These Simple Lemon Lime Margaritas are filled with only 4 ingredients – lemon, lime, simple syrup and tequila! They’re tart, a little sweet and so refreshing!
This post was originally published in May 2018, was updated again in April 2020 – I’ve updated the photos again!
Is there anything better than an ice cold margarita?! If you’re a margarita lover, you are in the right place! These Simple Lemon Lime Margs are the absolute best and my go-to for a warm Summer evening.
Why You Should Ditch the Store-Bought Mix and Make Your Own!
These margs are super refreshing – they’re cold, tangy and fresh! I love how you can taste the fresh lime and lemon in them. No offense to the store-bought stuff or the margs you get at a restaurant but sometimes I feel like they can be waaay overly sweet!
I love that these margaritas are sweetened only with a little bit of simple syrup so they aren’t gonna make you a have a headache the next day type of sweet. You know what I mean?
I think that’s truly one of the reasons that I love making cocktails at home! You get to:
- know exactly what ingredients you’re putting in the drink
- use as much or as little alcohol as you want
- use as much or as little sugar as you want
And it all turns into a fantastic drink! It’s salty (hello salted rim!), tangy from the freshly squeezed citrus, slightly sweet from the simple syrup and oh so delicious!
So let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients Needed:
Tequila – Use whatever kind you want – but my hubs and I prefer Silver Patron as opposed to gold. In fact, we learned that gold has the color because it is aged in oak barrels! Pretty cool. Random thought – does anyone always think of THIS song when they drink tequila? I certainly do. Also, I now apologize for getting this song in your head. Pls forgive me.
Fresh limes + lemons – It’s a little bit of work squeezing them but it’s completely worth it. The limes and lemons are so fresh and tart and juicy!
Simple syrup – If you want just a little bit of sweetness to contrast the tart citrus, this is a must have! You can make your own, buy store bought or use agave to sweeten it.
Seltzer Water – if desired, you can add some lime or plain flavored seltzer water on top for some bubbly carbonation!
How to Make Margaritas in 3 Simple Steps:
- Make the simple syrup! Combine one cup of water with one cup of sugar and let it combine in a pot on the stove. Let it cool for a few minutes and then pour into a jar.
- If you have a citrus juicer, grab that and start juicing some lemons! You’ll need about 2.5 oz of both lemon and lime juice, totaling 5 oz – so for me, that was about 2 large lemons and 2 large limes.
- Grab your favorite glass! Run a lime around the edge of the glass and then dip the top in salt if desired. Add ice to the glass followed by the tequila, simple syrup and the citrus juice. Stir and if desired, add seltzer water on top. Add an extra squeeze of lime and ENJOY!
Margarita Flavor Variations:
Want to spice up your margarita game this weekend? I have two other easy substitution recipes with this base as a recipe I want to share with you.
First off, this Sugared Chili Marg! It has the exact same base of the drink – but instead of just plain salt around the rim, I added a mixture of chili powder, sugar, lime zest and salt. Hello smoky + sweet goodness!
Another variation I had to try out was this Jalapeno Marg!
With this one, it’s the same Lemon Lime Margarita base – but if desired, muddle 1-2 fresh thin jalapeno slices (I would recommend that you de-seed them) at the bottom. Pour the drink over the slices and then for garnish, if you want extra heat, add a couple more fresh slices!
Remember that jalapenos vary in spiciness so start off with a little – you can always add more if you want 🙂
I kept this rim with the salt though – spicy and salty!
Now you have a refreshing delicious and simple margarita for you to help ease your stress away! Try these for a fun and relaxing drink to make at home for Cinco De Mayo this year! Cheers! Xo.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few more Cinco De Mayo recipes you might like:
Roasted Garlic Green Goddess Tacos
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Simple Lemon Lime Margaritas
These Simple Lemon Lime Margaritas are filled with only 4 ingredients - lemon, lime, simple syrup and tequila! They're tart, a little sweet and so refreshing!
Ingredients
- 3 oz Tequila (divided into 2 drinks)
- 2 large lemons, squeezed (about 2-2.5 oz. of juice)
- 2 large limes, squeezed (about 2-2.5 oz. of juice)
- salt for the rim
- plain or lime flavored seltzer water to top (optional!)
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
Jalapeno Margarita
- 2-3 fresh slices of jalapeno
Sugared Chili Margarita
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Simple Syrup
-
In a pot, bring 1 cup of boiling water to a boil. Add in the 1 cup of sugar. Stir to combine and then take it off the heat. Let it cool completely - place in fridge if you wanna cool it super fast!
Lemon Lime Margarita
-
Using a handheld juicer, squeeze the lemons and limes. Mine yielded about 4-5 oz or so of fresh citrus juice.
-
Use a 1:1:1 ratio for the drink AKA 1.5 oz of tequila, 1.5 oz of lemon/lime juice and 1.5 oz of simple syrup.
-
Coat the rim of the glass either with lime or water. Salt the rim of the glass if desired. In the glass, add in ice. Follow this by adding the chilled simple syrup, the lemon/lime juice and the tequila Mix together using a cocktail stirrer or normal spoon 🙂 Garnish with lime and enjoy! If desired, top with plain or lime flavored seltzer water!
Sugared Chili Margarita
-
Follow the above steps to make the drink - except instead of normal salt, mix together the chili powder, sugar and salt on a plate. Coat the rim of your glass with water or lime and then dip it into the sugared chili mixture. Enjoy!
Jalapeno Margarita
-
Add in 1-2 fresh slices of DE-SEEDED jalapeno in the bottom of the glass. Using a spoon, gently crush/muddle them. Follow the steps above for making the base of the drink. If desired, garnish with another couple slices of jalapenos.
Remember that jalapenos vary by heat so be careful 🙂 Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
You will have leftovers of the simple syrup and possibly the citrus. Store them in the fridge in a jar for the next round!
The size of the citrus will vary - my 2 large lemons and limes yielded about 4-5 oz of juice.
It's a 1:1:1 ratio: Add 1.5 oz of tequila, 1.5 oz. of lemon/lime juice and then 1.5 oz of simple syrup. This can be adjusted to your liking - this is just how we like ours 🙂
You will also have leftovers of the sugared chili rim mixture! You can feel free to save that as well. You don't need to overload the rim just to make sure you use it all!
DE-SEED the jalapenos - this will help eliminate the heat and get rid of those pesky seeds! Remember that jalapenos vary in heat so start off small and build up!
These are my favorite margs of all-time! My hubby bought some margarita mix from the store a while ago and it has just been sitting in our fridge taking up space since we found these!! Time to throw it out because I will NEVER go back! Can’t wait to try the jalapeño one next!
Well this review just made my day!! THANK YOU KATE!! Yes, throw out that marg mix!! So happy! 🙂
I love a good margarita and this one look super delicious, Haylie! Plus, who doesn’t love lemon lime? Just in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, too! Going to whip one up this weekend! Cheers, my friend! Have a lovely weekend 🙂
Margaritas are definitely my favorite, Dawn! Thanks for your kind words! Cheers 🙂
I was looking for a simple marg recipe that only used juice, tequila & simple syrup, because that’s all I have. Landed on this recipe and it’s literally the best margarita I’ve ever had. I’m adding lemons and limes to my weekly shop just so I can have these anytime I want. Finding this recipe has been the one good thing that’s happened so far in 2020. 😉 Thanks!!
Oh Kalee, this review just 100% made my life! SO SO glad you were able to find this recipe and use what you had on hand! And the best thing that happened in 2020 comment….#crying!!! Cheers to you! 🙂