Grapefruit margaritas are the perfect cocktail to sip with any type of Mexican food. Making cocktails at home is both fun and easy. Only a few ingredients and you are ready for happy hour or al fresco cocktails!

Close up of two grapefruit margaritas in salt rimmed glasss

The classic margarita gets a twist in this recipe....enter a refreshing margarita with the bright flavor of grapefruit!

I'll confess, I'm actually not a huge grapefruit fan...except when it comes to cocktails. I feel like grapefruit and tequila are just made for each other! Throw in a bit of triple sec, some lime juice and simple syrup and you have the ideal cocktail.

Making Simple Syrup

You really don't need a recipe to make simple syrup. It only has two ingredients - sugar and water, in equal parts.

Add both to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool. Once cooled pour into an airtight container.

The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. It's great for sweetening cocktails, iced tea and lemonade.

Overhead shot of three grapefruit margaritas in salt rimmed glasses

Tips for making margaritas from scratch

It's really easy to make a margarita at home. Just add some ice and grapefruit juice to a cocktail shaker. Pour in a bit of tequila along with a little lime juice, triple sec and some simple syrup. Shake well. Then rim your glasses with salt, pour and you are good to go!

Use your favorite kind of tequila when making margaritas. I do recommend using a Blanco tequila.
If you want to get a little creative you can make citrus salt to rim your glass. Either grapefruit or lime are good options here. Just mix salt with citrus zest. I typically about a 2:1 ratio of salt to zest though if you don't like as much salt you can use a 1:1 ratio.

What goes with margaritas?

Well, really anything but especially any type of Mexican food! I actually first created these margaritas to go with these Baked Chicken Flautas.

Cheers!

Three grapefruit margaritas with citrus salt and simple syrup

More cocktail recipes

If you've been wanting to try more cocktails at home check out these recipes!

Bourbon Basil Arnold Palmer

Pomegranate Paloma

Rosé Sangria

things you might want for this recipe

Double Old Fashioned Glasses - I prefer serving cocktails, including margaritas, in this type of glass.

Cocktail shaker - Though it's not a requirement to make these cocktails, they are much easier to mix in a shaker. And a shaker is a handy tool to have in your kitchen, especially this summer when you are likely to be making more of your own cocktails than ever before.