Fill your cocktail shaker halfway with ice, get a measuring glass, and margarita glasses. If you are going to salt your glasses, do so now. See the notes below on how.
Add fresh ice to the margarita glasses. Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Pour, divide, and strain into the margarita glasses. Add pineapple garnish to the rim of the glasses.
2 half wheel fresh pineapple
Sip
Smile
Enjoy
Notes
Helpful tips
Even though you use pineapple juice, I like to lime to this margarita to give it a nice zing.
Before juicing the lime, make sure you wash it. Here's how - squirt some unscented, natural soap onto your hand and rub the lime between your palms. Then take a vegetable brush and scrub the skin. And lastly, run the lime under cold water to rinse all the soap off.
The other way to wash a lime is my preferred way: This vegetable and fruit cloth has a rough side and a smooth side. The rough side helps scrub the skin, and the smooth side shines the fruit. Run cold water on the fruit and take the rough side of the cloth and rub the skin of the citrus. Rinse thoroughly before juicing.
I like to use the orange liqueur Cointreau in my margaritas, but a more budget-friendly alternative is triple sec.
I'm using a blanco tequila, but you can use tequila reposado or añejo instead.
Chile simple syrup is my new favorite as it adds just the right spice to cocktails. But if you prefer, just use plain simple syrup - or if you like spice but don't have chile simple syrup, you can always use some homemade jalapeño tequila.
I do love a salted rim. Here is my favorite lime salt.
Here's how to salt the rim of the glass: wet your finger with either simple syrup or lime juice and rub it around the rim. Either sprinkle some flake salt on a plate or open the lime salt tin. Dip the rims of the glass in the salt, making sure to coat the rim thoroughly. With the glass upside down, shake off any loose salt before placing the glass right side up.
Want to make a pitcher of this margarita? Just use the slider in the recipe card to adjust how many servings you want.
I like to cut fresh pineapple wedges as a garnish, but you can either use pre-cut pineapple chunks, lime slices, or lime wedges as garnish.
FROZEN MARGARITA ALTERNATIVEIf you want this frozen, here's what you'll need: a blender, measuring glass, and margarita glass. This is for one margarita, just multiply the ingredients for more. Ingredients: 2 ounces tequila, 1 ounce orange liqueur, 1 ounce lime juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, and ice.
In your blender receptacle add tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, and ice.
Turn blender on for 1 minute until thick and frosty.
Pour into a margarita glass and add pineapple garnish.