This simple Grand Marnier Margarita is made with reposado tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, lime juice, and some freshly squeezed blood orange juice for color and a punch of flavor. It's easy to make, perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious for any occasion!

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🍸 Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: you just need 5 ingredients and less than 10 minutes to throw together a batch of these Grand Marnier margaritas!
- Best of the best ingredients: every ingredient in this Grand Marnier margarita is top of line. High quality reposado (aged) tequila and orange liqueur, freshly squeezed orange and lime juice – it's absolutely delicious.
- Perfect for any occasion: this Grand Marnier margarita is fancy enough for a special occasion, but also easy enough for every day.
🍶 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make our Grand Marnier margarita:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Grand Marnier: This is a French liqueur made with cognac and orange liqueur. We used the cordon rouge variety, which is indicated on the label on the neck of the bottle, and is the easiest to find in stores. Grand Marnier has a more complex flavor profile than other orange liqueurs, which is why it's our first choice when it comes to a classic margarita.
- Choice of tequila: We used a reposado tequila, which has been aged or "rested" in barrels for up to a year. It has nice notes of spice and doesn't pack an aggressive bite like some other tequila varieties. If you don't have reposado tequila, using whatever you have on hand will still result in a delicious cocktail.
- Orange juice: Since this Grand Marnier margarita is the best of the best, we use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best possible flavor. We used freshly squeezed blood oranges in this recipe (we love the intense flavor!) but any variety of orange will do. And, of course, if you don't feel like squeezing your own, just use your favorite store bought orange juice. (The higher quality, the better!)
- Lime juice: trust us – freshly squeezed is ALWAYS best in a cocktail.
- Simple syrup: We used a bottled variety, which is very convenient and helps cut down on prep time. You can also substitute 1:1 with agave nectar. You can also make your own simple syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is completely dissolved.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
(1) Add the tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, orange juice and simple syrup/agave to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds.
(2) Strain the margarita mixture into a salt-rimmed glass and serve cold.
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Make ahead: if you want to make a large batch for entertaining, you can measure out all of the ingredients several hours before serving. Just be sure to stir or shake well again before serving so all of the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Want to try making infused tequila for your next margarita? Check out this post on how to infuse liquors with fruits, spices, herbs and more.
- We used pink salt for the rim, which we think looks great, but is purely an aesthetic choice. Regular salt works just fine!
- Garnish: you don't need anything fancy to top off these margaritas, but a fresh orange slice/peel always looks beautiful!
Cointreau, another orange liqueur variety, is the best Grand Marnier substitute. Another orange liqueur or even brandy will also work in a pinch.
Pour about ¼ cup of salt on a small plate. Cut a slit in a lime wedge, then run it around the rim of the glass to moisten. (You can also dip the edge of the glass in agave or simple syrup.) Roll the rim of the glass in salt until well coated.
We've found that kosher salt is the best option. Kosher has a larger grain, great flavor, and it's easy to find. Sea salt can work in a pinch (we used Himalayan pink salt in this Grand Marnier Margarita), but definitely don't use iodized table salt!
A few of our favorites include:
-Pineapple Mimosa
-Tequila Mule
-Raspberry Daiquiri
-Guava Rum Cocktail
-Pineapple Jalapeño Margaritas
🍽 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Grand Marnier Margarita
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This simple Grand Marnier Margarita is made with reposado tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, lime juice, and some freshly squeezed blood orange juice for color and a punch of flavor. It's easy to make, perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 1 oz reposado tequila
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¾ oz lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup or agave syrup
- Salt for the rim
Instructions
- Pour about ¼ cup of salt on a small plate. Cut a slit in a lime wedge, then run it around the rim of the glass to moisten. (You can also dip the edge of the glass in agave or simple syrup.) Roll the rim of the glass in salt until well coated.
- Add the tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, orange juice and simple syrup/agave to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds.
- Strain the margarita mixture into a salt-rimmed glass and serve cold.
Notes
Grand Marnier substitute: Cointreau, another orange liqueur variety, is the best substitute. Another orange liqueur or even brandy will also work in a pinch.
Orange and lime juice: freshly squeezed always makes for the best tasting cocktail!
Choice of tequila: We used a reposado tequila, which has been aged or "rested" in barrels for up to a year. It has nice notes of spice and doesn't pack an aggressive bite like some other tequila varieties. If you don't have reposado tequila, using whatever you have on hand will still result in a delicious cocktail.
Make ahead: if you want to make a large batch for entertaining, you can measure out all of the ingredients several hours before serving. Just be sure to stir or shake well again before serving so all of the ingredients are evenly mixed.
Best salt for rim: kosher salt is the best variety of salt for a margarita rim. We used pink salt here (mostly for the color!) and it worked fine as well.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 13.2 g
- Sodium: 1256.8 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.6 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.6 g
Alana says
Loved this cocktail! I had a hard time finding blood oranges so I used grapefruit and navel oranges (separately) both were delicious substitutes! Can’t wait to try it with blood oranges too.