Key Lime Margaritas
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Key Lime Margaritas are the perfect combination of sweet and tart in a fun and tasty cocktail.
Key limes are hard to come by in my area. They aren’t regularly in the market so more often than not we have to simply use the key lime juice from a bottle and not fresh key lime juice.
Melissa’s Produce sent me a goodie box and it had a big bag of key limes in it. I had big plans to make a key lime pie and then realized I didn’t buy any sweetened condensed milk. I didn’t want to run to the store so I started looking for other options.
I came up with the idea to make a key lime margarita. I love the fragrant smell of key limes. While they do smell like limes they have a slightly stronger smell. They are also tarter then regular limes.
Ingredients:
- key limes
- sugar
- tequila
- orange liqueur
- bubbly water
- sugar or salt for the rim
Before I made the margaritas I decided to make a key lime simple syrup to use in the margaritas. This way I could add the lime flavor I needed and the sugar to sweeten it up. I could also make enough to fill a small jar so that I could make several of these margaritas over the next week.
To make the simple syrup all you need to do is put equal parts of fresh key lime juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool completely. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the margarita put sugar or salt on the rim of a glass. I actually made key lime sugar and put that on the rim.
Then mix together tequila, key lime simple syrup, and orange liqueur. Pour into a glass over ice and then top it off with bubbly water.
I loved this margarita. It was both sweet and tart and tasted really fresh. The key lime simple syrup was the perfect way to add both sweetness and tartness to this drink. I can’t wait to make more later on in the week!
More Margarita Recipes:
More Margarita Recipes
Margarita Dessert Recipes
Wondering how to make the key lime sugar? All you need to do is zest about 5 or 6 key limes and mix the zest with 2 cups of sugar. Mix well then spread out on a cookie sheet and let it dry for 3-4 hours. Place in an air tight container and keep in a cool, dark place.
Pro Tips and Substitutions:
- Regular limes can be substituted in place of the key limes.
- If you don’t want to make the key lime syrup you can use 2 ounces of key lime juice and 1 ounce of regular simple syrup in the recipe instead.
- This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled if you want to make a pitcher and put in the refrigerator. Simply mix the key lime syrup, tequila, and orange liqueur and refrigerate. Pour into a glass filled with ice when ready to serve and fill with bubbly water.
If you’ve tried my Key Lime Margaritas or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. fresh key lime juice
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 oz. tequila
- 1 oz. orange liquor
- bubbly water
- sugar or salt for the rim
Instructions
- To make the simple syrup put the key lime juice and sugar in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and cool completely.
- When ready to serve rim a glass with sugar or salt. Fill with ice.
- Combine 3 ounces of the key lime syrup with the tequila and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker and shake to combine. Pour over top of the ice in the glass.
- Fill the glass with bubbly water.
- Place a key lime slice on the rim and serve with a straw.
Notes
Cinco de Mayo Recipes
- Beef Tamales in the Pressure Cooker by That Recipe
- Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza by Making Miracles
- Instant Pot Black Beans by Devour Dinner
- Key Lime Margaritas by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Mexican Chopped Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Queso with Chorizo by Books n’ Cooks
- Quinoa Burrito Bowl by Magical Ingredients
- Tacos Dorados by Palatable Pastime
- The Best Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce by Blogghetti
I love key lime and this is made perfectly. This is a perfect share for Cinco De Mayo.
Yum! I love key limes, so fresh with the right amount of zing to them. Makes a great drink.
Bill loves making up canning jars full of different syrups for drinks. It is very handy. We also freeze lime juices when we find those at a good price.
What a fabulous refreshing drink on a hot day!
Great use of those key limes Heather. Salud.
Refreshing drink to be sure and I love that you used key limes!