These Old Town Margaritas are a nod to San Diego’s Old Town area. Old Town is a hotspot of the best Mexican food and margaritas in town.  These are the best margaritas!

margarita in glass with lime wedge

Back in the late 80’s, I was in college at San Diego State University. It wasn’t that expensive to go to college at that time, and my Mom and Dad paid my tuition. The fun stuff and entertainment money was up to me. I always had a couple of jobs bringing in some extra cash. A favorite outing in college was to go to Old Town for the best Mexican food. It wasn’t a cheap outing, by any means, because we had to have margaritas with our Mexican food. So I always saved my pennies for our ventures into Old Town! 

This is a delicious margarita recipe that was published in the California Sol Food cookbook (San Diego’s Junior League cookbook). Be sure to multiply the recipe and make lots of the simple syrup ahead of time as these will go quickly at your party!

ingredients displayed for making old town margaritas

Ingredients needed:

  • white sugar
  • water
  • tequila
  • freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Triple Sec
  • ice cubes
  • lime wedges
  • salt for rims, optional

four photos showing how to make old town margaritas

How to make Old Town Margaritas:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

MAKE THE SIMPLE SYRUP:

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until it reaches a syrupy consistency, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let stand (or refrigerate) until cool. I suggest making the simple syrup a full day ahead so it has time to chill.

PREPARE THE MARGARITAS:

In a blender, combine syrup, tequila, lime juice, liqueur and water with ice. Process until the desired consistency. Pour into salt-rimmed margarita glasses and garnish with lime slices. Enjoy!

old town margarita in glass with lime wedge

If you’re looking for a few more margarita recipes, try these Pineapple Margaritas, Cadillac Margaritas, Watermelon- Mango Margaritas, or Strawberry Margaritas.

Old Town Margaritas
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Old Town Margaritas

This recipe hails from San Diego's infamous Old Town and are simply the best margaritas!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
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Ingredients

SIMPLE SYRUP

MARGARITAS

Instructions 

SIMPLE SYRUP

  • Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until it reaches a syrupy consistency, stirring frequently.
  • Remove from heat and let stand until cool.

MARGARITAS

  • In a blender, combine syrup, tequila, lime juice, liqueur and water with ice. Process until the desired consistency. Pour into salt-rimmed margarita glasses and garnish with lime slices.

Notes

  • Make ahead tip: Make the syrup the night before and let it get nice and chilled in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 0.2g, Saturated Fat: 0.05g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 60mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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margarita in glass with colorful mexican blanket background

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3 Comments

  1. Christi H says:

    How much simple syrup in the recipe for the margarita? I’m assuming you use the entire amount you make with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar, but at the beginning of the commentary before the recipe, it says to make a lot.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Yes, use what is asked for in the recipe for one batch. But you’ll likely want to make more than one batch… so make lots of simple syrup!

  2. Monique says:

    adding water sounds like it would make it too watered down with the combination of the ice being blended. As a bartender I prefer my margaritas on the rocks and if you want to cut the tartness add a splash of sprite