Perfect Raw Honey Margaritas
Summer time calls for margaritas. But not just any old margarita. No way, when I want a margarita, I want a real margarita. This perfect margaritas with raw honey recipe makes the BEST margarita you’ve ever had and is sure to become a new favorite.
The other night my husband suggested we head out to grab a drink before dinner. But I really didn’t feel like going out. I’m kind of a homebody. Actually, there’s no “kind of” about it. I’m very much a homebody and my favorite place for a cocktail is my own patio. Plus, I knew that if we went out for a drink we’d stay for munchies. And I had the ingredients for roasted red pepper and portobello salad in the fridge. Plus a loaf of nice, crusty brad. And that’s what I really wanted to eat.
But even more than that, I was in the mood for a margarita. (I know, not your typical drink of choice with a roasted veggie salad, but it as the perfect summer day, and so the perfect day for a margarita with raw honey).
When I want a margarita, I don’t want one an electric green, sickeningly sweet pseudo-margarita mad with some scary sugar-laden mix. I want the real thing. And that’s not so easy to get around here. Even our “authentic” Mexican restaurants rely heavily on the drink mix.
Why You’ll Love It:
I stopped buying margarita mix about fifteen years ago in effort to eliminate unnecessary calories. Yup, that was me. Skinny margaritas all the way. I began mixing up my own simple syrup with Splenda (cringe) and water. While that recipe did drastically reduce the overall calories of the beverage (meaning you could drink three instead of two – wink, wink), it didn’t occur to me that I was trading one chemically-laden concoction for another. And it always left me with a headache. (Or maybe that with the tequila. We’ll never know).
A few years later, when my food philosophy changed, I decided my margarita recipe needed a makeover. In those days we were pseudo-paleo and “real food” focused, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to do straight up simple syrup. Simple syrup is typically made with sugar. I considered different sweeteners: maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, raw honey – and decided that raw honey would be the best choice. And, although it took a couple of tries, to get the ratios down right, this margarita with raw honey recipe didn’t disappoint. It really gives these margaritas a smooth and rich flavor.
If, like me, you prefer your margaritas to taste like alcohol and not artificial sweetener, you are going to love this margaritas with raw honey recipe. This recipe makes the perfect classic margarita that’s cool, refreshing and tastes of tequila and limes. You will want to use a high-quality tequila and just as an FYI, I NEVER substitute triple sec for the Cointreau. Cheers!
How to Make Perfect Margaritas with Raw Honey:
I usually start by making the honey water. This way, I can let it chill before I add it to the margaritas. There are all kinds of raw honey. Usually it comes I a jar and is more solid that traditional honey. It also often contains little bits of the honey combs. You may need to use a spoon to scoop it out. I place it in the bottom of large measuring cup and pop it into the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, just until melted.
Then I add it to two cups filtered water and stir to dissolve. Sometimes, if I feel like the honey isn’t dissolving, I’ll microwave water for about thirty seconds too. Then I set the honey water in the fridge to cool.
The next step is juicing the limes. I have an electric juicer, and I’m not going to lie, it makes this job infinitely easier. My kids always liked using the juicer, so I used to assign this job to them. That made it even easier. Now that they are 13 and 16 this is not such a fun task, but sometimes I can talk them into it. You want to juice between 8-10 limes to yield 1 cup of lime juice. Be sure you save an extra to use for garnish.
Once the limes are juiced, all you have to do is add everything to a big pitcher. Pour in the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and honey water and give it a good stir. You can also shake the margaritas in a cocktail shaker if you really want them well-blended, but I don’t bother to do that.
Sprinkle some coarse salt on a small plate. Use a lime wedge to wet the rim of your glass. Dip the rim in the salt. Add ice cubes and pour in the margaritas with raw honey.
Enjoy!
That’s it! homemade margaritas with raw honey are really quite easy to make. They are so fresh and fruity, and so much better than store bought margaritas.
Sometimes, if I’m short on time or there just aren’t any limes in the grocery store (thanks supply chain), I’ll use my favorite jarred lime juice. It’s not the same, but it’s not bad. And it still makes these margaritas with raw honey way better than any bottled mix.
These margaritas with raw honey would be fabulous paired with my Slow Cooker Salsa Pork Tacos.
Happy Eating!
Perfect Margaritas with Raw Honey
Print RecipeIngredients
Perfect Margaritas with Raw Honey
- 2 cups good quality tequila
- 1 cup Cointreau
- 10 limes divided
- 3/4 – 1 cup honey water depending on taste (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup salt if desired
Honey Water
- 1/4 cup raw honey melted
- 2 cups filtered water
Instructions
Perfect Margaritas with Raw Honey
- Juice nine limes, or enough to yield 1 cup lime juice. Cut the final lime into slices as garnish.
- In a large pitcher mix together tequila, Conintreau, lime juice and honey water. Stir well, or mix in a cocktail shaker.
- Pour salt onto a small dish. Use a slice of lime to wet the rim of the glass and dip into salt. Serve margarita over ice.
Honey Water
- Melt 1/4 cup raw honey in the microwave.
- Add to two cups filtered water. Stir to dissolve. Heat in microwave for thirty seconds if necessary. Let cool before using.
- Extra honey water can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and reserved for another use.
