National Margarita Day is Saturday, Feb. 22, and we at The Key West Weekly wanted to make everyone aware of this well-lubricated holiday that can be celebrated frozen or on the rocks.
And while nearly every spot in town offers its own take on the margarita, we wanted to be sure you knew some of our favorite places in town to enjoy these classic cocktails. (We have a tough job, we know! We don’t know how we get out of bed in the morning, especially after “researching” a story like this.)
A classic margarita includes tequila, orange liqueur (triple sec) and lime juice. You can serve it with a salt or sugar rim. Traditionally served in a margarita glass, it can be shaken with ice, on the rocks, blended with ice, frozen margarita, or without ice (straight up).
While different liqueurs, fruits, juices and ingredients modernize the recipe, the classic margarita will never go out of style. It’s the most popular tequila-based cocktail in the United States, and we hope you find a way to enjoy one of these juicy concoctions on Saturday.
A few of our favorite spots to sip a few of these refreshing drinks that have epitomized the islands since a certain songwriter “blew out a flip flop” and started wastin’ away include: Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina’s Watermelon Margarita. Come on, now, the drink is IN the name. How can this place go wrong? There’s also Virgilio’s, Tavern ‘n’ Town and the Pier House Resort for some great adult beverages. We also included a few recipes below, for those who’d rather fire up their own blender and use, or lose, their own shaker of salt.
PIER HOUSE RESORT MANGO MARGARITA
- 1 oz Milagro Silver Tequila
- 0.75oz Cointreau
- 2 tablespoons of mango puree, made with fresh fruit from local trees
- 2 tablespoons of fresh Key lime juice + fresh lime slice
- Ice
- Salt for rim
Preparation: Rub the rim of the glass with lime to ensure the salt sticks to it. Shake the other ingredients with ice, then carefully pour into the glass (taking care not to dislodge any salt). Garnish and serve over ice.
MARGARITAVILLE KEY WEST RESORT & MARINA
Watermelon Margarita: Sauza signature blue 100% agave tequila, muddled watermelon, cold pressed persian lime and valencia orange juices, with a touch of 100% organic agave nectar.
