If I told you there is a magical margarita that tastes like a margarita, even looks like a margarita, and you can have three or four without a head-pounding hangover in the morning, you probably would brand that as BS. But you would be wrong.
In case you didn't know, February 22 is World Margarita Day: a day on which we come together to celebrate one of the world's most popular cocktails. The humble marg, the brainchild of a blessed bartender who combined triple sec, tequila and lime juice in a moment of divine intervention, was first created in 1938 in Mexico - so the stories go.
Often completed with salt on the rim of the glass, the festive tipple is served either shaken with ice, blended with ice, or without ice - all delicious. And while the beloved libation is typically an alcoholic beverage, it doesn't have to be. So if booze isn't really your bag or you're valiantly battling through the dry doldrums, never fear - you can still celebrate World Margarita Day in style, and show up for work tomorrow morning.
How do we do this, one might ask? Well, the secret is non-alcoholic spirits. Alcohol-free alternatives to traditional spirits and liqueurs mean you can still enjoy a classic cocky or a fun evening with your friends, sans the grog. Lauded non-alcoholic spirits brand Lyre's is a great place to start, with their extensive range of alcohol-free spirits and wines meaning Cosmopolitans, Amalfi Spritz, Martinis and Mojitos are still on the menu.
And now, Lyre's has added to their repertoire with two non-alcoholic, tequila-style premium spirits, the Agave Blanco Spirit and Agave Reserva Spirit. Both booze-free alternatives have been carefully crafted in homage to the classic, with expressions of lemon, roasted agave, vanilla and peppery spice. The tequila-style spirits have been used in the following three 'mocktail' margarita recipes kindly supplied to Newshub, but you can substitute Lyre's for any alcohol-free option - like Seedlip, the world's first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. A bottle of Seedlip Grove 42 - a zesty, citrusy amalgamation of orange - pairs wonderfully with fresh lime juice, agave syrup and ice for a classic, alcohol-free marg.
Without further ado, here are three non-alcoholic margarita recipes sure to tickle your fancy:
Classic Margarita
Ingredients
- 1.5 parts (45ml) Lyre's Agave Blanco Spirit (or other non-alcoholic tequila-style alternative)
- 0.5 parts (15ml) Lyre's Orange Sec (or other non-alcoholic orange liquor)
- 0.25 parts (7.5ml) white sugar syrup (1:1)
- 1 part (30ml) lime juice
- Dash of orange bitters (optional).
Method
- Shake briefly with ice before fine straining into a half salt-rimmed cocktail coupette glass.
- Garnish with lime wedges.
Tommy's Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 parts (60ml) Lyre's Agave Reserva Spirit (or other non-alcoholic tequila-style alternative)
- 0.5 parts (15ml) premium agave syrup
- 1 part (30ml) lime juice
- Pinch of salt (optional).
Method
- Shake briefly with ice and fine strain into an old fashioned glass.
Watermelon and Chilli Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 parts (60ml) Lyre's Agave Blanco Spirit (or other non-alcoholic tequila-style alternative)
- 2 parts (60ml) watermelon juice
- 0.5 parts (15ml) premium agave syrup
- 0.5 parts (15ml) lime juice
- 2 thin slices of jalapeño rounds.
Method
- Briefly shake all the ingredients with ice before straining into a chilli and salt-rimmed glass over cubes of ice.
- Garnish with a watermelon wedge.
