Lychees, Broccoli and Beyond: 5 Opulent Margarita Recipes for Adventurous Home Mixologists

We all know the classic margarita recipe — tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice. Maybe with a splash of agave syrup. Or perhaps, as is becoming increasingly popular, a sprinkling of spicy Tajin.

In honor of National Margarita Day (2/22), we’ve sought out six variations that boldly defy the formula. Long gone are the days of the salt rim; we’re looking for ginger, lychees, chipotle and avocado alongside all manner of unorthodox ingredients usually reserved for the food pantry. Once you’ve collected the necessary accouterments, find some time to let these show-stoppers shine.

Margarita al Pastor

Mexico’s City Licorería Limantour recently notched seventh place on The World’s 50 Best Bars List 2023. Paying homage to the region, the bar’s star cocktail faithfully recreates a lunchtime favorite — tacos al pastor.

Typical margarita ingredients are blended with a slurry of pineapple juice, cilantro, mint and green serranos that add up to a cocktail greater than the sum of its parts. Rather than drinking a meal, you’ll discover gobs of herbal nuance that bring out the best qualities in blanco tequila. Mixing one up requires a little patience, but it’s well worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 oz ml Blanco Tequila
• 3/4 oz Triple Sec
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 1 1/2 oz Taco Mix
  • 1500 milliliters Pineapple Juice
  • 300 milliliters Water
  • 90 grams Cilantro
  • 60 grams Mint
  • 60 grams Basil
  • 450 milliliters Serrano Chile-infused Agave
    • 660 grams Agave Syrup
    • 200 milliliters Water
    • 60 grams chopped Green Serrano chile

Directions

1. To make Serrano Chile-Infused Agave, add chopped chile to water and let infuse for 10 minutes. Fine strain and mix with agave syrup in a bottle. Keep in fridge.
2. Mix pineapple, infused agave syrup, water, cilantro, mint and basil in a blender and blend until smooth. Fine strain into a container.
3. Combine taco mix with lime, triple sec and blanco tequila in cocktail shaker with ice, shaking for 15-20 seconds.
4. Strain into a prepared glass over ice, garnishing with a pineapple wedge and/or cilantro salt rim.

Dynasty Margarita

In 2023, Hong Kong’s Coa was declared Asia’s best bar for the third year in a row. Headed up by the renowned Jay Khan, the Oaxacan-inspired craft cocktail hideaway mixes up deviously complex creations like the Mole Negroni, Horchata de Pistachio and Thai Beef Salad.

As it so happens, one of Khan’s less labor-intensive recipes was voted Margarita of the Year in 2019. Balancing lychee, ginger syrup and elderflower liqueur, the Dynsaty Margarita combines traditional Chinese ingredients with a flair for modern mixology.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
• .5 oz Orange Liqueur
• .25 oz St-Germain
• .75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• .25 oz Ginger Syrup
• 3 Fresh or canned Lychees
• Grapefruit Salt, rim
• Lime twist for garnish

Directions

1. Rim glass with grapefruit salt.
2. Place lychees in cocktail shaker, then add the remaining ingredients with ice.
3. Shake hard until chilled, 20-30 seconds.
4. Double strain into rimmed glass and garnish with lime twist.

The “Broctail”

Our first (but not last) vegetable-based margarita on the list harnesses Tenderstem — a hybrid of Chinese kale and broccoli — as its central ingredient. Naturally, it’s called the Broctail.

The concept caused quite a stir online when it was unveiled by television host and bar owner Jack Sotti at the end of last year. Like placing broccoli on a toddler’s plate, the recipe was bound to generate some level of lukewarm controversy. However, if you have a taste for greenery, you might find a lot to like in this inventive, slightly savory twist on the classic margarita.

Ingredients

• 50ml Blanco Tequila
• 25ml Fresh Lime Juice
• 20ml 1:1 Sugar Syrup
• 5ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 florets of blanched Tenderstem Broccoli
• 1 pinch of Flaky Salt

Directions

1. Bring a pot to boil and blanch broccoli for no more than 1 minute. Quickly remove and crash cool in an ice bath to prevent any further cooking. Pat dry and store in a sealed container with a dry kitchen towel.
2. Into a shaker add florets of broccoli, add your lime juice, sugar syrup, blanco tequila, olive oil and salt. Use a stick blender or blender to break down the broccoli. If you don’t have one, use a muddler or rolling pin to crush the life out of it.
3. Add lots of ice to a shaker and shake hard for 30 seconds until your hands go numb.
4. Fine strain into a rocks glass with lots of ice and garnish with a blanched floret and a pinch of flaky salt.

Margherita at Sala 118

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, famous for its indoor gondola river and laborious commitment to Italian theming, brings us the Margherita at Sala 118.

Inside, reposado tequila and orange liqueur square off against génépy, a pale gold herbal aperitif distilled from wormwood. If that sounds a hint too bitter for your liking, the recipe is evened out with a healthy dose of prickly pear syrup. Mixed well, each wildly different ingredient is left with plenty of room to shine.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz  Paladar Reposado Single Barrel Tequila
• 1/2 oz Orange Liqueur
• 1/2 oz Alpe Italian Genepy
• 3/4 oz Prickly Pear Syrup
• 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• Fresh Oregano Sprig, Lime Wedge, Orange Twist for garnish

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing tine with ice, shake strain over fresh ice.

La Cava Avocado

Countless versions of the “guacamole margarita” have been unleashed upon the Internet over the past few years. At their simplest, they combine avocado puree with all the typical fixings of a tried-and-true margarita. Maybe with a sprig of parsley on top.

Changing up the formula, we’re recommending a twist on the recipe served at Disney World’s EPCOT Mexico Pavilion. Known there as “La Cava Avocado,” the drink blends melon and orange liqueur for a walloping hit of fruit flavor combined with subdued avocado silkiness. Trust us, Disney knew what they were doing with this one.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Tequila Blanco
• 1.5 oz Melon Liqueur
• 1 oz Orange Liqueur
• 1/4 Avocado
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 tbsp Hibiscus Salt

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except salt to a blender with 3/4 cup of ice.
2. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour into a margarita glass rimmed with hibiscus salt.
4. Enjoy!

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