Cointreau Margarita

Enjoy this margarita made with Cointreau, tequila, fresh lime juice, simple syrup all in a salt-rimmed glass! Make one for yourself or more and share with friends!

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Margaritas are a staple at Taco Tuesday and Friday nights at my house. If you enjoy mixing up the perfect margarita, you know you need to add some triple sec to make the lime and citrus flavors sing. 

Elevate your margarita with Cointreau, a brand name of triple sec, to help you get the best flavor and brightness from your cocktail. Make a drink for yourself, or multiply the recipe and maix up a pitcher to share with friends.

Before we get to the recipe, let’s go over the basics of the ingredients in this Cointreau Margarita.

What is Cointreau?

Cointreau is a type of triple sec, an orange flavored liqueur. Cointreau is a specific brand of orange liqueur produced in Saint-Barthelemy d’Anjou, France.

It has a sweet orange flavor and is colorless. It is most often used in mixed drinks and contains between 30 and 40 percent alcohol by volume, depending on the variety used.

Read on: What is Cointreau?

Ingredients for a Cointreau Margarita

Find out what you’ll need to make a delicious margarita with Cointreau in this list.

Tequila

You can use any type of tequila that you have on hand or prefer. It’s always a good idea to choose the best liquor you can afford for your cocktails for a better quality and flavor. We prefer Don Julio Blanco or Silver Patron in our house.

Cointreau

Cointreau adds a sweet orange flavor to this margarita. If you have a favorite margarita recipe, swap out your basic triple sec for Cointreau for a more balanced flavor.

Read on: Is Cointreau triple sec?

Simple syrup

Though the Cointreau is sweet on its own, you may want to add a bit more sweetness to your margarita to help balance the flavors. You can make your own simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water on the stove, or buy a bottle of simple syrup from the liquor store to save on time.

Fresh lime juice

Margaritas are made better by fresh lime juice. Bottled juice works here too, but the acidity and freshness makes this margarita really come together. For each drink, plan to add the juice of one lime.

Salt

If you like a salt-rimmed margarita glass, don’t skip this ingredient. Rim a margarita glass with a cut lime, then dip in salt. The salt will help balance the flavors of sweet and sour in this delicious margarita recipe.

How to Make a Cointreau Margarita

Prepare a cocktail shaker with ice or prepare a glass with a few ice cubes. You don’t need to do this in one particular way – as long as the drink is cold, it will taste good.

Rim the glass with salt if you choose to. Run a cut lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip in a plate with salt. Set aside.

In a cocktail shaker or glass, add all the ingredients and shake or stir to combine well.

Strain into the salt rimmed glass and serve with ice.