Erin's Famous Margaritas

Some people will be remembered for their contributions to humanity. I will be remembered for this killer margarita recipe. Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, the best margarita you'll ever make!

May 03, 2025

∙ Paid

Last week, a friend off-handedly mentioned to me that my margaritas are now #famous in her book club, because 1) everyone told her they were the best margaritas they’d ever had, and 2) they were responsible for multiple unplanned Ubers home. Bravo for good choices!

I asked how she’d gotten my recipe, as I’d been privately tweaking it in a note on my phone for years but had never posted it on Well Plated—which is when she reminded me that I’d dropped that “private” note in a group text (no doubt after I’d had a few of these).

Margaritas are deceptively simple, which is why it’s shocking how often you get a bad one.

And by “bad,” I don’t mean the green machine ones that cheap taco joints churn out on $1 margarita night. To that I say, you got what you paid for.

When a margarita is right, few cocktails are more satisfying. The problem is, so much can go wrong, and too often, it does.

Getting that sweet harmony between tart, sweet, and refreshing is a delicate balance, one that I happily spent many a warm summer evening investigating.

It’s difficult work my friends, but I take my mission seriously: no más bad margaritas for us!

After testing various tequilas, orange liqueurs, ratios, and even simple syrup vs. agave, I nailed it, and these margaritas became famous for one very specific reason…

It’s not because they are utterly perfect, although I will argue they are…

They’re famous because a single margarita contains 4 shots of tequila.

I know, it sounds ridiculous. Erin, is this a margarita or a martini??

But trust me, one sip and no other margarita will do it for you the same way again.

This marg recipe also stands out for using two types of tequila, a revelation for which I credit our friend Jim, an (accurately) self-professed cocktail whiz.

Using half blanco (silver) tequila and half reposado (aged but not super-aged) tequila gives you a lovely balance between the crispness of the silver and the slightly more buttery roundness of the reposado.
If you prefer not to purchase more than one type, ~~consider a larger bar cart~~, I prefer the cleaner taste of blanco here, but feel free to use your favorite.

This recipe has a few other key points too - don’t use cheap triple sec (I like Cointreau), freshly juice those limes (you’ll need 2 to 3 per marg), and unless you are drinking like you are in a country music song, serve on the rocks to dilute them a bit.

Recipe