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    Home » Tequila » Italian Margarita

    Published: Feb 13, 2023 by Lisa · This post may contain affiliate links, which means we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Italian Margarita

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Salt rimmed glass filled with Italian Margarita.
    Italian margarita on the rocks with salt on a coaster.
    Orange Margarita in glass filled with ice and rimmed with salt.

    Nutty, sweet, and perfectly balanced, the Italian Margarita is a tasty twist on a traditional marg. This refreshing cocktail gets its sweetness from two fresh juices and is made with just 4 ingredients. Grab your shaker because happy hour begins in 10 minutes!

    Italian margarita with dried orange slice and lime slice. this recipe

    Italian food and margaritas are 2 of my favorite things, so when I tried an Italian Marg it's not surprising I fell in love. After all, Italians do a lot of things right, and this Italian Margarita made with just 4 ingredients is definitely one of them.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • FAQs
    • Expert Tips
    • Substitutions and Shortcuts
    • More Great Recipes
    • Recipe

    Why you'll love this recipe

    ✔︎ It uses just 4 ingredients that are easy to have on hand.

    ✔︎ An Italian Margarita gets its sweetness from the fresh juices and amaretto liqueur - no simple syrup is required!

    ✔︎ It's easy to make one or a batch! Surprise your friends with this tasty twist on the traditional margarita!

    Ingredients

    You only need 4 ingredients for this cocktail.

    Bottle of amaretto, tequila, oranges and limes to make Italian margarita.

    Ingredient Notes:

    Tequila: Reposado tequila is best for this drink. Blanco can be used as well with good results.

    Fruit juices: Fresh is a must for this marg. Bottled juices contain preservatives that alter the flavor.

    Amaretto: This almond-flavored Italian liqueur that can be found in the cordial section where you buy alcohol. 

    Instructions

    It only takes a few minutes to shake up an Italian Margarita.

    Tequila being poured into ice filled shaker.

    Fill a shaker with ice and add tequila.

    Amaretto being poured into ice filled shaker.

    Pour in the amaretto liqueur.

    Orange juice being poured into shaker.

    Add the lime and orange juices.

    Filled shaker covered and ready to shake.

    Shake to combine liquids and chill the drink.

    Glass being rimmed with lime wedge.

    Rim the edge of a glass with a lime wedge.

    Lime rimmed glass inverted on plate of salt.

    Invert the glass onto a plate filled with salt.

    Shaker pouring drink into salt rimmed glass.

    Empty the contents of the shaker into the salt-rimmed glass, garnish, and serve.

    FAQs

    What kind of oranges are best for this Italian Margarita?

    We used regular oranges for this recipe because of their year-round availability, but also tested the recipe with Cara Cara oranges and blood oranges. All of them are delicious, but your cocktail will be different colors based on the juice used. You can get about 4-5 tablespoons of juice in one orange.

    What is the best tequila for Italian Margaritas?

    Reposado tequila. This tequila has aged for 2-12 months and gives a more complex flavor than Blanco tequila. Add in amaretto and fresh fruit juices and you have one smooth marg.

    How much juice is in a lime?

    There are generally 2 tablespoons (1 ounce)of juice in a lime depending on the size of the lime.

    Salt rimmed glass filled with Italian Margarita and garnished with orange and lime, with shaker in back.

    Expert Tips

    ✘ Squeeze your fresh juices ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to make the drinks. A reamer works well for one cocktail or use a juicer for a batch.

    ✘ Use good tequila. Always make sure it is 100% agave. Reposado tequila is best for this drink. There are a lot of fabulous tequila brands out there, but Don Julio is one of our favorites.

    ✘ Salt the glasses ahead of time, set out with an ice bucket and the pitcher of margaritas, and let guests serve themselves.

    Substitutions and Shortcuts

    ▶︎ Don't have any amaretto on hand? Limoncello or Aperol can also be used in an Italian Margarita for a different Italian twist.

    ▶︎ Serving a group? Mix up the margaritas ahead of time without ice and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

    ▶︎ Buy fresh squeezed orange juice at the grocery store, but not just a regular carton of orange juice from concentrate and made with preservatives.

    Glass filled with Italian margarita with lime wedges and orange wedges on cutting board next to cocktail shaker.

    More Great Recipes

    It's no secret that we love margaritas! Check out this Skinny Margarita or some of our other faves.

    • margarita on the rocks with salt with lime wedge.
      Grand Marnier Margarita (golden margarita)
    • Grapefruit Margarita in a chili rimmed lowball glass.
      Spicy Grapefruit Margarita
    • Mango margarita in an ice filled glass rimmed with salt and garnished with lime wedges.
      Easy Mango Margarita
    • Short salt rimmed glasses filled with margaritas. Blood oranges for garnish.
      Blood Orange Margaritas
    
    
    Did you make this recipe? We'd love to hear your thoughts! 
    
    Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Your feedback helps us and your fellow readers! 
    
    
    

    Recipe

    Margarita on ice with orange wedge.

    Italian Margarita

    Garnish With Lemon
    Amaretto is used in place of orange liqueur for an Italian twist on a classic marg.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 7 mins
    Total Time 7 mins
    Course Tequila
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 serving
    Calories 164 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Citrus Juicer
    • Cocktail Shaker
    • Mini Measuring Beaker Set

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 ounces Reposado tequila
    • 1½ ounces Amaretto
    • 2 ounces fresh orange juice
    • 1 ounce fresh lime juice
    • kosher salt
    • lime wedges

    Instructions
     

    • Fill a shaker with ice and add tequila, amaretto, orange juice and lime juice.
      3 ounces Reposado tequila, 1½ ounces Amaretto, 2 ounces fresh orange juice, 1 ounce fresh lime juice
    • Shake vigorously to combine liquids and chill drink.
    • Rim the edge of a glass with a lime wedge and invert on a plate filled with kosher salt.
      kosher salt, lime wedges
    • Fill glass with ice and strain contents of shaker into glass.

    Notes

    Tequila: Reposado tequila is best for this drink. Blanco can be used as well with good results.
    Fruit juices: Fresh is a must for this marg. Bottled juices contain preservatives that alter the flavor.
    • We used regular oranges for this recipe because of their year-round availability, but also tested the recipe with Cara Cara oranges and blood oranges. All of them are delicious, but your cocktail will be different colors based on the juice used.
    • There is generally 1 ounce of juice in a lime and 2-2½ ounces in one orange.
    Amaretto: This an almond-flavored Italian liqueur that can be found in the cordial section where you buy alcohol. 
    Serving Tips:
    • Don't have any amaretto on hand? Limoncello or Aperol can also be used in an Italian Margarita.
    • Serving a group? Mix up the margaritas ahead of time without ice and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

    VIDEO

    Nutrition

    Serving: 7ouncesCalories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 159mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 128IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.2mg

    Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.

    Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram or leave a comment!
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    About Lisa

    Hi, I’m Lisa! Looking for the party? It’s probably at my house. Nothing brings me more joy than sharing good food with friends and family. That and a seriously good cocktail.

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