How To Make A Frozen Margarita

The first thing you need to know about making frozen drinks is that they’re just like normal drinks. In other words, if you add too much water, they won’t really taste like anything. So if anyone ever tells you that you need to use five cups of ice for a Frozen Margarita, it’s important that you nod politely and disregard this information. What you really want to do is freeze all your ingredients first. That way, you’ll only need a small amount of ice - and your drink will actually taste like a Margarita, rather than 10 ounces of super cold water. Yes, this means that you’ll have to wait at least three hours for your drinks (or just prep a bunch of Margarita kits ahead of time) - but I promise you this extra step will give you a slushy (not icy), smooth drink that’s about 200% better than any Frozen Margarita made with a mountain of ice.

Here’s how to make a batch of four.

The Frozen Margarita

You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass or Margarita glass

• 1.5 cups ice or (or 12 ice cubes)

• 8 ounces blanco tequila

• 5 ounces lime juice

• 4 ounces simple syrup

Step One: Lime Juice

You’re going to need a lot of lime juice for this. 5 ounces, to be exact, which is about 5 limes. Even if you juice by hand, it’ll only take you a minute or two, so get to work. Once you’re done, pour your lime juice in a resealable plastic bag or other container.

Step Two: Simple Syrup

A typical margarita calls for tequila, lime juice, and either agave or some kind of triple sec - but for a frozen margarita, we’re going to use simple syrup. Why? Because triple sec has a lower freezing point than simple syrup, and it seems kind of ridiculous to use a half of a bottle of agave just to make one batch of frozen margaritas. Also, you won’t be able to taste the difference. So go ahead and mix equal parts warm water and white sugar, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and add 4 ounces of this simple syrup to the container with your lime juice.

Step Three: Freeze Your Ingredients

Take the container with your simple syrup and lime juice, and put that in your freezer. It should freeze in about three hours, so be sure to do your prep work in the morning or the night before you’d like to drink your frozen margarita, or you’re going to experience 180 minutes of intense anticipation (that’s nonetheless worth it).

Step Four: Also Freeze Your Tequila

Well, actually, your tequila isn’t going to freeze. But you should still put it in the freezer. Why? Because if you add room temperature alcohol to the rest of your frozen ingredients at the blending step, it’s going to make everything melt faster - undoing all the good work you just did being patient while your ingredients froze. So go ahead and put that bottle of tequila in the freezer when you throw in the lime and simple. If you’re not using your blender for the next few hours and you have the freezer real estate, go ahead and throw that in there, too. And your margarita glasses. Oh, put some peanut M&Ms in there, too. They’re not going to go in your Margarita - we just want the best things for you.

One question you may be asking is: Can’t I measure out the tequila at step three and add that to my plastic container? Yes, yes you can, and we’re impressed that you already came to that conclusion. (If you go this route, know that your container of ingredients won’t fully freeze, and that’s fine - everything will still get cold enough.) However, if you’re the kind of person who might like to have pre-batched margaritas in your freezer at all times - and you don’t want to tie up all your tequila supply in them - then you may want to keep the tequila separate from the rest of your frozen ingredients. Plus - your simple syrup/lime mixture will also work for Frozen Daiquiris and Frozen Gimlets. Just sub in rum, gin, or vodka for the tequila.

Step Four: Blend

When your three-hour timer goes off, it’s time to add your lime/simple syrup mixture to your blender, and pour in 8 ounces of tequila. Next, add a cup and half of ice (or about 12 ice cubes), and blend everything together. The final product should be smooth, creamy, and brain-freeze inducing. More importantly, it should also taste like Margarita, but frozen. As for glassware, use some pre-chilled rocks glasses, or if you happen to own one of those giant Margarita glasses, go for it. Alternatively, you can also just stick a straw in your blender.