The spirit is distilled from the blue agave plant (agave azul) and there are two distinct grades, those made from 100% fermented agave juice and a lower end version that must be made from at least 51% agave (the rest is made up with other less expensive ingredients such as molasses and corn syrup). Squeeze in the lime juice, pop on the top part of your shaker, then shake hard for about 30 seconds to mix it all together and chill the liquid really well.

Our drinks expert, Hannah Guinness, shares her at-home bar tips to help you take your margarita to the next level. What is a margarita? The reason this works so well is that tequila is produced using the agave plant so these ingredients perfectly complement each other. Tequila’s name is derived from the town of Tequila northwest of Guadalajara in Mexico where the spirit originated and legally it can only be made in just a few places close to the town. Oro (gold): can be a blend with older aged tequila, but the colour most often comes from added colouring.Run a lime wedge around the outside of the rim of your glass before rolling the rim in a little fine sea salt. Scale up: For easy entertaining, opt for a pitcher version to serve a party of 6. Fill a jug with crushed ice, 2 sliced limes and 1 sliced orange. Pour in 350ml tequila, 270ml fresh lime juice and 180ml Grand Marnier, then stir to combine. Let the pitcher sit for 5 minutes to allow the ice to melt a little, stir again, then pour into 6 salt-rimmed glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime of you like. The only thing better than a frozen margarita is its fruitier and more refreshing variation – the frozen strawberry margarita. A skinny margarita is a popular option for modern-day drinkers that want to watch their weight whilst still enjoying an alcoholic beverage. With 40% fewer calories than an original margarita, a skinny margarita can definitely be your guilty pleasure.

Created in the 1990s in San Francisco, the Tommy’s Margarita recipe uses agave as a sweetening ingredient over triple sec (orange liqueur). Scoop out ½ a fresh passion fruit (set aside the other ½ for garnish) and add it to a shaker filled with ice. Add all other ingredients and shake until chilled. Add all ingredients to a blender (make sure it’s a heavy-duty one and not a bullet) and blend briefly to mix all ingredients. Blanco or plata (white/silver): bottled after distillation or up to 2 months in stainless steel or briefly in oak barrels. Shake all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice until it becomes cold to touch. Strain into a low ball glass filled with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.Smoky mezcal makes for a sultry, potent margarita – just swap out the tequila for mezcal in the classic recipe above. Dirty margarita Start by chilling your glass – the easiest way is to fill it with ice, or if you’re super organised, pop it into the freezer 30 minutes before you need it.

Margaritas pair beautifully with spicy flavours so try adding a dash of hot sauce to the recipe above (there’s a blood orange variety of Cointreau that works well). Make a chilli salt for the glass rim by mixing together ½ tsp of mild chilli powder, 1 tsp of sea salt flakes and the zest of ½ a lime. Mezcal margarita We’ve spent countless hours creating a bottled Margarita recipe which is fresh and vibrant, with that unmistakable agave flavour.A mezcal margarita uses tequila’s less popular (yet growing cousin) mezcal to create a margarita that boasts more of a smokey flavour.