8 Favorite Margarita Recipes Slideshow

What makes this rendition perfect, you might ask? "The secret is to use fresh juice," reveals Alex Alejandro of El Parador Café, New York City's oldest Mexican restaurant. Fresh lemon juice, that is. Alejandro explains that lemon juice is used instead of lime because it is less tart and doesn't mask the flavor of the tequila.

By now you should all be well familiar with the virtues and delights of the spicy cocktail. Still, should you need a refresher, try this fiery cocktail — a spiced-up take on a margarita, from the Bar d'Eau at Trump SoHo in New York City.

This garden-to-glass cocktail from Cindy Pawlcyn's Mustards Grill features the juice of prickly pears grown right in the Mustards garden.

Fresh orange and lime juice are part of the secret behind the "solid" margaritas served at New York City's La Esquina.

Most people think, "Avocado? In a drink?" But avocado is a great textural element; it adds a nice creaminess, but without the cream. It's especially good in a margarita and goes really well with chips and salsa. The avocado flavor is not overpowering. It's more like a great margarita with a creamy element to it. The key to this version is the salt — this drink needs it. And if you want to get a little crazy, add some celery salt and crushed green peppercorns to the salt garnish.

A unique take on a pomegranate margarita, where lime juice and pomegranate seeds are frozen in ice cube form for stunning visual effect.

With an added kick of flavor from the grapefruit juice, this refreshing take on the margarita is an excellent sip any time of year. For a bit more sweetness (and a bright color), try ruby-red grapefruit juice.

Celebrity chef Rick Bayless considers this fantastic combination of bracing champagne and limey margarita the "best of both sides of the Atlantic."