I’m a big fan of both craft cocktail kits and homemade gift baskets– and an even bigger fan of homemade craft cocktail kit gift baskets. I mean, who doesn’t want all the ingredients for their favorite cocktail delivered straight to their door, right?! A few weeks back, our friends Ben and Liz dropped off a wine and chocolate tasting kit for one of our virtual game nights, so I thought it’d be fun to put together a DIY margarita gift basket for Cinco de Mayo in return. It turned out pretty darn cute, and since we’re still in prime margarita season, I wanted to share it with y’all in today’s post! Keep reading for tips on assembling the perfect DIY margarita kit gift and for my all-time favorite classic margarita recipe!

DIY Margarita Gift Basket

What to Include in a Margarita Gift Basket

Honestly, curating your own margarita themed gift basket is super duper easy. As long as you’ve got the basics down (ie. tequila and lime juice), the rest is totally up to you. Here’s everything I used to make my DIY margarita gift basket–

• Tequila– The 375mL Patron bottles are super cute and right around the perfect price point!
• Fresh citrus juice– Some people can’t stomach margarita mix (I think it’s a simple syrup issue), so I included Santa Cruz organic pure lime juice and grapefruit juice instead.
• Salt– I ordered this fine mediterranean sea salt, along with these cute little glass bottles to hold and label it. 
• Citrus squeezer (optional)– Odds are the recipient probably already has a citrus squeezer or two, so feel free to leave out if you want to free up space. 
• Fresh citrus– I threw in some lemons for color, but fresh limes are a must!
• Fresh flowers– I used baby’s breath and yellow solidago asters to fill space without adding weight. 
• Orange liqueur (optional)– Most traditional margarita recipes use an orange liqueur (like Cointreau), so if you have room, consider adding some! This particular basket was already nearing 7-8 pounds, so to protect its structural integrity, I left the liqueur out. 
• Crinkle filler paper– I order this light ivory crinkle filler paper in bulk from Amazon and use it in all my gift boxes and baskets. 
• Natural paper– I used this rustic stationery paper to make my own custom labels. 
• Burlap ribbon– This 1.5″ burlap ribbon is uber affordable and perfect for a variety of DIY projects!

Other margarita basket ideas include bottled simple syrup, personalized drink stirrers, small citrus trees, monogrammed cocktail glasses, and bartender tools. Going the snack route is always an option, too, so including some fresh salsa or chips wouldn’t hurt either. The sky’s the limit!

How to Make Your Own Margarita Gift Basket

Making a gift basket as colorful as this margarita kit is a lot of fun, primarily because there’s plenty of room for customization. First off, whether you want to use a pretty woven basket or a larger crate is totally up to you. I personally prefer baskets, but whenever glass bottles are involved, the structural integrity of a small wooden crate is hard to beat. If you do go the crate route, check out Style Me Pretty’s margarita gift crate for inspiration!

Also, it bothers me when homemade gift baskets look too busy, so I peeled off the Santa Cruz juice labels and used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut and glue on my own. I also used this burlap ribbon to create a fun “when life gives you limes, garnish your margarita” gift tag. To make your own, cut a thin rectangular label to roughly the width of your basket or crate and add slits in both sides. Simply slide the ribbon through and attach to your basket!

Once all my labels were created, I filled the bottom of the basket with air pillows and threw in some crinkle filler paper. Whenever possible, I try to balance all the larger heavy items in the back and the lighter delicate items up front (like this DIY mimosa gift basket). Pretty much everything in this margarita gift basket was big and heavy this time around, though, so I just tried to distribute the weight as evenly as possible. 

As a final touch, I used some baby’s breath and yellow solidago asters to fill space without creating additional weight. I swear, no matter what project I’m working on, baby’s breath never fails to add a little something extra!

Classic Margarita Recipe

One final item to consider including is your favorite classic margarita recipe printed on a recipe card! Kyle and I recently watched Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Mixology Masterclass, and y’all, their classic margarita is the best easy margarita recipe you’ll ever find. Here’s everything you/your gift basket recipient needs to make one cocktail–

• 2oz tequila (60mL)
• .75oz fresh lime juice (22.5mL)
• 1oz orange liqueur, such as Cointreau (30mL)
• Sea salt, for garnish
• Lime, for garnish

To start, prepare a rocks glass with ice and a salted rim. Add the tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur to a shaker. Add 4 to 5 ice cubes and shake vigorously. Then, using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh strainer, pour the contents into the rocks glass. Finally, garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy!

And there you have it– that’s how you make your own margarita gift basket! As always, please let me know if you have any questions (about the basket or the classic margarita recipe). I’m happy to help!

Photography by Catherine Rhodes. Dress from Amazon Fashion.