From Classic to Mezcal, 4 Favorite Margarita Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Is your margarita game ready for Cinco de Mayo?

Si, sabemos, this day of fiesta of all things Mexico—originally celebrating a defining Puebla battle victory in 1862—started as a money-making beer advertising move in the 1980s.

But, thankfully, defying the commercial-only odds, Cinco along the way evolved beyond “drinko de Mayo.” Today, for many, it’s an annual día of honoring our national Mexican heritage and the amazing accomplishments, traditions and culture of our neighbor to the south.

As you raise your glass in salute of your family’s Mexican roots or in appreciation of all that this país has given the world—including tequila, chocolate, color television and the number zero (thank you, Mayas)—here are 4 favorite family recipes for yet another great Mexican invention: la margarita. This glorious combination of tequila, lime, sugar, Triple Sec (sometimes), ice and salt is, in our humble opinión, el cocktail perfecto anytime of year. And especially in May—the month with the margarita double header: Cinco and Mother’s Day.

Gracias, Familia Kitchen community, for these recipes. Féliz Cinco a todos. ¡Salud y viva Mexico!

The Easy & Amazing Margarita: With 1 Surprising Ingredient

This is a guaranteed-great margarita from our favorite tequila connoisseur MariCarmen Ortiz Conway, who shares her personal recipe for making this delicious margarita. When MariCarmen talks trquila, we listen muy carefully, because she is the real deal. MariCarmen is a renowned tequila connoisseur and educator. In fact, she is MariCarmen is a Tequila Expert,™ a rarely awarded certificate from the Cultura y Capacitación del Tequila, A.C., and an official Catadora or “taster,” among lots of other accreditations.

What makes this margarita so easy? Surprise: it’s a shockingly simple product MariCarmen recommends. Ready? It’s …frozen limeade!(You thought she would only use fresh lime, verdad? Us too.) We made this and it’s everything MariCarmen says. We agree: híjole, está buenísimo. Or, as we say in the U.S.: Wow.

The Classic Margarita: 3 Ingredients and Good to Go!

Three ingredients make this authentic and reliably delicious margarita: Check out the recipe and whip up a batch in 5 minutes. Bonus: This margarita is guaranteed to impress, always, promises MariCarmen. Every time she whips up a big batch, she tells us, friends and family ask for this receta.

The Mezcal Margarita: Más Flavor With Smoky Oomph

“If you are trying to do something different with a cocktail, yet keep it very traditional Mexican, using mezcal in your margarita is a great way to go,” says Familia Kitchen co-founder Ana González Quaid. She and her husband Brian love to make and drink these flavorful drinks that take them back to her homeland’s agave traditions, earth and sun. ”You can taste the plant, you get the smokiness. It’s not filtered by other things,” says Ana. ”It’s pure Mexico in a glass.”

The Healthy & Delicioso Margarita: No Extra Sugar, Mucho Sabor

Familia Kitchen Healthy & Delicioso editor Naihomy Jerez skipped the simple syrup and Triple Sec ingredients and used two natural juices for flavor: fresh lime and orange juice. Add your favorite tequila and a dash of sparkling water and you’ve got yourself a healthy cocktail. This light and saludable margarita is good and good for you.

Margarita plan, check! Now: onto the food. What will you serve to comer?

Familia Kitchen is ready to help. Check out our Familia Kitchen Guide to Cinco de Mayo for your primer on what this annual salute to Mexican means in both the U.S. and in Mexico—plus menu ideas and recipes for what to eat and drink at your fiesta this year.