink from getting overly watery as you enjoy it.
The best aspect of this recipe is that it uses fresh ingredients instead of margarita mixes. Some people even make ice out of limeade to make frozen margaritas. Skip the optional agave syrup if you try this margarita hack for this recipe.
The best part about making frozen margaritas at home is that you can customize the recipe to your tastes. If you think the frozen margaritas at restaurants are too sweet or do not use tequila that meets your standards, you can alter the recipe according to your preferences.
You can make any flavor of margarita if you switch out the strawberries for your preferred fruit. Mango works great in place of strawberries for this recipe. We strongly recommend lining the rim with tajin and garnishing with a thin jalapeno slice or two for the mango version.
If you are serious about enjoying restaurant-quality frozen margaritas at home, you can always purchase a frozen drink machine for home use. With a margarita maker, you can make frozen margaritas like the pros.
If making margaritas at home is not your thing, then head to your favorite Mexican place and order the margarita—frozen or on the rocks in whatever flavor suits you—that makes you happy.
