While the warm rays of the summer sun are fleeting, the joys of a citrusy, salt-rimmed margarita cocktail span all the year round. And, hey, you can always pretend it’s summer when you have a margarita in your cup. The cocktail is a classic. It consists of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice. There are some variations in recipes. Ina Garten, for example, likes adding lemon juice to her margaritas, and Bobby Flay forgoes the typical addition of ice. The core ingredients typically remain the same, and tequila, a liquor made of agave that has a smooth, sometime smoky flavor, is the real centerpiece for this delicious drink. But what if you want all of the margarita zing, but with a different alcoholic base? Some prefer the clean, neutral taste of vodka over tequila. So is it possible to make a margarita with vodka?
The answer is yes, though it does depend on who you ask. Some margarita purists may insist that tequila is the linchpin of the cocktail. However, this is really only a matter of opinion. Practically speaking, you can absolutely swap out the liquor for vodka. Or request your margarita with vodka at a restaurant. The drink will have a different flavor profile, lacking the warmth of the tequila, but should still have the signature citrus flavor that makes a margarita so tasty.
A margarita by any other name
A margarita made with vodka will taste lighter, and it will have a keener citrus taste, thanks to vodka’s more neutral flavor profile, which allows for the lime and orange liqueur taste to shine through without any balancing flavors. Now, this might be precisely what you’re after. However, it might also make the drink taste, well, not exactly like a traditional margarita.
For this reason, you might want to find another vodka-based cocktail that is similar to margarita to try, rather than simply making a vodka based margarita. One such fill-in is the iconic vodka gimlet. A simple cocktail, consisting of vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice, the vodka gimlet is clean, citrusy, and perfectly sweet. It lacks the complexity of a margarita, and comes sans salted rim, but the vodka is better able to meld with the lime juice thanks to the addition of simple syrup, resulting in a drink that makes the most of its vodka base. You could also try a lemon drop martini (which isn’t technically a martini, by the way). The sweet lemon drop is made with lemon juice, vodka, triple sec, and simple syrup. This drink is similar to a margarita, but with lemon juice, vodka, and simple syrup, making it sweeter and more lemon-leaning. Then again, if only a margarita will do, making yourself a vodkarita, while controversial in some corners, might just be the perfect option for you. And that’ something to drink to.
