Martha Stewart's Smoky Lemon Margarita

Martha Stewart

Alamy

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Rating:

(5 rated)

Prep time:

10 minutes

Servings:

8-10

Mix up a pitcher of this make-ahead margarita for a cookout. Mezcal, tequila's smoky cousin, gives the drink its signature flavor.

Swap option: For a version without smokiness, use silver tequila in place of mezcal.

Ingredients

Lemon Simple Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 lemons, zest peeled
- 1½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cocktail
- 2 cups lemon simple syrup, chilled (recipe above)
- 12 ounces tequila, chilled
- 6 ounces orange liqueur, like Cointreau, chilled
- Orange rounds, coarse sea salt, and frozen lemon wedges or ice, for serving

Preparation

For the lemon simple syrup:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, lemon zest, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Strain, discard zest; stir in lemon juice.

Cover and refrigerate in an airtight container until cold, at least one hour and up to two weeks.

For the cocktail:

In a pitcher, stir together syrup, tequila, and liqueur. Cover and refrigerate up to one day, if desired. Run an orange round along the rim of each serving glass; dip each rim in salt. Add orange rounds and frozen lemon wedges to pitcher.

Pour drinks into prepared glasses; serve with more orange rounds and frozen lemon wedges.