7 Mouthwatering Margarita Recipes That Are Easy On Your Wallet

We celebrate National Margarita Day every year on February 22. It’s a time for fun with friends, but it can also get costly if you’re not careful. So instead of spending more than planned, keep the drinks flowing and your price points budget-friendly by making your own margs. Here are seven recipes that all cost less tha $5 per drink.

1. Classic Margarita

You can’t go wrong with a classic margarita, whether it’s on the rocks or frozen. Plus, it’ll probably be the least expensive option at the bar or your home. To make one that’s really affordable, start with Sauza tequila. You can easily get a 750-milliliter bottle for less than $20 — maybe even $15, depending on the exact kind and your location. Add in a 750-milliliter bottle of DeKuyper Triple Sec Liqueur for around $10, lime juice for $2 a bottle and some simple syrup (which costs pennies to make), and you could make classic margaritas for less than $3 a pop.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 parts Sauza tequila
• 1 part lime juice
• 0.5 parts DeKuyper Triple Sec Liqueur
• 0.5 parts simple syrup

Directions: Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice and mix well. Strain it into a glass. Salt the rim (optional).

2. Blue Margarita

Using that same bottle of Sauza, which costs $20 or less, you can easily make an affordable blue margarita. All you need is a $10 bottle of DeKuyper Blue Curacao Liqeuer instead of the regular Triple Sec Liqeuer and some lime juice. Blue Curacao has the same orange flavor as Triple Sec, but it’s blue, which definitely ups the ante on this margarita, which costs less than $3.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 parts Sauza tequila
• 1 part lime juice
• 0.5 parts DeKuyper Blue Curacao Liqeuer

Directions: Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice and mix well. Strain it into a glass. Salt the rim (optional).

3. Pineapple Jalapeño Margarita

If you’re looking for something a little spicier, then this pineapple jalapeño margarita from Simply Recipes is right up your alley. Even better, this recipe makes a pitcher of margs (six to eight servings) so you and your friends can all enjoy them quickly and easily for just $2 a drink. Unlike the first two recipes, though, you’ll want to grab a bottle of aged tequila like Lunazul Reposado, which you can get for $20 to $25 a bottle, depending on your location. The smoky taste of this tequila balances nicely with the sweet pineapple juice (about 7 cents per ounce), tangy lime juice (about $2 a bottle), Triple Sec ($10 a bottle) and spicy jalapeño (about 50 cents per pepper).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups of Lunazul Reposado Tequila
• 3 cups of pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup of DeKuyper Triple Sec Liqueur
• 1/4 cup of lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced

Directions: Put the sliced jalapeño and three tablespoons of the tequila into the pitcher, and muddle the ingredients together. Add the remaining tequila, pineapple juice, Triple Sec and lime juice, and stir. Pour it into ice-filled glasses and enjoy!

4. Frozen White Peach Margarita

If frozen is more your style, then this white peach marg from The Woks of Life will do the trick on National Margarita Day. You’ll need some fresh mangoes (about $2 each) and peaches (about $2.25 each), plus lime juice, Triple Sec, simple syrup and, of course, tequila. For this recipe, grab a $20 bottle of Sauza again to keep the flavor crisp and clean rather than smoky. This recipe makes about four margs, which comes out to less than $3 per drink.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of tequila
• 3 ounces of Triple Sec
• 1.5 ounces of lime juice
• 1.5 ounces of simple syrup
• 1 large mango
• 2 peaches
• 3 cups of ice

Directions: Scoop the peaches and the mango out of their skins and into a bowl. Place the fruit, tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec, simple syrup and ice into a blender. Blend it until smooth then pour it into glasses. Salt the rim (optional).

5. Watermelon Margarita

If you can find watermelon this time of year, buy it just so you can make this refreshing margarita from Handle the Heat. Other than the watermelon, though (about $6 each), the ingredients are pretty simple — tequila (you can use Sauza again to keep this one affordable), Triple Sec (our trusty DeKuyper brand will do just fine) and lime juice. This recipe makes two large margaritas at a little more than $6 a pop, but you can easily skip the frozen cubed watermelon and save the other half for another round of margs, which brings the price down to less than $5 a drink.

Ingredients:

• 1 watermelon
• 6 ounces of tequila
• 2 ounces of Triple Sec
• 2 limes

Directions: Cut up half the watermelon into cubes and puree it in a blender. Cut the other half into cubes and place them on a plate in the freezer. Once the watermelon is ready in the blender, combine 2 cups of it with the tequila, lime juice and Triple Sec in a pitcher and stir. If the cubed watermelon is frozen, place a few in each glass and pour the margarita mixture over them. Salt or sugar on the rims of the glasses is optional.

6. Fresh Strawberry Margarita

Keeping things on the fruity side, this fresh strawberry marg from A Spicy Perspective is a truly sweet treat. The secret to this recipe, though, which makes about four to six servings, is the strawberry jam. Between all of the ingredients, including a bottle of Lunazul Reposado tequila again for a smoky touch, you’ll be sipping on margs that definitely don’t break the bank at $2-4 a pop, depending on how many you make.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1 cup of tequila
• 3/4 cup of lime juice
• 2/3 cup of strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup of Triple Sec
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 3-4 cups of ice

Directions: Add all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend well and then pour it into glasses. Salted rims are optional!

7. Black Grape And Chile Margarita

Let’s turn up the heat one more time with this grape and chile margarita. The sweet grape juice (about $4 a bottle) mixed with the smoky Lunazul Reposado tequila and Serrano pepper (about 28 cents each) gives you sweet and spicy margs that only cost about $2 a piece.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces of lime juice
• 4 ounces of grape juice
• 3 ounces of tequila
• 1.5 ounces of Triple Sec
• 1 Serrano pepper, sliced

Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the tequila, lime juice, grape juice, Triple Sec and four slices of the Serrano pepper. Shake well. Strain it into glasses with ice. The chile powder, salt and sugar on the rim is optional, as are garnishes of grapes and slices of the Serrano pepper.

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