Pitcher Frozen Margaritas

A classic margarita can be enjoyed any day of the year. But on those hot and sticky summer days, a frozen twist on the bright, tart cocktail is most welcome.

A frozen margarita may not be novel, but with solid ingredients, it can be your delicious, go-to summer drink. Sure, it requires you to take out your blender, but at least you can blend up a bunch to have on hand when the fancy strikes!

What's In a Frozen Classic Margarita?

A frozen margarita is a frosty twist on the classic on-the-rocks recipe blended with ice and lime zest. The classic cocktail includes smooth blanco tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup. Frozen, the flavors still shine.

For the tequila in this recipe, use a blanco style and try to find one made with 100% blue agave instead of a blend. Save your aged tequilas for sipping, as all of the subtle nuanced flavors they contain will be dulled by the ice when you blend it.

Tips and Tricks for Making a Margarita

You’ve got your ingredients, now let’s talk about how to make the best frozen margarita with these tips and tricks.

• Bottled lime juice versus fresh lime juice: If you’re batching a large amount of frozen margaritas, you may want to save some time by buying high-quality bottled lime juice instead of juicing a bunch of limes. Both are very similar and when frozen, both mellow in flavor. However, using fresh squeezed lime juice will result in a flavor that is more floral and zestier.
• You can portion out the lime juice and simple syrup into ice cube trays and freeze them. This makes for a more concentrated drink. I do this in 1/2 ounce portions, which allows me to mix and match for different recipes, too.
• The consistency here is very slush-like. Instead of loading your cocktail up with ice that will water the whole thing down, give it a quick(ish) trip to the freezer after you’ve blended it. After 30 minutes, it’s less slushy and more smooth. Let it chill even longer for a thicker frozen drink.
• For larger batches, mix up all the ingredients and transfer to a freezer-safe container to freeze ahead of time (it will not fully freeze but get very cold, resulting in less ice melting when you blend it). When ready to serve, blitz it with ice in the blender and serve.

Margarita Garnish Options

Even though it’s a frozen margarita, I still love a little salt on the rim of my glass, and I suggest you do the same if you enjoy salt with your traditional margarita on the rocks.

To rim a glass with salt, simply pour some salt onto a plate, take a lime slice, and rub the flesh on the rim of the glass. Press the freshly rimmed glass into the salt on the plate, turn it upright, and add your margarita. Decorate with a lime slice or not, it’s your call.

Best Glassware for a Frozen Margarita

This recipe yields about 8 ounces, or one cup, per serving, so a double rocks glass will work best for this drink. But if you have a fancy margarita glass on your shelf—the kind that resembles a bulbous coupe that is only meant to serve frozen margaritas—you can go ahead and use that, too.

Straws here are optional, but I do enjoy my short, reusable straws with a frozen cocktail for taking sips.

Make Ahead Margaritas

Planning ahead? Blend up the entire recipe, pour into your serving glasses, and store in the freezer (if your freezer is prone to freezer burn, wrap the tops in plastic wrap, otherwise store as is).

When ready to serve, remove the glasses from the freezer and let them sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Give them a stir to break up the ice a bit (I like to use a chopstick). Even if they have frozen up quite a bit, they will soon start to liquify due to the alcohol and will take on a ‘slushy’ consistency.

Drinks can stay in the freezer for up to one month. After that the flavors start to become compromised.

More Margarita Recipes

• Blueberry Pitcher Margaritas
• Watermelon Pitcher Margaritas
• Pineapple Jalapeño Pitcher Margaritas
• Frozen Cucumber Margaritas
• Classic Margarita