It’s Canada Day! Or it was when we made this pitcher of deliciousness. July 1 was Canada’s sesquicentennial, and how better to celebrate 150 years of belonging to an eh-saying culture than by raising a glass?

I’ve been meaning to make a classic margarita for months, but even under the heading “classic” I found numerous variations out there. For this pitcher I stuck pretty close to the tried-and-true method, but opted to use juice concentrate so I didn’t have to juice a dozen limes.

Here’s the recipe (serves 6):

• 1 fresh lime
• fine sea salt
• 355-mL can Minute Maid Limeade
• 12 oz cold water
• 12 oz silver tequila (well chilled)
• 6 oz Triple Sec (replace with Cointreau if desired)

Prepare glasses first: wet glass rim with lime and dip in sea salt. Add several ice cubes to each glass.

In a pitcher, combine limeade, water, and alcohols; stir, then pour immediately. Garnish glasses with lime slices.

The verdict: This is surprisingly yummy for a cocktail made with a mix. We thought the limeade would be too sweet, but it wasn’t. It mellowed the tequila, but didn’t mask it. Still, on a hot day, it would be easy to over-indulge, so pace yourself!