Sage Margarita

This Sage Margarita is so delicious and refreshing! Using homemade sage syrup, it's easy to upgrade your margarita to craft cocktail status at home. The fresh lime and sage garnish really makes the herbal flavors pop.

Margaritas are great anytime, of course! But this one is perfect for spring, with the fresh flavors and herbs complementing the springtime weather.

I love this herbal twist on a Classic Margarita -- the sage syrup just gives it so much extra flavor and depth. If you're looking for a bomb summertime marg, though, try out this frozen Smoky Peach Margarita.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Top tip
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to have to whip up these margaritas:

• Tequila - I used reposado tequila, which is aged for less than a year and has some more mellow and oaky notes than blanco tequila. Blanco would also work well in this drink.
• Orange Curaçao - this is an orange liqueur, slightly sweeter than Triple Sec.
• Fresh lime juice
• Sage syrup - find the recipe here: Sage Simple Syrup
• Lime Wedge for garnish
• Fresh Sage for garnish
• Coarse Salt for the glass rim (extra bonus points if you mix it with some finely chopped fresh sage for more flavor).

Substitutions

If you don't have one of the ingredients on hand, try these substitutes:

• Reposado Tequila - use Blanco tequila if you don't have Reposado. Avoid using Añejo, as the flavor will overpower the sage. If you don't have any tequila, you can use gin instead.
• Orange Curaçao - if you don't have this, use Triple Sec or Limoncello instead.
• Fresh lime juice - if you don't have access to fresh lime juice, you can use a lemon instead. If you don't have any lemons, I suggest substituting in 2-3 True Lime crystallized lime packets that have been dissolved in an ounce of water, since it will give you a fresher taste than any bottled lime juice.
• Sage syrup - if you don't have any sage syrup, you can use plain simple syrup, but I suggest adding 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves into your cocktail shaker to get some of the flavor.
• Fresh sage leaves - if you don't have fresh sage, you can try using dried sage. It won't really give you the same flavor, but it would still enhance the drink and give it a different flavor than a regular old marg.

Variations

What would you do to vary up this margarita? Here are a few ideas:

• Blueberry Sage Margarita - muddle a handful of blueberries before building the drink for an extra fruity kick.
• Pineapple Sage Margarita - pineapple and sage is such a delicious combination! For this drink, muddle some pineapple at the beginning. Increase the tequila to 2 ounces and use pineapple juice in place of the Orange Curaçao.
• Sage Margarita Spritz - make the margarita, but serve it in a highball or spritz glass along with lime flavored seltzer or lemon lime soda.

Equipment

To make this cocktail, you'll need a few things on hand:

• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Serving glass (I used an Old Fashioned style glass)
• Small plate for the rim salt
• Knife and cutting board for the lime
• Cocktail pick for the garnish

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Instructions

To make this sage margarita, put your coarse salt onto a small plate. Cut your lime in half if you're using a fresh one (if not, use some water or syrup). Rub the cut lime all around the rim of your serving glass so that the glass rim is wet enough for the salt to stick.

Then, dip the rim of the glass into the plate of salt. Keep dipping and turning it all around so the salt sticks to all sides of the rim.

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You can make your garnish at this point as well. Cut a lime wedge. Take a long sage leaf and twist it around so that it looks kind of like a rosette. Use a cocktail pick to skewer them together. Cut a slit into the bottom of the lime so that the garnish can rest on the rim of the glass.

Set the serving glass and garnish aside while you make the drink. Juice your lime if you're using a fresh one, and add the lime juice to your cocktail shaker.

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Then, add in the sage simple syrup, Orange Curaçao, and tequila to the cocktail shaker.

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Fill the cocktail shaker with ice. If you want some extra sage flavor, add a few fresh sage leaves into the shaker at this point.

Give everything 15-20 good shakes. Then, fill your serving glass with ice and strain the cocktail into the serving glass.

Add your prepared garnish and serve immediately.

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Hint: Some other great garnish ideas: take a round lime slice and stick it into the side of the glass along with a large fresh sage leaf. Or, cut a large piece of lime peel and twist it over top of the glass. Then roll the lime peel up into a rosette, wrap a large sage leaf around that, and pin it together with a cocktail pick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top tip

For a much stronger sage flavor, you can infuse your tequila with fresh sage. Just add 10-15 fresh sage leaves to 6-8 ounces of tequila, and let it infuse for a few hours or overnight. Strain out the sage before using and store it in an airtight container.

📖 Recipe