Margaritas 5 Ways

 We've had our first glimpse of summer for the year and we loved it. What better way to celebrate sunshine than to invite your squad over for a cocktail party?! Margaritas are one of our favourite classic cocktails that have stood the test of time, and always promises to be a crowd-pleaser. But if you want to go beyond the classic, there's plenty that you can do with this delicious drink. So here it is - our top five margarita recipes...

1. Classic Margarita

What you'll need: tequila, cointreau, limes and sugar syrup.

Chill martini glass, then run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then coat rim with salt. Shake up 50ml of tequila with 25ml of cointreau, 25ml of lime juice and 12.5ml of sugar syrup, for about ten seconds. Strain into the martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel. 

2. Vanilla Margarita

What you'll need: Tequila, Licor 43, limes and sugar syrup.

This recipe is exactly the same as the classic, except that you're switching out the Cointreau for licor 43 (vanilla liqueur). If you really want to be fancy, instead of rimming the glass with salt, mix a few drops of vanilla essence with some granulated sugar and rim the glass with vanilla sugar instead. 

 3. Cucumber and Mint Margarita

What you'll need: tequila, cointreau, limes, sugar syrup, a few mint leaves, cucumber.

Exactly like the classic, except you'll add a few mint leaves and a few slices of cucumber to the shaker. This one is best served over ice and garnished with cucumber and mint.

4. Frozen Margarita

What you'll need: tequila, cointreau, limes, sugar syrup, ice.

The perfect summer drink! Put all ingredients into a blender with a scoop of ice. Blend thoroughly, adding more ice if desired. The finished product should be slushy consistency. Serve in a martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

5. Strawberry Frozen Margarita

What you'll need: tequila, cointreau, limes, sugar syrup, ice, a few strawberries.

Exactly the same as above, except with the strawberries added in. Garnish with a strawberry. Just like a grown ups slush puppy! This also works well with mango, raspberries or pineapple.

 What are you waiting for - call the girls, book in your gel nails appointment and host your own cocktail party!