margarita - Boston Moms Blog

What are you drinking this summer?

Other than half my weight in water, my choice is margaritas. Not sweet, not spicy, no salt. Just a plain margarita. If you’ve been looking for the perfect summer drink, try my margarita recipe! It’s a recipe I have been perfecting over the years. A recipe that deems me The Best Margarita Maker… in my family. Here is my step by step.

Ingredients:

  • Limes (I’ve found the smaller limes sold by the bag are best. They are juicy and easier to squeeze. BJ’s sells the best bag for your buck.)
  • Tequila (I like a nice white/blanco tequila, middle of the road. Milagro or Hornitos are my go-to picks these days.)
  • Agave (No sour mix for this girl!)
  • Cointreau 
  • Ice

Instructions:

  1. Squeeze the limes. Squeeze a lot of limes! You will need to squeeze so many limes, the little cuts on your hands that magically appear will start to sting. About 1/2 cup. 
  2. Fill a shaker with ice. 
  3. Pour in tequila. How much? Give it a good four-count. Not “one Mississippi” slow counting, but a good one, two, three, four.
  4. Pour in Cointreau. This gets a two-count. 
  5. Agave is next. A quick two-count.
  6. Put the cover on the shaker and shake. This is where I get creative and do the margarita dance. Cue “Put the Lime in the Coconut,” requested by my 4-year-old. 
  7. Pour the delicious concoction into a glass. Not a margarita glass. A short glass with a wide opening. While testing margaritas over the years, I have found they taste better in this type of glass. Not the tall, hard to carry, extravagant glass.  
  8. Garnish with a lime. No straw.
  9. Enjoy!

If you aren’t willing to get a little sticky squeezing limes, here is a quick round-up of local places I have found with excellent margaritas. And bonus — they are all kid friendly. 

Casa Verde :: J.P.

Casa Verde is a small place in J.P with excellent margaritas and an intimate setting. My choice is the casa margarita, no salt. 

Papagayo :: Boston and Somerville

Their downtown location will always be my favorite. Their fresh-squeezed lime juice gives the drink the most perfect consistency and lip-puckering flavor. They have a wonderful spicy margarita that my husband raves about. My pick is the house margarita, no salt. 

Temazcal :: Burlington, Dedham, Framingham, Lynnfield, Seaport

I find the Dedham location to be the most kid friendly, but the margaritas at any location are equally delicious. They have a wonderful selection. My choice is the la casita, no salt, high ball glass.

Sophia’s Grotto :: Roslindale

This one is my favorite — mostly because I work there, but also because of a nice variety of margaritas to enjoy on their patio. They do not have margarita glasses, so you can expect to be drinking from a highball glass with a straw. My choice is the silver margarita, no salt.

Cheers to finding your summer drink — alcoholic or not — and perfecting the recipe!


Krystal Avila
Krystal is a Massachusetts native who grew up in the 'burbs and is now loving the city life in Roslindale with her husband and 3 boys (9, 6, and 1). She and her husband met downtown working at a restaurant together, and since then their love of restaurants has kept their date nights exciting as they try out the latest places. Learning Spanish has been something Krystal has loved ever since middle school, and that has become her passion as a Spanish teacher, wife to a Salvadoran, and mother raising her children bilingual. Loves: family, friends, playing with her kids, a comfy hoodie on the beach when the sun goes down, nachos, baking, Christmas movies. Not so much: loud music, putting away laundry, terrible threes, and black pepper.