Made with fresh orange juice, orange liqueur, and tequila, this Italian Margarita recipe is perfect for when you’re craving a sweeter and fizzier pick me up. It’s a fun twist on a classic margarita. Make it for a refreshing poolside beverage, weekday happy hour, or summer brunch!
Update: This post was originally published in 2021 and has been republished with all new photos and the recipe was modified.
Why You’ll love this Italian Margarita Recipe
Jack and I recently tried out a new Italian restaurant in the heart of Midtown for my 24th birthday dinner. (Serena Pacifico for you Atlanta locals!) They didn’t have a typical margarita on the menu, they had this Italian Margarita!
And let me tell you—it’s one of the best cocktails I’ve had in quite some time! I was so hooked that I found myself googling their menu and figuring out how I could create this perfect cocktail for the blog.
What’s the difference between an Italian Margarita and Regular Margarita?
In the wise words of Regina George: “I’m not a regular *margarita*, I’m a cool *margarita*.” Okay, so she might say mom instead of margarita, but the same principle applies here.
Italian Margaritas are made with grapefruit juice and zesty aperol or amaretto, which adds a sweeter and bitterer taste. Regular margaritas are typically made with a tangier orange liquor and usually margarita mix and simple syrup.
Indulge in an Italian twist on the classic margarita by incorporating Aperol into this refreshing cocktail made with fresh lime juice, tequila, and club soda. Don’t forget to include a salted rim, garnish it with blood oranges and mint for the perfect finishing touch!
Or if you’re looking for more margarita recipes, also check out this Spicy Orange Margarita, this Banana Margarita, this Carrot Margarita, or this Skinny Margarita that I’m sure you’ll love, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Tequila: No need for a specific brand. Use your favorite tequila! I do suggest blanco tequila, however. If you’re looking for a mocktail version similar to this margaria, try this Italian Soda recipe!
- Aperol: Italian bitters for an Italian margarita! This is what will give your margarita the beautiful orange color.
- Triple Sec: You can also use orange liquor, almond liqueur, or amaretto liqueur if you have it on hand to create a different flavor profile. A classic cocktail ingredient.
- Blood Orange: Use this to squeeze fresh juice into your margarita and to create dried oranges for garnish. You can also use regular oranges, cara cara oranges, or grapefruit. Between this and the aperol, no sour mix is required!
- Club Soda: For some fizz! Tonic or another bubbly seltzer would also work.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Italian Margarita Cocktail Recipe
1. Slice an orange or lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glass. Pour salt or sugar on a small plate, then dip the glass to rim it.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add crushed ice, tequila, aperol, triple sec, and fresh citrus juices. Give it a good shake. Fill your prepared glass with ice and pour in alcohol.
3. Using a handheld juicer, extract juice out of ¼ of a fresh orange. Then, add to glass. Note: You may need to cut the orange into smaller pieces to fit it into the juicer. Fill remainder of the cocktail glass with club soda. Stir gently.
4. Top off with an extra squirt of lime if desired and garnish with mint, fresh flowers, maraschino cherries or orange wheel. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
Don’t shake your club soda in your cocktail shaker. It will explode everywhere! Just pour it in the glass at the end. Read this post for more of my mixology tips!
Recipe FAQs
The star of the show in this drink is the aperol. It gives most of the flavor and color, but you can surely still enjoy an alcohol free version of this drink using Wilfred’s Non-Alcoholic Aperitif, which is a zero proof blend mimicing Aperol very closely. For the Triple Sec, use a splash of orange juice and for the tequila just use more club soda!
Traditionally, margaritas are made with silver tequila. However, you could substitute vodka, gin, or even rum in this recipe instead. This is an Italian Marg so might as well change everything up!
Nowadays, there are so many different flavors of salt. Typically, coarse kosher salt or margarita salt is best for a margarita. Feel free to incorporate a flavored salt to add complexity to your drink.
One of my favorite things about ordering a cocktail at a restaurant is seeing how they garnish them. Maybe it’s just the designer in me. 😂 I think it truly elevates the customer experience, and in this day and age, an “Instagram worthy” cocktail is a winner!
You can really make this Italian Margarita something special (in my opinion) by garnishing it with dried orange slices. I recommend making these in advance as they can take quite a long time. However, this cocktail will still taste fabulous with fresh fruit as well!
If you want to try making your own dried orange slices, you’ll also need a wire rack and baking pan. Follow this process:
1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Finely slice oranges. Keep in mind that the thinner the slice, the shorter the dehydrating time.
3. Place a wire rack on top of a baking pan and place your orange slices on top. Do not overlap any slices.
4. Bake for 3-6 hours depending on how thick your slices are. Flip 2-3 times while cooking to ensure each side dries out.
Serving suggestions
Have a top notch Italian night at home and enjoy this not so traditional margarita with a Prosciutto and Fig Pizza and/or this Italian Quinoa Salad. Maybe even some Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert!
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Italian Margarita Recipe
Equipment
- Jigger
- Margarita glass
- Cocktail shaker
- Cocktail stirrer
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Handheld juicer
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed ice, divided
- 3 oz tequila
- 2 oz Aperol
- 2 oz triple sec, or orange liquor
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup citrus, grapefruit or orange
- ½-1 cup club soda, grapefruit flavored
Garnish
- salt or sugar, for rim
- orange or lime wheels
- fresh mint
Instructions
- Slice an orange or lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glass. Pour salt or sugar on a small plate, then dip the glass to rim it.
- In a cocktail shaker, add 1 cup of crushed ice. Pour tequila, aperol, triple sec, and the juice of 1 lime into the shaker. Give it a good shake.
- Divide the remaining ice between each glass. Pour in margarita over crushed ice.
- Top each glass with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint, citrus wedges, or edible flowers. Option to add the juice of a orange wedge to the top of each glass for immediate citrus flavor!
- Serve immediately! You might just leave all the ingredients out because you will be making another:P. Please drink responsibly.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Italian Margarita calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
NOTE: this is counting the alcohol as strictly carbs – remember, if you are counting your macros & alcohol, this is a good reference: Macrostax | How To Calculate Alcohol for Macro Counting
TO COUNT YOUR ALCOHOL AS A CARBOHYDRATE: Use the total number of calories in a drink divided by 4 (Example: 5 ounces of Red Zinfandel = 132 calories 132 calories/4 = 33g Carbs. TO COUNT YOUR ALCOHOL AS A FAT: Use the total number of calories in a drink divided by 9 (Example: 5 ounces of Red Zinfandel = 132 calories 132 calories/9 = 15g Fat) TO COUNT YOUR ALCOHOL AS BOTH A CARBOHYDRATE AND A FAT: Use the a portion of the total number of calories in a drink divided by 4 Use the remainder of the total number of calories in a drink divided by 9. Example: 5 ounces of Red Zinfandel = 132 calories 66 calories/4 = 16.5g Carbs 66 calories/9 = 7g Fat
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
more of our favorite Easy Cocktail Recipes…
This Marg was a lovely twist on 2 fantastic drinks. While sweet and refreshing, the tequila still packs its punch! She’s done it again!
So I know how easy it is to just crack open a seltzer when you’re wanting a refreshing drink, but I promise you these margs are sooooo worth the effort. The Italian version of a marg is such a fun twist and Courtney makes plenty of suggestions for customizing it to your preferences. Try these!!!
These were so easy & so yummy! The rosemary adds the perfect touch. Definitely my go to cocktail now 🙂
YESS, Sara!! Delicious and simple.
Absolutely amazing. I made this Italian margarita the other night and it was a hit! SO refreshing and easy to make; I cannot recommend this cocktail enough! 🙂
I love the presentation! Thank you for the review XO
YURM! I had this at a restaurant recently and this recipe is even BETTER!
This drink was so refreshing and delicious! My daughter and son wanted to celebrate my recent birthday and chose this drink to celebrate with family during the holiday weekend! It sure was a hit! They made multiple batches! Loved the refreshing light and citrus taste of it! Definitely a keeper! I appreciate the simplicity of your drink recipes!