Summer Is Here in Tucson — Time for a Margarita
- Bradner Lawrence
- Jul 16, 2019
- 3 min read
How to make the perfect fresh marg, and where to sip one on the best progressive dinner tour in Southern Arizona.
🍹Psst — we serve margaritas on our Summer Progressive Dinner Tour.
Skip to the bottom to grab your tickets before they sell out.
Tucson summers are no joke. When the thermometer climbs past 100°F and the desert sun is doing its absolute most, there is one cocktail that rises above all others: the margarita. Tart, cold, salty-rimmed perfection.
According to Business Insider, the margarita ranks as the #8 best-selling cocktail in the world — and we'd be willing to bet it jumps straight to the top two once summer hits here in Southern Arizona.
It makes total sense. The margarita shares its DNA with the classic daiquiri — both built on a base of spirit, citrus, and sweetener — making them the ultimate hot-weather drinks. Whether you're at a pool party, a backyard barbeque, or wandering through Tucson's tastiest neighborhoods on a Tucson Food Tour, nothing hits quite like a well-made marg.
The Two Types of Margarita Makers (And Why Both Are Wrong)
Here's what we see in the wild. There are two camps of home margarita makers, and honestly, neither is getting it quite right.
Camp One reaches for the pre-made margarita mix in a bottle — that sugary, neon-colored stuff that promises a shortcut but delivers heartburn and a next-morning headache. Hard pass.
Camp Two goes full mad scientist: 17 ingredients, a hand-cranked citrus press, house-made agave nectar infused with Oaxacan chiles, and a 10-minute process just to make one drink. Impressive? Sure. Practical for a summer gathering? Absolutely not.
There is a happy medium — a fresh, quality margarita that takes about 90 seconds to make and tastes like you actually know what you're doing. Let's talk about it.
The Perfect Easy Margarita: Quality Ingredients, Zero Drama
A great margarita only needs a few things done right: a decent tequila, real citrus, balanced sweetness, and good salt. That's it. Here's the cheat code ingredient that ties it all together.
The "Happy Medium" Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila (your call — something you'd actually sip)
3 oz Simply Limeade (refrigerated juice section — this IS your mix)
Squeeze of fresh lime (just one wedge, for brightness)
Kosher salt or tajín for the rim
Ice — plenty of it
Simply Limeade is the secret weapon here. It's essentially a perfectly balanced limeade — real lime juice plus just enough sweetener — making it the world's best margarita mix hiding in plain sight in your grocery store's refrigerated section. No fussy simple syrup required.
If you were already wondering about simple syrup — yes, you can make it at home with 50% water and 50% sugar heated until dissolved. But Simply Limeade already nails that lime-juice-to-sweetener ratio for you. One less step, one more reason to actually make the drink instead of just thinking about making it.
Shake everything with ice, rim your glass with salt (or tajín if you're feeling spicy), pour over fresh ice, and garnish with a lime wheel. Done. You're the most impressive person at the party and it took you less time than finding a parking spot downtown.
Sip a Margarita on Tucson's Summer Progressive Dinner Tour
Making margs at home is great. But you know what's even better? Having someone make one for you while you're out exploring the best food Tucson has to offer — no kitchen cleanup required.
On the Tucson Food Tours Summer Progressive Dinner Tour, you'll move through some of Tucson's most exciting neighborhoods and restaurants, tasting dishes and sipping drinks curated to celebrate Southern Arizona's incredible food culture. And yes — that includes a margarita stop. Because it's summer in Tucson, and that's simply the right thing to do.
Our progressive dinner format means you're not sitting in one restaurant all night. You're moving, exploring, tasting, and meeting fellow food lovers along the way. It's part food tour, part cocktail crawl, part Tucson neighborhood adventure — and it's one of the most fun things you can do here when the sun goes down and the city comes alive.
Spots on our summer tours fill up fast, especially on weekends. If you've been thinking about it, now is the time. Visit tucsonfoodtours.com to see upcoming dates and snag your tickets.
Ready to sip that margarita with us?
Book your spot on Tucson Food Tours' Summer Progressive Dinner Tour — limited seats available.
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