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Margarita
A crisp, lime-driven tequila sour with a saline edge and crystalline balance.
Base spirit
Tequila
Style
Sour
Glassware
Coupe
Technique
Shake
The Margarita is a lean, focused tequila sour that balances earthy agave with sharp fresh lime and a measured touch of orange liqueur. Shaken hard with ice, it should pour with a faint opacity and a fine chill, riding the line between bright acidity and gentle sweetness. A salted rim amplifies the citrus and agave aromatics while adding a subtle savory snap. Modern specs build on structured mid twentieth century recipes by nudging the orange liqueur down and lime up for a drier profile. Reliable records show Margarita recipes appearing in American bar manuals and magazines in the 1940s and 1950s, long after tequila first entered US cocktail culture.
Ingredients
Servings
- • 2 oz blanco tequila
- • 1 oz fresh lime juice
- • 0.75 oz triple sec
- • 0.25 oz agave syrup
- • Kosher salt for rim
- • Lime wheel
Did you know?
“The IBA lists the Margarita among its Contemporary Classics, and David Wondrich points to mid twentieth century American sources like Esquire and tequila brand booklets as the first reliable printed recipes.”
Source:IBA; Wondrich Imbibe!; PunchDrink archives
Bartender's Note
Use good quality blanco tequila and fresh squeezed lime juice to avoid a cloying or flat profile.
Missing a bottle? See smart swaps in Learn.
How to make the Margarita
- 1Chill a coupe glass and prepare a half salt rim.
- 2Add tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and agave syrup to a shaker with ice.
- 3Shake hard until very cold.
- 4 into the chilled coupe.
- 5Garnish with a lime wheel on the salted side.
