Forget Hangovers: Let’s Make an Alcohol-free Margarita with Zero Tequila!

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! The Margarita is one of the world’s most iconic cocktails, but what if you can’t, or simply don’t want to drink alcohol? Then you’re in luck because today I’ll show you how to make a zero-proof tequila substitute so that you can enjoy a refreshing, salty, Marg-0-rita without missing out on flavor.

Our Zero Tequila will add to our catalogue of zero-proof spirits, liqueurs, bitters, and cocktails, which now also includes an e-book. It’s full of tips & tricks on how to make your non-alcoholic creations stand out, and everyone can get it on our Patreon page. But before we tackle the challenge of how to replicate the grassy, vegetal, and slightly fruity flavors of tequila, let’s jump right into the cocktail of the day. 

Alongside our Zero Tequila you’ll need something we made in the past and was kept in the freezer, waiting for today. I’m of course talking about our non-alcoholic orange liqueur, and that along with lime & salt you’ll then have everything you need for the Marg-0-rita. It’s Margarita mocktail time!

The Marg-0-rita

● 90mL · 3oz Zero Tequila

● 30mL · 1oz Zero Cointreau

● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Lime Juice

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

I’ll first rim half of this coupe glass with lime and salt, then place it in the freezer to chill. I also like to chill the shaker, into which we’ll add the ingredients. Then shake well with ice and double strain into our chilled coupe glass with the salted rim–no extra garnish needed. 

Our alcohol-free Margarita is refreshing, tart, with a touch of sweetness and just the right bitterness. The spice and green notes from the tequila base round it out beautifully too, so if you’re going dry and want something great, try this zero proof Margarita. However, we need to make the Zero Tequila.

First we’ll make a cooked base, with water, pineapple skin, dry rose petals, agave syrup, roasted peanuts, black peppercorns, dried mint tea, vanilla bean, salt, and bay leaf. Next we’ll blend a few more ingredients before clarifying everything with agar agar–but this step is optional. 

Zero Tequila

Cooked base: 

● 700g Water

● 200g Chopped Pineapple Skin

● 30g Agave Syrup

● 25g Roasted Peanuts

● 10g Black Peppercorns

● 2g Dry Rose Petals

● 0.1g Mint Tea

● 1.3g Vanilla Bean cut lengthwise

● 2g Salt

● 1.5g Bay Leaves

Blended mixture:

● 500g Water

● 2g Peeled Ginger

● 2.2g Parsley

● 1g Lime Peel

● 0.5g Green Chili

For clarification: 

● 1g Agar Agar

Begin by measuring out the ingredients with a precision scale, then grab a pot and add in the pineapple skin, agave syrup, and water. We’ll then crush the roasted peanuts, black peppercorns, and dried rose petals with a mortar & pestle before adding them to the pot as well. Then we just need to split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds before adding it to the pot alongside our remaining ingredients. 

Our infusion will cook on low heat for 1 hour, after which we’ll strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and return the liquid to the pot. To help us get a clearer end result I’ll clarify the whole thing with the help of agar agar, and for that we need to place it back on the heat and reheat the mixture–giving us time to prepare our blended part.

So add the ingredients into a good quality blender for best results, and feel free to add more chili depending on your preference for spice. Blend for 30 seconds, and that’s part 2 basically done. We’ll store it in the fridge while we add the agar agar into the pot, stirring constantly to make sure it fully dissolves. 

Once we have the agar base fully mixed in and hydrated we just pour in the blended mixture and stir well. Now chill the mixture in an ice bath with salt added, or a freezer until the agar agar starts to form a soft gel. Then strain this through a cloth filter and allow it to slowly drip through. 

Remember to check if there’s any cloudiness as it starts filtering, but if there’s not then there’s no need to refilter the first liquid coming through. Give it time, and once it’s done we have our tequila substitute, so pour it in a bottle and add a label before storing it in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for later use. 

While this almost has an añejo-like color, don’t expect it to replace tequila as a sipper. Still, it has a nice flavor of cooked agave with pleasant aromatics and a subtle spice–I’m happy with the result. Another thing I’m happy with is adding a new name to the Cocktail Time Wall of Fame, this time it’s John Kinney!

John became our top-tier Patron, which means he’ll now be a part of our little speakeasy set, helping us bring you new cocktail content every week. Thank you John, and cheers. Until next time, I recommend trying out the Zero Tequila in the classic Batanga, or even my recent recipe with a DIY Cola Cordial. Cheers, Friends of Cocktails!