Frozen Margarita Recipe
How to Make a Restaurant Style Frozen Margarita at Home
In this post we are going to break down the perfect frozen margarita receip. Margaritas are one of the most popular drinks in the world, and it’s easy to see why. They’re light and refreshing, perfect for summertime. But, they aren’t so simple to make.
It is really easy to make them too warm and runny or too frozen with thick icy chunks. It takes a little planning ahead to get that perfect slushy machine consistency at home, but you can do it.
Here we are going to show you an unusual techniques for getting making a perfect frozen margarita.
What’s in a frozen classic Margarita?
A frozen margarita is a frosty twist on a traditional recipe of ice cream on ice and lemon zest. This classic cocktail combines smooth white Tequila, fresh lime zest, orange liqueurs & simple syrups. Even frozen, the aroma shines. The Tequila of this recipe uses Blanco or Unaged, and try finding a blend that contains 100% Blueagave. Keep tequilas from drinking because the subtle nuance of its flavors will be lost by melting them.
5 Steps to the Perfect Frozen Margarita
For a more detailed explanation check out our guide to making frozen drinks. This recipe is adapted from Dave Arnold’s book Liquid Intelligence.
Pay Attention to ABV
The amount of alcohol in the beverage is a major consideration in this frozen margarita recipe. The cocktail’s freezing point is lowered when you add sugar and alcohol. If you put too much alcohol in the drink, it won’t freeze and you’ll get a watered-down mess.
On the other hand, the right amount of alcohol will help keep things slushy. The ideal ABV range is 10 to 14 percent, which will give you a creamy slushy texture similar to what you’d get from a frozen drink machine.
If you’re making a drink with a 40% alcohol by volume (ABV), you’ll need 1 ounce of spirit for every 3 ounces of liquid.
Pay Attention to Sugar Content
Sugar is one of the key components in achieving the appropriate texture in a frozen margarita recipe. It aids in the cohesion of everything and prevents big ice chunks from developing in your beverage, much as it does in a sorbet.
The texture of a frozen drink is impossible to achieve without sugar. The freezing point of water is lowered by sugar, much like alcohol. However, your perception of sweetness is dulled as a result of this low temperature. To compensate for this, you’ll need to add sugar.
For our perfect frozen margarita recipe we have increased the amount of sugar by about 50%. A classic margarita recipe calls for about 1 ounce of sugar. For the frozen margarita recipe we have taken it up to 1 1/2 ounces.
At this point you may be wondering if we are going to increase the amount of acid to balance the sugar. It turns out that even at colder temperatures you still taste acid the same way. That means, we will leave the amount of lime juice the same and just increase the sugar.
Measure the amount of ice you use
If you are using a blender to make your frozen drink you need to measure the amount of ice you use. Too much ice and your drink will be chunky and dry. Too little and it will be runny.
Of course, measuring ice is tricky. One is to measure the water you are making your ice with before you freeze it. You can also figure out how large your ice cubes are and just count them out.
The other trick that works really well is to put the the whole thing in a freezer bag and freeze it overnight. When you pull it out you just have to squeeze the bag until you get the nice slushy consistency you are looking for.
Use fresh fruit – This is the ongoing mantra for anyone who makes high quality drinks. Using freshly squeezed lime juice makes a huge difference.
Which leads us to our next point. Use high quality ingredients. Spend a couple extra a get a decent quality 100% blue agave tequila from a reputable producer. You don’t need to go crazy and get the absolute best tequila for a margarita, but a quality tequila does make a difference.
Frozen Margarita Ingredients
This is a pretty straightforward recipe. There are four ingredients. If you have a basic bar setup you should have them on hand already.
Blanco Tequila
Blanco Tequila is made from agave plants and can be used to make frozen margaritas.
Triple Sec
Triple Sec is an orange-flavored liqueur. Cointreau and Grand Marnier are both types of triple sec.
Cointreau is specified for this recipe because it has an ABV and sugar content that works for this recipe. If you want to use another orange liqueur make sure it is 40% ABV.
Lime Juice
Fresh lime juice is best, but you can use bottled if needed.
Sugar – Rich Simple Syrup
For this recipe we are using rich simple syrup. Rich simple syrup is made with twice the amount of sugar as regular simple syrup. Using this sweeter syrup helps us get more sugar with out adding too much water.
Best Frozen Margarita Recipe
Frozen Margarita Recipe
This version uses the technique described by Dave Arnold in his book 'Liquid Intelligence'. It is perfect for getting a smooth consistency without a blender or a slushy machine.
You'll need to plan ahead, as this technique involves freezing the drink overnight. This works best when your freezer is turned down as low as it will go.
- 9 ounces tequila
- 6 ounces Cointreau
- 3 ounces rich simple syrup ((2 parts sugar: 1 part water))
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 6 ounces fresh lime juice
Put tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup and water in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the tequila mix to a freezer safe container or an extra large freezer bag.
Freeze the mix for at least 6 hours until it is partially frozen. When the consistency is right it will hold a shape, but you should be easily able to shape it with your fingers.
When you are ready to serve squeeze fresh lime juice and add to a blender along with partially frozen tequila mix.
Blend quickly to mix but not long enough to melt mix.
Here’s my frozen margarita recipe – it’s adapted from Dave Arnold’s frozen daiquiri recipe in his book “Liquid Intelligence”
Essentially its a way to get a very smooth frozen consistency without having to rent a machine or blend the bejeezus out of ice cubes.
Ingredients (two drinks) :
3 oz blanco tequila
2 oz Cointreau
1 oz rich simple syrup(2:1 sugar to water)
2 oz fresh lime juice
6.25 oz water
How to Make (step by step)
Then prepare the syrup. Simple syrup is derived from sugar and water. Heat the boiling water in a pan in the microwave. It’s a way of sweetening margaritas. Expert advice to serene: Always make the syrup at the beginning of each day to let it cool before you add to the cocktail. It causes frozen margaritas to melt. Step two: Mix fruit juice syrup, tequila orange liquid, and ice in the blender. Blend until smooth. Taste if necessary and adjust if necessary by adding a small amount.
Why this recipe works?
Although many people may have gotten used to buying premade margarita mixes in stores, I’m here to make an intervention in my opinion. DON til it shatters! This deliciously easy recipe for an authentic frozen margarita only requires five ingredients including ice. The bottled mix can cut some seconds from your margarita preparation, but it’ll certainly be worthwhile. After trying how refreshing a margarita tastes, I am sure your next drink will not be as peeveled as I am.
Conclusion
This recipe for a frozen margarita is easy to follow and only requires five ingredients, including ice. The end result is a refreshing drink that you will love. Plus, it is much better than using a premade mix from the store. Give it a try today!
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