Jimmy Buffett's 'perfect' Margarita Recipe

Juice and sweeten

Zest and juice fresh limes until you have 1 cup of lime juice. Juice fresh lemons until you have 1/4 cup lemon juice. Combine the lime juice, lemon juice and 1/4 cup simple syrup in a pitcher. Stir vigorously until combined. Taste and adjust sweetness with more simple syrup if desired (up to 2 tbsp more).

Make simple syrup (if needed)

To make simple syrup, combine equal parts granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan (for example 1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water). Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely before using. This recipe uses 1/4 cup of finished syrup.

Prepare glasses

If rimming glasses, run a lime wedge around the outer edge of each glass rim. Pour the coarse salt onto a small plate and dip rims (or roll) into the salt to coat. Set glasses aside.

Build the margaritas (batch)

In a large pitcher, combine 2 cups blanco tequila and 1 cup orange liqueur with the prepared margarita mix (the combined lime/lemon/syrup mixture). Add 6 cups of ice to the pitcher and stir for 10–15 seconds to chill and dilute slightly.

Serve

Fill each prepared glass with fresh ice. Pour margarita from the pitcher into glasses, dividing evenly (this batch yields about 6 standard 4–6 oz margaritas). Garnish each with a lime wedge. Taste one and, if you prefer it stronger, stir a splash more tequila into individual glasses; for a lighter drink, add a little club soda to each.

Storage

Leftover pre-mixed margarita without ice can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Do not store with ice to avoid over-dilution.