Cucumber Margarita

This light and refreshing cucumber margarita is perfect for cooling down on a hot summer day! All you need is tequila, Cointreau, fresh cucumber juice, lime juice, and simple syrup to make this delightful summer cocktail recipe.

These cucumber margaritas are a family favorite. Not only are they incredibly refreshing because of the citrus and cucumber juice, but the fresh juice melds so nicely with the flavors of the tequila and orange liqueur it will make your taste buds sing.

I use cucumber in cocktails a lot because of its fresh crisp taste. My favorite is this margarita but I also adore the cucumber mint martini, cucumber dill martini, and cucumber gimlet. It makes me want to smack my lips as I’m writing this.

Smack, smack. See? I couldn’t help myself.

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Helpful tips

• You can extract the juice from the cucumber a few different ways – chop the cucumber in small cubes and force it through a fine mesh strainer with the back of a spoon like I did when I made the gimlet. You could also muddle it in a cocktail shaker like I did this time. Muddling is quicker and easier, but the forcing the juice through a fine mesh strainer is fun and satisfying.
• Use an European cucumber (aka an English cucumber). Although I don’t peel the cucumber, if you prefer it that way, go ahead. You could use regular cucumbers, but I find the skin thicker and less sweet.
• I use tequila blanco (Patron Silver) in this margarita, but you can use reposado or añejo tequila if you prefer.
• The premium orange liqueur, Cointreau works beautifully in this cocktail, but if you’re trying to be budget conscious, triple sec is perfectly fine.
• I rarely use equal parts of simple syrup and lime juice in my cocktails because I do not like an overly sweet drink. The 2:1 ratio – 2 parts sour to 1 part sweet – provides a much better balance. Try the recipe as written first, and if you find the cocktail not as sweet as you like, add another 1/2 ounce simple syrup, then taste it.
• Make your own simple syrup as it’s very easy and can save you money in the long run. Here’s how: Add equal parts of sugar and water to a medium sauce pan and turn the heat on medium. Once it comes to a gentle boil, stir with a spoon and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before putting in your storage container. Simple syrup will keep on the shelf for months and does not need to be refrigerated.
• Large ice cubes are perfect in cocktails. This is the tray I use. One of the reasons I love using these cubes is that each one takes much longer to melt than a regular ice cube, so they don’t dilute the cocktail as much or as fast.
• Even though I love salt with my margaritas, for no other reason than I wasn’t in the mood for it, I chose not to salt the rim for this margarita. If you would like to have a salted rim, here’s how to do it: Add chunky salt like kosher or Maldon to a plate. Wet your finger with simple syrup and rub it along the rim of the glass. Dip the glass upside down in the salt and roll it to coat the rim. With the glass still upside down, gently shake the glass to dislodge any loose salt.
• Want to make a pitcher of this delicious margarita? Use the slider in the recipe card for the number of servings you want to make. You can find the slider after the serving portion. Hover over the number and it will pop up.

How to make a cucumber margarita

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Also get a measuring glass, muddler, and glassware. I use a margarita glass and a double old fashioned glass.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour them into the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – tequila, Cointreau, cucumber, lime, simple syrup.

Step two

Measure out 4 ounces of tequila. (A)

Step three

Measure out 2 ounces of orange liqueur. (B)

Step four

Measure out 4 ounces of fresh lime juice. (C)

Step five

Measure out 2 1/4 ounces of simple syrup. (D)

Step six

Cut a few cucumber slices in small cubes and add them to a glass or as I did a metal cocktail shaker. Take the muddler and muddle the cucumber to extract the juice. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the back of a wooden spoon. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to separate the pulp from the juice.

Repeat this step until you get 1 ounce of fresh cucumber juice. (E)

Step seven

For the garnish: Cut a 2 – 3 inch length out of the cucumber. Then slice cucumber in thin vertical pieces. I like to also slice a few thin cucumber wheels. The lime wheels are optional – slice a few thin lime wheels out of a fresh lime.

Step eight

Add fresh ice cubes to the glassware. Cap the shaker and vigorously shake for 15 seconds. Divide, strain and pour the margarita between the two glasses.

Divide the garnish between the two glasses.

Doesn’t that look scrumptious?

I added some fresh flowering thyme because it looks pretty, but you don’t need to.

I’m getting thirsty just looking at this.

I hope you enjoyed this cucumber margarita recipe. You are in for a treat.

Other refreshing cocktails

• Rum swizzle
• Tequila sunrise
• Cadillac margarita
• Italian margarita
• Coconut margarita

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!