Cheers! I have been playing with flavor profiles using classic drinks and our spice blends. So, our party is already started. Come on in, and join us.

And today’s recipe? A margarita with Cuso’s Tequila Lime Habanero Spice on the rim. We decided on margaritas because it is one of the world’s most popular cocktail.

The traditional margarita consists of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some blends include simple syrup with a garnish of salt on the rim. You can shake it up over ice or just serve it straight up. Did you know the name for a margarita glass is “champagne coupe?”

Cuso's Margarita Ingredients

• Tequila Lime Habanero Spice
• Salt 50/50 with spice
• 3 oz. margarita mix
• 1.5 oz tequila
• Juice from half a lime
• Lime wedges (garnish)

Lime Juice

Do not skimp on fresh lime juice. Just don’t!

Salt

You have options when it comes to salt. Table salt works. Kosher salt is a little larger, and coarse salt larger still. It all depends on your preference for mouth feel. If you want the drink to be pretty, use pink salt.

Proportions

Depending on who you ask about proportions, some recipes call for a 10:4:3 portioning (tequila, triple sec, lime juice). Others use 1 part tequila, ½ part Cointreau, and ½ part squeezed lemon juice.

If you’re using triple sec, there are other orangy liqueurs out there, like Gran Gala, Gran Mariner, and Blue Curacao (the blue margarita). 

Mix everything with slushy ice, and you have a frozen margarita.

Mixologist’s Memo

There are hundreds of origin stories surrounding the margarita. One newspaper in 1936 mentioned a cocktail like the margarita in Tijuana. Not to be undone, the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book (1937) put out a “Picador” (tequila, triple sec, lime juice). It wasn’t until 1947 in San Diego that the drink really took off.

You can pair Cuso’s Margarita with

Churros

Cilantro black bean salad

Creme Brulee

Fajitas

Mexican corn salad

Pulled pork taquitos

Scorched Salmon

Shrimp Tacos