Baller’s Margarita: A Frozen Margarita

Name: Baller’s Margarita: A Frozen Margarita
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Reprinted with permission from Margarita Time: 60+ Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails, Served Up, Over & Blended by Caroline Pardilla. Copyright © 2025 by Caroline Pardilla. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Leela Cyd. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Photo: Leela Cyd

March 21, 2025

A blended Margarita with a little sparkle.

For her book, Margarita Time, Imbibe Digital Content Editor Caroline Pardilla collected imaginative twists on the classic cocktail from bartenders around the world. San Diego bartender Erick Castro’s frozen Margarita is a fun take with an elevated element. Inspired by his favorite sparkling cocktail, Sgroppino, Castro subs in lime sherbet for lime juice and agave nectar and adds Champagne for “a really cool texture.”

Ingredients

2 oz. Champagne
1 oz. blanco tequila
1/2 oz. Licor 43
1 1/2 oz. lime sherbet
1 cup ice

Tools:blender
Glass:hurricane
Garnish:orange slice, salt rim

Preparation

Rim a hurricane glass with salt and set aside. Add the Champagne, tequila, Licor 43, and lime sherbet to a blender and blend with the ice. Pour into the prepared glass and garnish.
Lime Sherbet Muddle together 3 cups granulated sugar, 1⁄2 cup grated lime zest, and 1 1⁄2 tablespoons grated orange zest in a bowl. Add 2 1⁄3 cups lime juice, 2 cups water, 1⁄4 cup orange juice, 3 or 4 drops of orange flower water, and 2⁄3 cup heavy cream and stir to combine. Let the ingredients steep together in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, allowing the citrus oils to properly infuse into the sugar. Strain through a cheesecloth and transfer to an airtight container. The sherbet is ready to use after freezing for 3 to 5 hours. It will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
NOTECastro says store-bought lime sorbet or sherbet can be substituted, but he highly recommends trying the homemade version. “It’s like comparing Chips Ahoy! to homemade chocolate chip cookies.”