Frozen Margarita
Tequila, lime, orange liqueur and ice, blended to a slush. Invented in Dallas with a converted ice-cream machine, and far better from a blender with fresh lime than from the machine.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Salt half the rim of a margarita glass or large coupe if you like, and put the glass in the freezer.
Add the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur and agave syrup to a blender with about a cup and a half of ice.
Blend on high until smooth and thick, 15 to 20 seconds. If it is too thin, add a little ice; too thick, a splash of lime or water.
Pour into the frozen glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Sweeten a little more than you would a shaken Margarita. Cold suppresses sweetness and acidity, and a frozen drink balanced at room temperature tastes sour and thin.
- Use ice that has been in the freezer a while — wet, half-melted ice makes a watery slush.
- For a party, blend the tequila, lime and sweetener ahead and freeze it in a shallow tray, then scrape and blend to order. It is faster and the texture is better.
Common mistakes
- Bottled sour mix. The frozen Margarita's reputation for sweetness comes from the mix, not the drink.
- Over-blending into a thin slush. Stop when it is thick enough to hold a straw.
- A warm glass. It melts the top inch before the first sip.
A few good questions.
Why does my frozen Margarita taste weak?
Ice. A blender Margarita is about 30% melted ice by the time it is smooth, so it is weaker than a shaken one unless you add a little more spirit or less ice.
Can I use a shaken Margarita recipe?
Yes, but add a little more sweetener and a touch more tequila. The cold and the extra dilution need both.
Rocks or frozen?
Rocks shows the tequila; frozen is a dessert. Both are legitimate, and in Texas in August the question answers itself.
Can I make it with mezcal?
Yes — a frozen mezcal Margarita is excellent, and the smoke stands up to the cold better than you would expect.
Variations
- Margarita — Shaken, on the rocks or up.
- Strawberry Margarita — With fresh strawberries blended in.
- Tommy's Margarita — Agave syrup in place of orange liqueur.
- Spicy Margarita — With muddled jalapeño.
Where it comes from
1971 · Dallas, Texas · Mariano Martinez · Mariano's Mexican Cuisine
Mariano Martinez opened his restaurant in Dallas in 1971 and found his bartenders could not keep up with blender Margaritas. Inspired by a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine, he adapted a soft-serve ice-cream machine to hold a pre-mixed Margarita at slush temperature, and the frozen Margarita machine was born. It made the drink a mass product — the machine, not the recipe, is why every Tex-Mex restaurant in America serves one — and his original machine is in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The drink itself predates him: blender Margaritas were common by the 1960s. The machine is the invention.
Sources
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History, frozen margarita machine, 2005 (archive)
- Texas Monthly, 'The Frozen Margarita Machine Turns 50', 2021 (article)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.83 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.9% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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