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My favorite warm-weather drink is hands-down a skinny margarita (cold weather? It has to my Spiked Hot Chocolate Board). Embarrassingly, I had never really made a proper one for myself. Until now! In fact, Shelter at Home has completely upped my cocktail game, and I’m taking it as my personal mission to perfect as many drinks as I can.

I’m happy to report, my margarita game is finally up to snuff. Just in time for summer!

What Makes a Margarita Skinny?

Now that the weather is heating up, some days just call for a cold skinny margarita for one. I love fresh flavors and cocktails that are simple and straightforward.

There are so many opinions about what makes a skinny margarita. Mine has fresh squeezed lime juice, tequila and cointreau—it’s as delicious as it is simple. I promise it will go down easy.

Set Up Your Cocktail Station

When you’re making margs straight in the glass, it’s best to add the booze first. You’ll be better able to see just how much you’ve added. For this super simple margarita I used two shots of Casamigos Tequila, and one shot of Cointreau for a little extra kick of orange flavor and just a touch of sweetness (without being overly sugary).

I made this in a glass separate from the one I served it in. If you’re not in a rush, you’ll end up with a smoother, colder drink if you mix the ingredients in a large cup, cocktail shaker or cocktail mixing glass (this pretty one is my fave). Once all my ingredients were in my shaker, I placed another cup on top to shake it up with some ice. What this does is chill and properly mix your drink. It helps fully mix ingredients like juice with the alcohol, aerating your beverage for a perfect cocktail.

How to Get More Juice From Your Limes

With ice and booze in your glass, add your fresh squeezed lime juice. A fun fact that is helpful to me: most medium limes will yield approximately two tablespoons of juice which equals one ounce of liquid. For the times that you don’t really want to measure, this is a great guide.

To get the maximum amount of juice out of your limes, before you slice and squeeze, do one of the following: roll it firmly between your palm and a table or cutting board, or microwave it for 20 seconds or less (especially if you store your limes in the fridge). When you’re picking out limes or lemons at the grocery store, do the little squeeze test. The ones that give a little when squeezed are more likely to be juicier. I use my trusty citrus juicer to quickly juice my limes and lemons while catching the seeds.

Beautify with Garnishes

While your cocktail ingredients are just chillin in the ice, salt the rim of your cutest tumbler or favorite margarita glass.

Get out your best course or flakey sea salt (Kosher salt works too!) and pour a small handful out onto a plate. While regular table salt is fine, it won’t stick as well to the glass because it will absorb the liquid much quicker than coarse salt. That said, you can take it up a notch with Tajin (a mild chili and lime sea salt that’s perfect for margaritas).

You can even measure a ring of salt on the plate that corresponds to the diameter of your glass of choice (definitely harder to nail than just putting a small handful of salt on the plate). To get the maximum salt to stick, dip the rim of your glass into a shallow bowl of lime juice. Or you can wipe the juiced lime halves around the rim if you’re tired of squeezing. Dip the wet rimmed glass into the salt, and voila!

Strain your marg into a cute glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime, sit back and enjoy your drink!

Fun Fact: Have you noticed that Tequila doesn’t put you to sleep like other alcohols? I recently found out that it’s the only alcohol that is not a depressant. It can even give you energy. Right now, my favorite is Casa Migos Reposado.

My favorite cocktail tools from this post:

Tumblers — My favorite glasses are simple yet unique, like these. Tumblers provide a sleek design that can be used for many different types of drinks.

Tools — I’ve loved this cocktail tool kit from Amazon, it has just the right stuff as I’ve started perfecting my cocktail game. Also comes in a pretty antique brass. And this one comes in a cool black

How to Make This Margarita

If you want to see how I made this, check out the #AintTooProudToVideo of my attempt at making this simple margarita…bloopers first, then legitimate tutorial.

First, add margarita salt to a plate.

Next, add ice to your cocktail shaker and pour in the tequila and cointreau.

Juice the lime thoroughly, one half at a time, then add the juice to the shaker and shake to combine. If you’re using a manual juice press, put the lime half in the press cut-side down and press firmly.

Quarter the other lime, then use a quarter to rub around the rim. Then dip the wet rim in the salt to coat.

Add a few ice cubes to the rimmed glass, then strain the margarita over the ice. Garnish the glass with a lime quarter to serve.

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