By Karl Hirsch · TacoTuesday.com · Prep 5 min · Total 5 min · Serves 1
Applebee’s calls this drink the Perfect Margarita, which is either bold or accurate depending on how you feel about the chain. What’s not up for debate is that it’s one of the best copycat margarita recipes on the internet – because the trick isn’t tequila, isn’t lime, isn’t the salt rim. It’s the double-orange-liqueur move. Cointreau and Grand Marnier, together, in the same glass.
Ingredients
- 1¼ oz 1800 Reposado tequila (or another 100% agave reposado)
- ½ oz Cointreau
- ½ oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup (or 1 packet of sugar)
- 4 oz sweet-and-sour mix
- Kosher or margarita salt, for the rim
- Lime wedge and green olive, for garnish
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Rocks glass or margarita glass
- Small plate for salt
- Jigger
Method
- Rim the glass. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass and dip it into kosher salt. Fill the glass with fresh ice.
- Build the drink. In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, combine the tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and sweet-and-sour mix.
- Shake hard. Ten to fifteen seconds. You want the shaker frosted, not just cool.
- Strain. Pour into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish. Lime wedge on the rim, one green olive on a pick. The olive is the Applebee’s move – try it before you dismiss it. The brine plays with the Grand Marnier in a way that’s genuinely interesting.
Bartender’s notes
- The two orange liqueurs are the whole point. Cointreau brings clean citrus. Grand Marnier – which is cognac-based, not neutral spirit – brings warmth and a slight bitterness. Together they build a drink that’s rounder than either could on its own. Skip one and you have a normal margarita. Skip both for triple sec and you have a bad one.
- 1800 Reposado matters more than you’d think. The reposado’s brief aging in oak brings a vanilla note that plays with the Grand Marnier. A blanco works but tastes thinner.
- Fresh lime juice, not bottled. Applebee’s uses fresh – this is one of the few things they don’t cut corners on.
- The olive garnish is not a joke. Skeptical is fair; skipping it is a mistake.
Scaling for a pitcher
For a pitcher that serves 6:
- 7½ oz 1800 Reposado
- 3 oz Cointreau
- 3 oz Grand Marnier
- 6 oz fresh lime juice
- 3 oz simple syrup
- 24 oz sweet-and-sour mix
Stir together in a pitcher without ice. Refrigerate. Shake individual glasses with ice as you serve.
Frequently asked
Can I use just Cointreau and skip the Grand Marnier? You can, and it’ll taste like a good normal margarita. It won’t taste like the Perfect Margarita. The Grand Marnier does specific work here.
What’s the difference between Cointreau and Grand Marnier? Cointreau is a clear orange liqueur made with a neutral spirit base – dry and citrus-forward. Grand Marnier is cognac-based and barrel-aged – sweeter, warmer, with a slight caramel note. They’re different tools.
Can I use silver or añejo tequila instead? Blanco/silver will work but taste thinner. Añejo will muddy the drink – too much oak fighting the Grand Marnier. Reposado is the right pick.
Is 1 oz of fresh lime enough? Yes, because you also have 4 oz of sweet-and-sour, which is roughly one-third citrus itself. If you’re skipping sour mix and using only fresh lime, bump the lime to 1½ oz and add another ½ oz simple syrup.
Rocks glass or margarita glass? Applebee’s serves it in a big margarita glass. At home a rocks glass is fine and drinks better.
This recipe is part of TacoTuesday.com’s round-up of the 10 Best Copycat Restaurant Margaritas, Ranked
