The thought of adding peach to a classic tequila recipe might make cocktail snobs’ heads explode, but we don’t care. The Proof Peach Margarita is delicious.
Our recipe is a far cry from the cloyingly sweet, way-too-peachy versions you can pick up at grocery and liquor stores. The trick is using real fruit for the peach and letting the syrup handle the balance, instead of leaning on a peach-flavored anything. A touch of citrus, the floral sweetness of ripe peach, and lightly smoky, vegetal tequila: how could this cocktail not be delicious?
Proof Peach Margarita
2 oz Tequila
½ oz Orange Proof Syrup
¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Fresh Peach Purée (or 2 slices of very ripe peach, muddled)
Lime Wedge
Shake all ingredients with ice. Double-strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Orange Proof Syrup is out of stock. You can see what we currently have on the shelf in all syrups.
A note on the peach: use it ripe or don't use it. An underripe peach brings texture and no flavor, and you will end up compensating with sugar, which is exactly the trap the grocery-store versions fall into. Frozen peach slices, thawed, work better out of season than fresh ones that never got there.
Variation: If you like your tequila cocktails extra citrus-forward, push the lime to a full ounce. If you’re all about the peach, dial the purée up to 1½ oz and garnish with a peach slice. For a smokier version, swap half the tequila for mezcal.
Making a pitcher? The big-batch margarita guide scales the whole thing to eight servings.