A wonderful twist on the classic margarita! This amazing rhubarb margarita is vibrant, flavorful, and refreshing. I absolutely love margaritas and I’m on a constant mission to find all the different ways to upgrade a classic margarita (like this mint kiwi margarita, frozen mango margarita, smoked margarita sour, and this pineapple margarita shandy among others!). This simple rhubarb margarita is definitely one of my favorites.
Why I love this recipe
This cocktail is made with a rhubarb simple syrup, so you can make the cocktail whenever you like, even if you don’t have fresh rhubarb at hand. The syrup enhances the tart rhubarb flavor, so you get a deliciously concentrated flavor of rhubarb in your cocktail. To make your rhubarb margarita even more exciting, add some spice to your rhubarb syrup (like I did). It adds even MORE depth of flavor and smokiness. You can make this with red rhubarb or green rhubarb and get the same amazing cocktail. Once the syrup is made, you can make margaritas so easily whenever you like, AND you could even make a whole batch of it in one go. Plus, the margarita looks absolutely stunning, don’t you think?
Ingredients for the rhubarb margarita
My favorite version of a rhubarb margarita is to infuse it with a little black pepper. The black pepper adds a subtle spice, depth of flavor, and smokiness to the cocktail. And I promise, it makes this cocktail taste ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Rhubarb simple syrup ingredients
Rhubarb juice (from rhubarb stalks) Sugar Peppercorns (a mix of black peppercorns and pink peppercorns, if available)
Margarita cocktail
Rhubarb simple syrup Freshly squeezed lime juice Tequila Triple sec or Cointreau Salt (and pepper) for the rims
How to make the best rhubarb margarita cocktail
How to make the rhubarb simple syrup
You can check out my post here for the recipe for rhubarb syrup.
The rhubarb is blended and the juice is squeezed out of the pulp using a nut milk bag. Then you simmer this juice with sugar and the crushed peppercorns until you have a simple syrup consistency.
The peppercorns will infuse the flavor into the syrup. Keep the infusion time short for a milder flavor, or infuse overnight for the spice kick and additional flavor. The tart freshness of rhubarb pairs so well with the smoky earthiness of pepper!
Assembling the rhubarb margarita
Place some salt in a small saucer or plate. Add some freshly ground pink peppercorns (or black peppercorns) to the salt as well. The pink peppercorn goes well with the ruby red color of the cocktail. Then, cut up a lime and rub the lime wedge along the rim of your cocktail glass. Dip the rim in the salt mixture for the salted rim of your margarita.
My perfect classic margarita ratio is,
1 part fresh lime juice 2 parts tequila 1 part triple sec or cointreau 1 part simple syrup
I slightly modify this ratio when I use flavored syrups to make my margarita. The flavored syrup replaces the simple syrup and some of the triple sec I add to the cocktail normally. So for this rhubarb margarita, the ratio that I use is,
1 part fresh lime juice 1 part rhubarb syrup 2 parts tequila 0.5 part triple sec of cointreau (you can leave this out and replace it with tequila too)
In a cocktail shaker with ice, place all the margarita ingredients. Tequila, triple sec (if using), rhubarb simple syrup, and lime juice. You can choose to shake OR stir your margarita to mix all the ingredients. Place some ice in your cocktail glass, and strain the margarita into the glass from your cocktail shaker. Garnish with a lime wedge or slice, and serve. Place crushed ice in a cocktail glass that already has a salted rim. Pour all the margarita ingredients into the glass, except for the rhubarb syrup. Stir to combine, and then finally pour the rhubarb syrup over the ice. The rhubarb syrup will settle to the bottom and create an ombre effect. While this drink looks absolutely stunning, you must stir it before drinking it, so serve it with a cocktail stirrer or straw.
Other flavor variations
You can also muddle a strawberry inside the cocktail shaker to create a strawberry rhubarb cocktail. Leave out the peppercorn for a plain rhubarb simple syrup. You can also infuse the rhubarb syrup with other spices or herbs.
