Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Margarita

The margarita is tequila, lime and orange liqueur, shaken hard and served over ice. No sour mix, no blender — the real thing takes three ingredients and about ninety seconds.

Preparation~3 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 30% ABVMethodShaken9 guided stepsIngredients3Short (rocks) glass

Sour

In the glassTequila (blanco) · Fresh lime juice · Triple sec / Cointreau

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

Start making

What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear rocks glass with low straight sides and a heavy base. — Serving glassRocks glass

Set up before you pour

Use a rocks glass.

The low, sturdy bowl suits concentrated drinks and gives one large cube enough width.

Standard size: 300 ml10¼ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a small water tumbler with a heavy base.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker (or a jam jar with a tight lid)
strainer — cobbler shakers have one built into the cap; otherwise a Hawthorne strainer or small sieve
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your short (rocks) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Tequila (blanco)60 ml
Triple sec / Cointreau30 ml
Fresh lime juice30 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Season the edge
Salt the rim: rub a lime wedge around the edge of your glass, then dip it in a saucer of salt
Why it mattersCoat just the outer half of the rim — a fully salted rim makes every sip too salty. Prefer it naked? Skip this.
02
Measure into the shaker
Pour 60 ml tequila into your shaker
- Tequila (blanco)
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 30 ml fresh lime juice
- Fresh lime juice
Why it mattersFresh limes only — bottled lime juice is why bar margaritas taste better than home ones.
04
Measure into the shaker
Add 30 ml triple sec
- Triple sec / Cointreau
05
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
06
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersHold the lid down and shake like you mean it. Cold hurting your hands means it’s working.
07
Ice the glass
Fill your rocks glass with fresh ice
Why it mattersFresh cubes, not the ice out of the shaker — that lot is half melted and would water the drink down. Big cubes melt slowest of all.
08
Strain cleanly
Strain into the glass over the ice
Why it mattersFit a Hawthorne strainer over the open shaker and pour. Its spring holds back the shaker ice.
09
Finish the drink
Finish it — drop a lime wheel into the glass

Know your drink

About the Margarita

A salt-rimmed Margarita, coral Paloma and mezcal rocks drink on an agave terrace.

The world’s most-ordered cocktail

Nobody can prove who invented the margarita — competing stories star Tijuana restaurateurs, Texan socialites and Hollywood bartenders in the 1930s–40s. What is certain is the formula: it’s a classic "daisy" (margarita is Spanish for daisy), the tequila member of the sour family alongside the daiquiri and the sidecar.

Decades of frozen slush and neon sour mix buried the original. The craft-cocktail revival dug it back out: fresh lime, real tequila, orange liqueur — shaken hard, served cold, salt on half the rim.

Salt rim, done properly

Salt only the OUTSIDE half of the rim: rub a lime wedge around the edge, roll the outer edge through flaky salt, then knock off the loose grains. You get the salt-and-lime lift without every sip turning briny — and guests who prefer it naked can drink from the clean side.

Common questions

Margarita FAQ

What is the best tequila for a margarita?

Use a 100% agave blanco (silver) tequila. "Mixto" tequilas (bottles that don’t say 100% agave) are cut with other sugars and taste harsh in a drink this simple. Reposado also works if you like a rounder, oakier margarita.

Cointreau or triple sec — does it matter?

Cointreau IS a triple sec, just a benchmark one: drier, stronger (40%) and more intensely orange. Cheap triple sec is sweeter and lighter, so the drink turns out a touch flabbier. Either works; with Cointreau you may want a few drops of agave or simple syrup.

What is a Tommy’s margarita?

A famous variation from Tommy’s in San Francisco that swaps the orange liqueur for agave syrup — just tequila, lime and agave. It tastes more directly of tequila. If you love agave spirits, try both and pick your house style.

Should a margarita be frozen or on the rocks?

The classic is shaken and served on the rocks (or straight up). Frozen margaritas are blended with ice — fun, but the dilution mutes the tequila and lime. If you make it frozen, use slightly more of everything to survive the blender.

What ingredients are in a Margarita?

A classic Margarita calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Tequila, 30 ml (1 oz) Fresh lime juice, 30 ml (1 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Margarita?

A standard Margarita is roughly 30% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is a Margarita shaken or stirred?

A Margarita is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

Sharpen the technique