No. 37Tequila & Mezcal
Frozen Pickle Margarita
Brain freeze, but make it briny.
A Frozen Pickle Margarita is a slushy margarita blended with dill pickle brine. Tequila, lime, orange liqueur, agave and brine are blended with ice until smooth, then poured into salt-rimmed glasses. It is built a touch sweeter than the shaken version, since cold mutes sweetness, and stays salty-sour to the last sip.
21+Updated
- Glass
- margarita glass
- Method
- Blended
- Time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 2 drinks
Ingredients
Amounts for 2, in ounces.
- 1 lime wedge (for the rims)
- 1 tbsp coarse salt (for the rims)
- 4 oz blanco tequila
- 1½ oz orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or triple sec)
- 1½ oz fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1½ oz dill pickle brine (chilled)
- 1 oz agave syrup
- 3 cups ice cubes
- 2 dill pickle spears (for garnish)
- 2 slices lime (cut into wheels, for garnish)
- Glass
- margarita glass
- Rim
- salt
- Garnish
- pickle spear, lime wheel and straw
How to make it
- Run the lime wedge around the rims of two margarita glasses and dip them in coarse salt.
- Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, brine and agave syrup to a blender.
- Add the ice.
- Pulse a few times, then blend on high until completely smooth.
- Pour into the rimmed glasses.
- Garnish each with a pickle spear, a lime wheel and a straw.
Bar tips
- Freeze the 1.5 oz of brine in an ice cube tray and blend the cubes in place of the liquid brine: same pickle, thicker slush.
- Too thin? Add a handful of ice and blend again. Too thick? Add a splash more lime juice or brine.
- Cold dulls sweetness, so keep the agave even if you skip it in shaken margaritas.
Make it your own
- Add 1 cup frozen pineapple or mango chunks and hold back 1 cup of ice for a fruity frozen version.
- Use a dill-salt rim instead of plain salt for extra pickle.
Bar lore
Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez built the first frozen margarita machine in 1971 by adapting a soft-serve ice cream machine. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History added the original machine to its collection in 2005.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/frozen-pickle-margarita
