The Best Summertime Drink for a Relaxing Weekend or Sharing With Friends
The perfect margarita for hot summer days
Summertime in Southern California is full of lazy, relaxing days out by the pool and gatherings with friends. Over the last few years, I find myself returning to the same refreshing summertime drink: Margaritas.
My version of the Margarita veers away from the standard traditional recipe, but don’t worry, it is actually easier! Not only is it easier, it also has around 225 fewer calories and the whole drink has around 170 calories (239 if you make it with a double shot).
So how, exactly do I reduce the calories by at around 50%, you may be asking? Easy, I don’t use Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur). I find Triple Sec to be overly sweet and can overpower the ingredients, leaving the drink tasting like a sugar bomb. Eliminating the ingredient leaves you with a drink that is refreshing; highlighting the natural flavor of a silver tequila and tart lime, subdued by the subtle, natural sweetness of agave.
To start, you will need the following:
- 1 Large lime (or 2 if you want to garnish your drink) — 11 cal
- 1.5 Tbsp of Agave nectar — 90 cal
- 1 shot of tequila (your preferred brand of blanco, plata, or silver tequila)— 69 cal
- Salt for rimming the glass (optional)
- Ice for mixing and for your drink
Combine ice, juice of 1 lime, tequila, and agave in a shaker. Reserve half the squeezed lime. Shake the contents for 20 seconds.
Use the reserved squeezed lime to run around the rim of the glass to adhere the rimming salt to the glass. Then add ice to the glass (I prefer ice spheres, but any ice will do).
Pour drink into salted glass.
Enjoy!
