Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas

This Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas recipe was created in partnership with Tequila Cazadores ®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When we moved into our new house back in December, the oversized orange tree in the backyard was on the top of the list of things I was excited about.

Blushing with juicy fruit, I imagined fresh-squeezed orange juice mornings for eternity. Come to find out, due to lack of heat or premature picking, those oranges are sour, providing juice that is more sucker punch than sunshine. But like a wise woman once said (that’d be me), if life gives you sour oranges—make margaritas!

Margaritas for a crowd

When Tequila Cazadores ® asked me to help them celebrate National Margarita Day I knew exactly what to do: march straight out to that orange tree and get to squeezing! Cazadores makes such spectacular tequilas and their Tequila Blanco is a perfect match for the tart citrus in these Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas.

In fact, the intense flavor of pure agave that shines through in the Blanco tequila means you really need nothing else, making these the easiest big-batch margarita ever!

Fresh-squeezed sour orange juice, Cazadores Tequila Blanco, and a little sugar is all you need to make an entire pitcher of margaritas, because honestly, who wants to celebrate National Margarita Day by themselves?

What if I don’t have sour oranges?

If you live in Southern California, or any other temperate climate, you may find yourself (like I do) with lots of sour oranges on your hands. If you don’t, you may be rolling your eyes. Either way, you can still make these delightfully tart margaritas.

Actual sour oranges, or Seville oranges, can be found in many Latin markets, but you can also make your own sour orange juice by combining fresh sweet orange juice with fresh lemon juice. Both options work beautifully in this margarita recipe.

To make your own sour orange juice, add 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice for every cup of sweet orange juice. So in this recipe, instead of the 2 1/4 cups of sour orange juice you would use: 1 3/4 cups sweet orange juice and 1/2 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Tips for making Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas

Aside from using stellar Cazadores Tequila Blanco and fresh-squeezed citrus juice, there’s a couple more tips that will help you make the best-ever margaritas.

First of all, I like to combine the ingredients for this margarita in my blender. It is the best way to dissolve the sugar into the juice-tequila mixture. If you want to whisk everything in a pitcher, that will work too, but you’ll have to give it another stir right before serving to mix up any sugar that has floated to the bottom.

You can mix the margaritas up to a day in advance and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

After chilling, give the margaritas a taste. Depending on the sourness of your juice (or if you are using a mixture of orange and lemon) you may need to add more sugar or a squeeze of lime.

As for serving, salting the rim is a must. For these margaritas I used sal de gusano which, yes, is a mixture of salt and dried worms but don’t be turned off, it has an irresistible earthiness that absolutely makes these margaritas. If not sal de gusano, than a spicy cocktail salt would be great or kosher salt is a good substitute too.

One last thing…

What do you think? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram! Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me. 

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