The weather is warming and I would be remiss to look ahead at the good times to be had and not come prepared with a drink. In this case (and since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner), a very delicious non-alcoholic citrus margarita.
I’m not one to shake my head at any margarita. While I’m not a big drinker in general, I find it really hard to say no to a marg, on the rocks, salt on the rim, please. Any flavor, any weather. I’m there.
And while I typically go for the classic lime when I’m out and about (mostly because some of the fruitier varieties are just soooo sweet for me), I recently bought a ready-made margarita mix from American Spoon and just fell in love.
The secret? A mix of grapefruit, lime and lemon with a touch of orange. A citrus explosion!
Did I ever tell you how much I love grapefruit? So much, in fact, that I’ve already made a grapefruit margarita (with sage). And while that one took on a bit of a savory slant, this one is going full on tang.
What do I need to make a margarita?
A classic marg is pretty simple. Lime. Simple syrup. Tequila. Maybe a splash of orange liquor if you’re getting wacky. For this non-alcoholic citrus margarita, we’re expanding or shopping list and mixing it up just a little.
How can I make this a citrus margarita?
A few tweaks:
- Non-alcoholic tequila. I’ve been experimenting a bit with the mocktail movement and the brand I’m using today is Ritual. Drink it straight up and it will not taste like tequila, but add it to a drink and it’ll bring with it the same smoky flavor we demand from our tequila. It even smells real!
- Fresh squeezed lemon, lime and grapefruit juice. Are your lips puckering yet?
- Agave nectar adds the sweetness here in place of simple syrup.
- A splash of orange juice adds a little more.
- Ice is nice.
- Salt for the rim, as you like.
Shake it all up together for a balance of sweet, tangy and smoky. The proportions below are my recommendation for a drink with more tang than sweet, but if you need a little more hand holding, add a little more agave and/or orange juice.
Now, where’s the patio?
Non-alcoholic Citrus Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lime
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 4 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- 2 TB agave nectar
- 4 ounces tequila (non-alcoholic or regular, as you wish)
- 1 ½ cup ice cubes
- salt, for the rim of the glasses, as you like
Instructions
- Pour the juices, agave and tequila in a shaker filled with 1/2 cup ice. Give it a good shake to ensure all the ingredients are well blended.
- Fill two cocktail glasses with ice and divide the margarita evenly into each glass. Serve immediately.
