refined sugar-free margaritas

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY FULL DISCLAIMER POLICY FOR DETAILS.
refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best…
refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! 

this post is sponsored by Exotico Tequila. all thoughts & opinions are my own. thank you, as always, for visiting plays well with butter & supporting the brands that support this site! ?

can you give me a quick hand raise if your drink of choice is a (big, fat) margarita? on the rocks? with extra salt? & extra lime? (& mayyybe a side of chips & guac?)

yes.

yes, yes, yesssss.

YOU ARE MY PEOPLE.

margaritas will forever be my favorite cocktail, for all of the aforementioned reasons: the salt! the lime! the tequila! (&, duh, the chips & guac!)

i love it. i love it all. refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

in fact, i love it all so freaking much that my only real problem with margaritas is how sweet & borderline syrupy they can be.

don’t get me wrong. sweeter drinks do have a time & place in my eyes. but! if i’m going to whip myself up a margarita (or 4) on a friday night in the middle of summer, you better believe i want something that tastes light & refreshing. & maybe something that doesn’t have a gazillion sugary calories. know what i mean?

a girl’s gotta save room for that guacamole, after all! ?

a simple margarita recipe without triple sec: say hello to refined sugar-free margaritas!!!refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

to say i’m obsessed with these refined sugar-free margaritas is a total & complete understatement. i’m UUUUUUHHHHHHBBBBBBBSESSED with them. seriously. they are everything a summer drink should be.

boozy, but still super light. ever so slightly sweet, but still so refreshing. & NO triple sec whatsoever.

a total thing of beauty.refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

when i first made these refined sugar-free margaritas, i really wanted to ditch the triple sec & simple syrups traditionally found in classic margaritas, especially with warm summer nights in mind. when i think about having summer drinks on the deck with chris on a friday night, or at a summer party or BBQ, i think about something that’s super light & super refreshing. i don’t think there’s anything worse than drinking something that feels too sweet & too syrupy on a hot night, ya know?

blech.

so! that’s exactly what we have here: light & refreshing refined-sugar free margaritas with only 5 ingredients:

  • 100% blue agave tequila (from my friends Exotico Tequila!)
  • freshly squeezed lime juice
  • freshly squeezed orange juice
  • a little bit of maple for some sweetness
  • club soda for fizz

& that’s it!!! like, hello, how easy is that?! refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktailrefined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

freshly squeezed orange juice, when combined with a splash of maple syrup, adds just the right amount of sweetness but still allows all the flavor of the tequila & the freshness of the lime juice to shine through.

refined sugar-free margaritas are my new favorite margarita. bold, bold statement, but so, so true. & i’m pretty sure they’ll be your new fave too!

the best margarita recipe! tips for making refined sugar-free margaritas: refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

  • 100% blue agave tequila: legally, tequila only needs to be made with 51% agave – meaning lots of producers use less expensive fillers in that other 49% of their tequilas…like cane sugar, caramel coloring, flavor additives, & so on. yuck. 100% blue agave tequila is pure tequila (a must for any tequila lover!), & it’s lower in calories & carbs. so! you’re gonna want to find yourself some! & let me tell you…my friends at Exotico make super legit tequila. they’ve been handcrafting their award-winning 100% blue agave tequilas for 3 generations. i love using their blanco tequila in refined sugar-free margaritas – it tastes crisp & clean. major yum. (side note: isn’t Exotico’s packaging everything? so pretty! totally bar cart-worthy.)
  • a citrus juicer: ugh, i know…another kitchen tool. but! if you make any amount of margs or cocktails on the reg, it’s a worthy investment. promise! squeezing all those limes by hand can take a minute. plus! it’s so much harder to get all the juice out of the fruit when you hand-squeeze. & if you’re making a batch for a crowd? game over. your poor hands will be squeezing forevvver! using a citrus juicer helps save a ton of time, & you get every last drop of juice out of your fruit – no waste! this is the pictured citrus juicer – it is perfect for making 1-2 margaritas, & this is the electric juicer i own, & i use it every time i make cocktails!
  • the perfectly salty rim: my secret ingredient for the perfect salty rim? kosher salt! unlike table salt, kosher salt’s flakes are large enough to coat the rim of a glass evenly, & unlike coarse sea salt, kosher salt is light enough to stay put. you get the perfect amount of salt with every single sip. no sad rims here!

serving refined sugar-free margaritas for a crowd!refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

here’s the deal. making margaritas for a crowd can be a bit of a hassle & can get a little expensive. but! it SO doesn’t have to! all you have to do is make refined sugar-free margaritas & do a teeny bit of planning in advance.

refined sugar-free margaritas are so much more cost-effective to serve at a party because the only booze you need is a bottle of tequila. otherwise, it’s some citrus & some maple syrup – making refined sugar-free margaritas for a crowd is just about as cost-effective as making a pitcher of sangria! hello budget savvy diva vibes.   

to serve a crowd, you’re going to want to batch these up (aka mix a whole bunch at once) rather than playing bartender at your party & mixing up margs one by one.

think about the number of people you’re serving & multiply this refined sugar-free margaritas recipe by that number to make enough to serve your crowd. mix up the margs in a pitcher, or even a cute drink dispenser, before your party even starts. be sure to leave out the ice so you don’t dilute the margaritas before the party even starts!

at party time you can make a little drink station by setting out the pitcher of margs, along with an ice bucket & a little rimming station with glasses, lime wedges, & kosher salt. you could even offer up a couple of different salts – regular kosher, kosher salt mixed with some chili powder for a kick of heat (yum!), or even kosher salt with a little bit of coconut sugar for a major salty-sweet moment (double yum!).

hostess with the mostess much? hell yeah. refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

cheers, girlfriend!

if you’re obsessed with this refined sugar-free margaritas, here are a few other easy tequila drinks you’ve gotta check out!

thank you so much for reading & supporting plays well with butter & the companies i partner with to keep bringing you great original content. all opinions are always my own!  ???

be sure to follow along with me on instagram, facebook, & pinterest for more easy, modern recipes & fun!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using the freshest ingredients instead: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!! #playswellwithbutter #classicmargaritarecipe #skinnymargaritarecipe #refinedsugarfreerecipes #margaritaontherocks #tequila #maplesyrup #summercocktail #easycocktail

refined sugar-free margaritas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: jess larson | plays well with butter
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: serves 1 (is easily multiplied!) 1x
  • Category: cocktail, margarita, refined sugar-free

Description

refined sugar-free margaritas are the perfect light & refreshing cocktail! this simple margarita recipe is made without triple sec, using instead only the freshest ingredients: fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice, with a little maple syrup to sweeten things up slightly. a modern take on the skinny margarita and a classic margarita on the rocks, say hello to the best margarita recipe & get those chips & guac ready!!!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ ounces Exotico tequila
  • 2 limes, juiced (about 2 oz or ¼ cup juice)
  • ½ orange, juiced (about 1 oz or 2 T juice)
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 2 ounces club soda (flavored as desired – orange or lime would be great!)
  • for serving: Kosher salt (see Recipe Notes), lime wedges, crushed ice

Instructions

  1. Rim a frosty glass: Place a generous amount of Kosher salt on a small plate. Run a wedge of lime around the rim of a frosty glass. Dip the edges into the Kosher salt to rim the surface in the salt. Fill the glass with ice.
  2. Mix a refined sugar-free margarita: Pour the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and maple syrup into the prepared glass, over the crushed ice. Stir to combine. Top the margarita off with the club soda, and an lime wedge as desired. Cheers!

Notes

  • Kosher salt is actually my salt of choice when it comes to rimming a margarita glass. The flakes of Kosher salt are large enough to adhere to the rim of the glass nicely, without making a huge mess. Give it a try next time!
  • An electric citrus juicer like this one is a lifesaver if you make any amounts of margaritas on the reg. Seriously. Lifesaver!
  • Club soda: I prefer plain, unflavored club soda for these refined sugar-free margaritas because it doesn’t compete with the freshness of the fresh citrus juice, but you can use flavored if you like! Orange or lime would both be great.
  • Serving a crowd? Instead of mixing up refined sugar-free margaritas one by one, go ahead and multiply the recipe by 4 or 6 (depending on the size of your crowd), pouring all of the ingredients into your favorite pitcher. Just as your guests arrive, add some ice to the pitcher. Set out glasses, salt, and limes so your guests can serve themselves, leaving you to enjoy hostessing & not play bartender all night long. #boom!
don’t forget to pin this refined sugar-free margaritas recipe for later!!!

Hi there, I'm Jess!

If there’s 1 thing to know about me, it’s this: I am head-over-heels in love with food. I’m on a mission to make weeknight cooking flavorful, fast, & fun for other foodies, & PWWB is where I share foolproof recipes that deliver major flavor with minimal effort. Other true loves: pretty shoes, puppies, Grey’s Anatomy, & my cozy kitchen in Minneapolis, MN.

Topics

Sign up for our newsletter

Leave a Rating & Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. 7.7.18

    My dad’s going to love this. He’s had to cut back on lots of juices and drinks now for 3 years on sugar after being diagnosed as a diabetic. Just curious, how much will the flavor change if you use a different brand of tequila? I’m not sure if my local store carries Exotico.

    • 7.9.18
      jess said:

      hey emma! yes! i think he will love them. definitely look for exotico (as a total tequila snob, it’s the best value for the $$ – theirs are great!), but if you cannot find it in your local store ask for another 100% blue agave tequila. they’ll be a little pricier, but they’re lower in carbs & calories, & taste amazing. hope this helps! xo

  2. 7.5.18
    Sheila said:

    This is very timely. We’re having a party this Saturday and would love to have these margaritas.

    • 7.5.18
      jess said:

      yesss! i hope you serve them – let me know if you do! xo

  3. 7.3.18

    See i feel like every drink needs some club or something to sparkle it up and cut the sweet. These are PERFECT! Can’t wait to make ’em!

    • 7.3.18
      jess said:

      i mean i’m all about those sparkles!!! can’t wait for you to try girl!!! xoxox