Emeril's Fresh Margarita with Homemade Citrus Syrup

Add pizazz to your Margaritas with homemade citrus syrup ~ freshly made, delicious, and quite possibly the foundation of the best margarita around, thanks to Emeril's Fresh Margarita recipe!
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There are oh so many delicious ways to enjoy margaritas.  

How to take yours is truly a matter of personal preference - On the rocks, straight up, or frozen.  Classic with lime or flavored with other fruits like mango or strawberry.  Salt or no salt.  Bottled mix or fresh-made.

As for me?  I take mine straight up with fresh lime ... no bottled mixes involved.

Not that there's anything wrong with bottled mixes.  Nope, nothing wrong at all.  Skipping them in lieu of fresh is just my personal preference.

Add pizazz to your Margaritas with homemade citrus syrup ~ freshly made, delicious, and quite possibly the foundation of the best margarita around.

And thanks to this fabulous recipe from Emeril Lagassi, we can make straight-up fresh Margaritas from scratch with a little pizazz, compliments of homemade citrus syrup.

The homemade citrus syrup is made with fresh lemon juice and zest, fresh lime juice and zest, and a little bit of pineapple juice.  Now, usually I don't like my Margaritas with any type of fruit other than lime in them and would scoff at pineapple in them.  But in this homemade citrus syrup, the pineapple juice adds just a small hit of sweetness and a really nice depth of flavor. 

And let me just tell you, it's soooooooo good.

Some may want to shy away from the thought of making the citrus syrup, but truly it's not hard at all.

To the make homemade citrus syrup, first prepare a tablespoon each of lime and lemon zest.  Remove the zest from the lemons and limes before you cut them to juice them.  You need the firmness of the whole fruit to best remove the zest.  

Then combine the zests in a saucepan with some sugar, fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, pineapple juice, and a touch of water.

Stir this together over medium heat until it comes to a boil and the sugar is fully dissolved.

Cool the citrus syrup to room temperature and pour through a small colander to strain out the zest.

You'll be left with a super liquid that looks much like bottled Margarita mix.  But believe me, this freshly made homemade citrus syrup puts those bottled mixes to shame!  

Conveniently, the citrus syrup can be made in advance and stored in a  covered container in the refrigerator until you need it, too.

The citrus syrup can be made in advance and stored in a  covered container in the refrigerator until you need it.

When you're ready to mix up your margaritas, simply chill your glasses in the freezer for 15 minutes or so so they're nice and cold.  (This step is entirely optional, but it's a nice touch to keep your Margarita nicely chilled.)  

Then, salt your glasses by moistening the rims with a lime wedge and dipping them in coarse salt.

Next, fill a cocktail shaker about half full with ice.

Pour in the homemade citrus syrup, good quality white tequila, and Triple Sec and shake it all up until the ingredients are well chilled.  Shaking for a full 30 seconds to 1 minute is recommended for the proper chill, so keep that shaker going!

Pour the mixture into your prepared glasses and garnish on the side with lime wedges.

Then get ready to enjoy one of the best margaritas around - straight up, classic, and fresh ... complete with pizazz from your very own super tasty homemade citrus syrup.

Check out these other super tasty Margaritas & Mojitos:

• Top Shelf Margarita without Breaking the Bank
• Champagne Margaritas
• Limoncello Margarita
• Homemade Margarita Mix
• Margarita Cake & Jello Shots
• How to Make Mojitos
• Coconut Mojitos
• Watermelon Mojitos
• More cocktails

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

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Beverages

Mexican

Yield: 4 Margaritas

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

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Emeril's Fresh Margarita with Homemade Citrus Syrup

Add pizazz to your Margaritas with homemade citrus syrup ~ freshly made, delicious, and quite possibly the foundation of the best margarita around, thanks to Emeril Lagassi's Fresh Margarita recipe!

Prep time: 15 MCook time: 8 MTotal time: 23 M

Ingredients:

Citrus Syrup:

• 3/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 c. pineapple juice
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 T. lime zest
• 1 T. lemon zest

Margaritas:

• 1 c. white tequila
• 3/4 c. Trip Sec

Salted Rims & Garnish:

• lime wedges
• coarse or kosher salt

Instructions:

For the Citrus Syrup:

1. Combine lime juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, water, sugar, and zests in a saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Cool to room temperature and strain out zests.
4.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to prepare margaritas.

For the Salted Rims:

1. Place salt in a shallow dish. 
2. Moisten the rim of each glass with a lime wedge and dip each rim in the salt. Set aside.

For Margaritas:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker about half full with ice. Add the cooled citrus syrup, tequila, and Triple Sec. 
2. Shake until well chilled, about 1 minute.
3. Pour into prepared glasses and garnish with lime wedges.

https://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2015/04/fresh-fierce-margarita-with-homemade-margarita-mix.html

Adapted from Emeril Lagassi's "Fresh & Fierce Margarita"

Created using The Recipes Generator

You might also like these other tasty cocktail recipes:

Champagne Margaritas

How to Make Mojitos

Top-Shelf Margarita

Coconut Mojitos

Sangria

Triple Citrus Sangria

Watermelon Mojito

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