Why Margaritas Tend To Taste Better At Bars And Restaurants

While restaurant-quality food and ambiance naturally make margaritas more enjoyable, you aren't imagining things. They really do tend to taste better at bars and restaurants, thanks largely to a bartender's expert mixing skills or access to specialty machines.

A good, hard shake is the easiest way bartenders upgrade their margaritas. The main reason you shake a drink with ice is to chill the ingredients evenly, giving you an instantly cold cocktail. And while it may seem counterproductive, the dilution you get from this process actually helps the flavor. Margaritas typically rely on pretty potent ingredients, from lime juice to jalapeños or spicy red peppers, which, while delicious, can still pucker your mouth from just a drop or two. By dulling their edges, you can enjoy a wide range of spicy, sharp, or acidic add-ins without getting too overwhelmed.

If you prefer your margarita frozen, you may notice they're still better at a restaurant or bar because they have access to a high-end margarita machine. A dedicated machine keeps ingredients chilled and perfectly distributed, with some even accounting for varying viscosities and thicknesses to deliver a perfect result. Plus, these models often mix in a bit of air to create a softer, fluffier texture. While there are plenty of powerful cocktail blenders that can get you close, there really is no substitute for a machine that can do it all.

If you like your margaritas on the rocks, it's fairly easy to achieve the same flavor that you'd get at a bar or restaurant. Even if you prefer them frozen, you still have options that can get you almost all the way there; you just need to plan ahead a bit and keep the right ingredients on hand.

If you want to shake a margarita until well-chilled, you'll need to work your shaker — hard — for anywhere between five and 20 seconds. If you want your drink more diluted because you're using a ton of strong ingredients, like mezcal and fresh citrus juice, try using smaller ice cubes. These tend to break up a bit easier in the shaker and melt into the liquor. If, however, you want to create a strong-tasting drink, try using hefty cubes made for liquor on the rocks.

If you're making frozen margaritas at home, your best bet is to start with the right type of ice: crushed. Even if you don't have access to a machine that can make some, you can usually find it at most convenience stores and gas stations — you can even buy nugget ice at Sonic. These small, delicate pieces break down more consistently than larger chunks from a fridge or bag of ice, and since they also crush more quickly, your blender won't generate enough heat to melt your mixture. Still, you can always make frozen margaritas without a blender at all by partially freezing juice boxes into a slushy and adding in your other ingredients after.