The Best Cinco de Mayo Margarita. Ever.

Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite days of the year; I love the margaritas, the food, the parties and most importantly, I love that it happens to fall on my birthday. Best. Birthday. Ever. Usually, before all of my friends and I head out on that evening, we all meet up at my place for margaritas so it’s important that I serve up only the best tasting margaritas for my guests. For the past few years I have served up classic margaritas, which are great, but this year I’ve created my favorite margarita ever: The Cinco de Mayo Margarita. This cucumber and jalapeño margarita is seriously amazing. Are you ready for this deliciousness?!

That’s right, I’m going to share with you the best margarita recipe I have ever created. My Cinco de Mayo Margarita is made with fresh citrus juices, good blanco tequila and I threw in some cucumber and jalapeño, which makes it slightly spicy and super refreshing. Yes, you can always buy some store bought sour mix if you are in a rush, but they just are never as good and the ones made with fresh lime and/or lemon juice, in my opinion.

For the rim of the glass you’ll notice I had some fun and used some chili mix and sugar!

I purchased a small juicer for under $30 last year and it’s one of the best culinary investments I’ve ever made, just saying. You will also want to start with a nice blanco or silver tequila for this margarita recipe (not a mixto), so look for one that says it’s made from 100% blue agave. Stores have all sorts of Cinco de Mayo sales right now, so you should be able to get good tequila and not pay too much. I picked up a bottle of Camarena silver tequila for $15.99 and I didn’t realize until after I brought it home that my name is in the middle of the word Camarena – guess it was meant to be!


I’ve also included a classic margarita recipe below, so feel free to go with that one too. Here’s another Cinco de Drinko tip for you: don’t overdo it on the tequila shots! Know that saying, “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor?” I’m telling you, there’s a reason you’ve heard it! So pass on the tequila shots this year and serve up an incredible margarita for you and your friends instead. I’ll be waiting to hear your thoughts on my Cinco de Mayo Margarita (aka cucumber and jalapeño margarita). Cheers, and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more amazing cocktail recipes!

Cinco de Mayo Margarita

(makes 1 cocktail)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz silver or blanco tequila

¾ oz of triple sec or grand marnier

1 oz of fresh lime juice

½ oz of fresh lemon juice

*¾ oz of simple syrup

2 cucumber slices

2 jalapeño slices

ice

Classic Margarita

(makes 1 cocktail)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz silver or blanco tequila

¾ oz of triple sec or grand marnier

1 oz of fresh lime juice

½ oz of fresh lemon juice

*¾ oz of simple syrup

ice

Directions:

In a shaker tin muddle cucumber and jalapeños until they are really broken up. Only use 1 jalapeño wheel if you don’t want it too spicy. Add tequila, triple sec, lime and lemon juice, simple syrup and some ice to your shaker tin and shake for 10 seconds. Strain juice over a bucket glass full of fresh ice. For the rim, use a lemon wedge with a slit in the middle, and run it around the rim of the glass. Gently dip the outside rim of the glass at an angle into a small plate of sugar and next into a small plate of chili mix (do this part first if you want a salted/sugar rim and then fill glass with fresh ice and set aside). Garish margarita with a lime wheel, jalapeño and optional slice of strawberry or red jalapeño. Serve and enjoy!

*make simple syrup: boil 1 cup of white granulated sugar with one cup of water until dissolved. Let cool before use.