This year National Margarita Day is on Friday, February 22nd. That’s right… an actual Friday! With these awesome margarita recipes, you can toast National Margarita Day many times over. Serve them up with our Margarita Glazed Baby Back Ribs (recipe included below) for a hit. ¡Salud!

Blood Orange Margarita
from Parker and Quinn
1 1/2 oz. Patrón Silver Tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
1 1/2 oz. blood orange juice
1/4 oz. lime juice
ginger beer
orange wheel

Shake all ingredients together, then pour over rocks. Top with ginger beer and garnish with an orange wheel.

Angry Roséita
6 oz. Angry Orchard Rose Cider
1 oz. mezcal
1/2 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. agave nectar
pineapple slice
lime wedge

Add all ingredients to a pint glass and add ice. Top with Angry Orchard Rose Cider and garnish with pieces of pineapple and a lime wedge.

The Devil’s Margarita
courtesy of Show Me the Yummy
1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco (try it with Hornitos Black Barrel)
3/4 oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 oz. simple syrup
red wine such as Cabernet or Carménère

In a shaker filled with ice, pour in tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake until chilled and pour into glass of choice. Set a spoon at a 45 degree angle barely placed inside of the margarita. The back of the spoon should be facing the ceiling. Pinch the top of the wine bottle with your finger and slowly pour red wine onto the back of the spoon and let it drizzle on the surface of the margarita. Pour until you have about 1/4 inch of red wine in the glass.

Lavender Margarita
courtesy of homewetbar.com
2 oz. Herradura blanco tequila
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lavender simple syrup
1/2 lime
sugar
dried lavender
(we also added two drops of lavender bitters)

In a shaker, combine the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, and the juice of half a lime. Let it sit. Mix the sugar and dried lavender on a plate and use it to rim the outside of a rocks glass. Fill the glass with ice. Shake the shaker ingredients and strain into the glass. Garnish with a lime wheel if desired.

Mean Green Kale Margarita
courtesy of feedmephoebe.com
¼ cup blanco tequila
5 oz. Plum Vida Kale Juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. raw honey
½ cup water
ice cubes
sea salt and cayenne pepper for garnish
cilantro leaves for garnish

In a large shaker or pitcher, combine the tequila, Plum Vida, lime juice, honey, and water. Shake or stir until well-mixed and the honey is dissolved. Pour a thin layer of salt on a plate. Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper. Dip the top of your margarita glasses in a shallow bowl of water, then place on the salt plate and twist until the crystals have adhered to the rim. Add ice to your glasses and divide the green margarita mixture between them. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Pomegranate Mint Margarita
courtesy of whitneybond.com
2 oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1 fresh mint sprig
3 oz. Pomegranate Italian Soda
ice cubes

Add the tequila, lime juice and mint sprig to a glass and muddle the mint. Add the ice cubes, then top with the pomegranate soda and serve. Add pomegranate arils for a beautiful effect.

Cucumber-Coconut Margarita
1 oz. Patrón Silver
2 oz. coconut water
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
7 thin slices of cucumber, 3 for garnish

Combine all ingredients except garnish in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice to chill. Strain onto fresh ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a cucumber fan and serve with a straw.

Honey Vanilla Pear Margarita
courtesy of howsweeteats.com
coarse sugar and cinnamon for the rim
crushed ice for serving
2 oz. reposado tequila
2 oz. pear nectar or juice
1 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
1 oz. honey vanilla syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
sliced pears
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

To make honey vanilla syrup:
Heat the water and honey in a saucepan over medium heat while whisking. Bring it to a simmer, then cook for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla bean paste and let the syrup come to room temperature.

To make the margarita:
Place the sugar and cinnamon on a plate. Rim a glass with a lime or orange wedge and dip in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Fill the glass with crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the tequila, Grand Marnier, pear nectar, orange juice, lime juice and syrup. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour mixture into the glass. Add a few sliced pears and stir. Drink up!

Avion Peach Margarita
2 parts Avión Silver
2 parts peach puree
1 part lime juice
½ part agave nectar
Peach wedge

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice and blend until smooth. Pour over fresh ice and garnish with a peach wedge.

Rhubarb Margarita, aka “The Farmgirl Margarita”
courtesy of afarmgirldabbles.com
thin lime wedges, for salt rim on glasses and final garnish
margarita salt for the jar rims, optional
1 cup Ruby Rhubarb Syrup
3/4 cup tequila blanco (farmgirl recommends Patrón)
1 Tbsp. orange liqueur (farmgirl recommends Cointreau)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
chilled club soda

If salting the rims of your glasses, lightly rub a lime wedge around the rims of four wide mouth pint jars (or other 16-ounce glasses) and then dip the rims in salt. Set aside.

In a small pitcher, combine the Ruby Rhubarb Syrup, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and orange juice. Stir. Divide mixture evenly between the four prepared glasses, just a bit more than 1/2 cup per glass. Fill glass with crushed ice to fill the glass 2/3 of the way. Top with club soda to almost fill the glass. With a spoon, gently stir the drink to incorporate the heavier rhubarb syrup mixture into the club soda. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and then garnish with another lime wedge.

Homemade rhubarb syrup in case you prefer to make your own:
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups water
4 cups diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

To make the rhubarb syrup, mix together the water, sugar and rhubarb in a medium pot and place on medium heat until it comes up to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb has broken apart, about 15-20 min. Set aside to cool and then drain the rhubarb through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the syrup.

Camarena Pineapple Chili Margarita
2 parts Camarena Reposado
¾ part Simple Syrup/Agave Nectar
¾ part lime juice
½ part triple sec
3 muddled pineapple chunks
pinch of chili powder and sugar

Add ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Rub lip of glass in chili mixture. Strain mixture into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

Margarita-Glazed Baby Back Ribs
by Bruce Aidells Fine Cooking Issue 112

Tequila and fresh citrus are a great combo in margaritas and also with pork ribs. The tequila’s bite and the acidic orange and lime juices cut through the rich, fatty meat. In this recipe, the marinade is transformed into both a glaze and a dipping sauce for the ribs.

1 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 medium orange)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 medium limes)
3/4 cup blanco (silver) tequila
3 Tbsp. dark agave syrup or honey
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Cointreau (optional)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic (about 3 large cloves)
1 Tbsp. pure New Mexico or ancho chile powder
2 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 racks pork baby back ribs (about 1-1/2 lb. each), membrane removed
2 Tbsp. dark agave syrup or honey; more to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Marinate the ribs:
In a medium bowl, whisk the 1/3 cup orange juice (more if you prefer) and ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ cup tequila, 1 Tbsp. agave syrup, oil, Cointreau, soy sauce, garlic, chile powder, lime zest, cumin, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Cut each slab of ribs in half and put in a large resealable freezer bag; pour the marinade over the ribs. Seal the bag and shake to coat the pork with the marinade. Lay the bag in a pan in case the bag leaks; refrigerate overnight, turning the bag from time to time to redistribute the marinade.

Grill the ribs:
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for indirect cooking over low to medium-low heat (250°F to 300°F). Remove the ribs from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and set aside. Arrange the ribs bone side down over indirect heat. (You may need to use a rib rack to accommodate all of the ribs.) Cover the grill and maintain a grill temperature between 250°F and 300°F. The ribs are ready when the meat is tender and begins to pull away from the ends of the bones. This will take 1 to 2 hours.

Make the glaze:
While the ribs are grilling, add the ½ cup tequila, ½ cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, and 1 Tbsp. agave syrup to the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Simmer until just beginning to turn syrupy, 15 to 25 minutes.

Finish the ribs:
Increase the grill heat to medium high and generously brush the meat side of each slab of ribs with the glaze. Grill glaze side down over direct heat until shiny and beginning to darken, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch for flare-ups. Brush the bone side with some sauce, flip, and grill 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Taste the remaining glaze and add more lime, agave, or salt as needed. Stir in the cilantro. Divide among 4 small bowls. Slice the ribs and serve with the sauce on the side for dipping.