Texas Margarita

Add orange juice to the classic cocktail to make a Texas Margarita! This citrusy version is even better than the original.

Here’s a fun twist on the margarita that might convince you to make the cocktail this way every time: Texas Daisies! The addition of orange juice to the classic rim makes it Texan for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. But one sip and we were sold! The sweetness of orange juice perfectly balances the tangy lime and fragrant citrus of Triple Sec. In fact, he nearly convinced us to give up our classic margarita and make it this way every time. This one is a winner! Here’s why.

What is a Texas Margarita?

The Texas Margarita is a margarita made with orange juice and lime. It has no specific history or even an origin story. It’s possible that it came from people combining soda pop, frozen orange juice, and tequila as some sort of pitcher cocktail mix. The origin of the Texas Margarita name is not well documented: let us know if you have any leads!

The classic margarita is one of the most popular cocktails of all time, invented in Mexico in the 1930s. The classic definition involves three ingredients: tequila, lime, and triple sec. The Texas Margarita contains orange juice, but not as much as in an orange margarita. The ingredients you need are:

• white tequila
• Triple Sec or Cointreau
• lime juice
• orange juice

Though it may have evolved from a simple pitcher-style drink, our take on the Texas Margarita is crisp, clear, and sophisticated. It’s full of bright flavors and perfectly balanced between the taste of citrus and the bite of tequila.

The best tequila and triple sec

What’s the best tequila and triple sec for a Texas margarita? The selection here differs from our standard margarita, where we like to use Tequila Reposado and Cointreau. Here’s the type of tequila we recommend for the Texas Margarita:

• The best tequila? White tequila. Typically, we love aged tequila (Tequila Reposado) for the refined oak and vanilla flavor notes. But the Texas Margarita is a pretty basic drink, so here we like the Blacno. We used Tequila Blanco Patron Silver.
• The best orange liqueur? triple sec Again, our standard is Cointreau, adding warm spice and nuanced flavor. But with a Texas margarita, a simpler flavor like triple sec works! Are you looking for a quality brand: we love Drillauds. More info here!

Freshly squeezed or bottled orange juice

You can use any type of orange juice for this Texas Margarita. In general we say Fresh is better! Freshly squeezed citrus juice always tastes better than from the bottle. This is especially true with lemon and lime juice: always use freshly squeezed lime juice in a margarita!

But when it comes to orange juice, you can find great bottled juices. Just go for the highest quality orange juice you can find and make sure it doesn’t have any added sweeteners in it!

Make it a single drink or a Texas Margarita pitcher!

Texas calls big everything, To the right? So why not make a Texas Margarita Pitcher? The pitcher works well when entertaining so you don’t have to mix individual drinks. At 5 minutes per glass, it can take a while! How to Make an 8 Serving Pitcher! Mix together:

• 1 1/2 cups of tequila
• 1 ½ cups triple sec
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1 cup orange juice

Mix it together and you have a very tasty Texas Margarita Pitcher! Just try not to drink it too fast. These go under easily! You’ll notice that we served it in a stemmed cocktail glass, although we typically use a low-stemmed glass for margarita recipes. It’s a fun alternative: you can serve it in any glass style you like (including the standard margarita glass).

Tex-Mex dishes to combine

Why not pair this Texas margarita with a Tex-Mex meal? Many foods that you might mistake for Mexican are actually of Tex-Mex origins. Here are some of our favourites:

When to serve a Texas Margarita

The Texas Margarita is always a hit! It works like: