By:chef ssentongo Geoffrey

Italian Margarita

Total Time

Prep/Total Time: 10 min.

This Italian margarita recipe is a fun twist on everyone’s favorite tequila-based cocktail.

Dreaming of an Italian summer? Toast to your travel goals, and raise a glass filled to the brim with a refreshing Italian margarita. Made with fresh squeezed lime juice, Triple Sec and your favorite brand of tequila, this recipe gives the classic margarita an Italian remix by adding a splash of amaretto.

Amaretto’s subtle notes of almond and cherry balance out the tang of the lime juice, similar to an amaretto sour. This drink will make you feel like you’re lounging the day away under the Tuscan sun or along the pristine Amalfi Coast.

When you’re looking to add some oomph to your regular margarita recipes, flavored margarita recipes like these are the way to go!

Where did the Italian margarita come from?

Despite its name and excellent ability to pair with your favorite Italian recipes, the Italian margarita is not Italian and does not come from Italy (so don’t book your flight just yet). In fact, this unique cocktail is believed to have been created by California mixologists looking for fresh new ways to shake up the traditional fresh lime margarita recipe.

Ingredients for an Italian Margarita

• Tequila: The best tequila for a margarita is your favorite tequila. Blanco tequila is most common for an Italian margarita, but reposado tequila is also a great option.
• Triple Sec: Most margaritas are made with this orange-flavored liqueur. You can always go a bit more top-shelf with higher-end orange liqueurs like Cointreau or Grand Mariner (here’s everything you need to know between Cointreau vs. Triple Sec vs. Grand Marnier). Italy is Europe’s second-top producer of oranges (Spain is first), so it’s no surprise that orange is a common flavor in Italian cooking, baking and mixology.
• Lime juice: The ingredient that gives this cocktail the same signature tartness of a classic margarita. Always opt for freshly squeezed lime juice, when possible, for the best taste.
• Amaretto: Amaretto is an Italian liqueur with almond and cherry flavor. It’s popular in Italian baking, cocktails, and confections. Here’s a homemade amaretto recipe if you want to get super DIY about it. And if you end up with any left over, try these other amaretto cocktails.
• Cherries: Fresh or maraschino cherries are the perfect garnish for this sweet, tangy cocktail. The deeply hued Luxardo cherries work here, too.
• Salt: Rimming a margarita glass with salt counters the bitterness in the drink while pulling forward the sweeter notes. You can, of course, skip the salt if you prefer.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare your glass

Moisten the rim of one cocktail glass with a lime wedge. If desired, sprinkle salt on a plate, then dip the rim in salt. Fill the glass with ice, and set aside.

Editor’s Tip: Half the fun of making drinks at home is sipping from different types of cocktails glasses, including beautiful vintage glassware.

Step 2: Shake, pour, garnish

In an empty cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice, and amaretto. Fill the shaker with ice, and cover. Shake until frost forms on the outside of the shaker, 15 to 20 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and cherries. Cheers!

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t own a cocktail shaker, perhaps it’s time to invest. Don’t miss our guide to cocktail shakers for your home bar.

Italian Margarita Variations

• Add orange: In some versions of this drink, a splash of freshly squeezed orange juice is added to the cocktail. If you love oranges, feel free to experiment.
• Garnish with basil: Make this recipe extra Italian by garnishing with a few fresh basil leaves. The fragrance and flavor of basil complements the other flavors in this cocktail beautifully. Or try one of these other cocktail garnish ideas.
• Try with limoncello: If you prefer the taste of lemon over orange, you could swap the Triple Sec for an equal amount of limoncello. It’s, a popular lemon-flavored Italian liqueur that would be perfect in this easy Italian margarita recipe.

Can you make an Italian margarita ahead of time?

Yes! You can make a pitcher of Italian margaritas ahead of time, just as you would make a pitcher of margaritas or sangria. To make a big batch in advance, use this guide on how to make a pitcher of margaritas.

Italian Margarita Tips

Can I make a blended Italian margarita?

Sure! Make a blended version of this easy cocktail, just as you would make any blended frozen margarita. Simply rim the glass as directed with salt, then combine all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender. Puree until smooth, then pour into your glass. Garnish as desired, and sip away!

Can I make a nonalcoholic Italian margarita?

Absolutely! If you want to make a virgin Italian margarita, simply omit the tequila from the recipe. Then, swap the Triple Sec out for freshly squeezed orange juice, and opt for an equal amount of a nonalcoholic amaretto substitute (like Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Amaretti). A teaspoon of almond extract may also be used, but know that most are made with alcohol, so use this option at your own discretion.

Italian Margarita

PREP TIME10 min

YIELD1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 lime wedge
• Coarse sea salt, optional
•  Ice cubes
• 1-1/2 ounces blanco tequila
• 1 ounce triple sec
• 1/2 ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 ounce amaretto
•  Maraschino cherries, optional

Directions

1. Moisten rim of 1 cocktail glass with lime wedge. If desired, sprinkle salt on a plate; dip rim in salt. Fill glass with ice.In an empty cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice and amaretto. Fill with ice; cover and shake until frost forms on the outside of the shaker, 15-20 seconds. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish with lime wedge and, if desired, cherries.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 260 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 4mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (18g sugars, 0 fiber), 0 protein.

Homemade Amaretto Ingredients

• Vodka: This is the base of the drink, so you want to use a high-quality vodka for a delicious final product.
• Sugar: The mix of brown sugar and cane sugar provides the sweetness to balance out the vodka for a smooth finish.
• Almond extract: Almond is a key flavor in amaretto. A little goes a long way.

Directions

Step 1: Make sugar syrup

In a small saucepan, bring cane sugar, brown sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cool liquid completely.

Step 2: Mix ingredients and store

Once cooled, transfer sugar syrup to a 1-quart glass jar. Add remaining ingredients—vodka, almond extract and vanilla extract—and shake well. Cover with a lid and let stand in a dark place for one to three days to allow flavors to blend.

When it’s ready, pour it into glass bottles and label them with the date. Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place for up to two months.

Amaretto Recipe Variations

• Change vanillas: Use the vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract for a slightly different flavor.
• Add spice: Flavor the amaretto with some whole cloves or star anise for a more herbaceous final product.

How to Store Amaretto

For the best quality and longest storage, store your amaretto in a cool, dark place. It doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge, making it a great centerpiece on a bar cart.

Watermelon Martini

Amaretto Recipe Tips

How long does homemade amaretto last?

This homemade amaretto recipe lasts for up to two months when stored properly. Make sure to store it somewhere cool and dark for the longest lasting results.

What cocktails can you make with amaretto?

Watermelon Mojito

No surprise, amaretto makes delicious amaretto cocktails. Try it in a variety of sours, like this apple amaretto sour. Or go the sweet route with a tipsy iced coffee. How about something completely unexpected? Go for an Italian margarita.

Amaretto

PREP TIME10 min

COOK TIME10 min

Watermelon Sorbet

YIELD1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups vodka
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a small saucepan bring sugar, water and brown sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Transfer to a 1-qt. glass jar. Add remaining ingredients; shake well. Cover and let stand for 1-3 days to allow flavors to blend.

Watermelon Smoothies

Pomegranate Margarita

Grapefruit Margarita

Cucumber Margarita

Blue Lagoon Margaritas

Watermelon Salsa

Frozen Margaritas

Cranberry Pomegranate Margaritas

Beer Margaritas

Apple Cider Margarita

Refreshing Beer Margaritas

WATERMELON MARGARITAS RECIPE PHOTO BY TASTE OF HOME

Watermelon Margarita

Total Time

Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Upgrade a classic lime margarita with this watermelon margarita recipe. The pretty, pink drink uses a sugared rim and blended watermelon to give the drink a sweet twist.

Hear us out. The watermelon margarita is the drink of summer. We know, we know, there are tons of tropical rum cocktails and Mexican drinks that transport you to the vacation mindset, but the watermelon marg is a sweet, frozen delight that’s hard to match. It’s not quite tart like a paloma, and it’s just a bit, well, more than a classic margarita with lime. Make a whole pitcher, and enjoy the pretty pink drink while you’re grilling skirt steak tacos and Mexican street corn.

Ingredients for a Watermelon Margarita

• Watermelon: Be sure to buy seedless watermelon for this recipe so you don’t have to spit out the seeds after each sip. You’ll need 8 cups of 1-inch cubes, so half of a large watermelon should be enough. Use any leftovers to cut into wedges for a cocktail garnish!
• Tequila: It wouldn’t be a marg without the tequila. Our watermelon margarita recipe is a fruit-forward cocktail, so opt for blanco tequila over the more golden añejo tequilas. Here are some of the best tequilas for margaritas.
• Triple Sec: You’ll see orange liqueur in most margarita recipes, and this one is no different. We offer some suggestions for swaps below if you don’t have a bottle on your bar cart.
• Lime juice: Still in line with a classic margarita, acidic lime juice balances the sweetness in our watermelon margarita recipe. Keep things fresh by squeezing the lime juice by hand instead of using the bottled store-bought juice.
• Directions

Step 1: Rim the glasses

Cut one lime into 12 wedges to reserve for garnishes. Cut the other lime into slices to moisten the rim of the cocktail glasses. Pour sugar into a dish, and dip the lime-moistened rims in the sugar.

Step 2: Blend the ingredients

Place half the watermelon (4 cups) in a blender, and process it until the cubes are pureed. It should yield about 3 cups of pureed watermelon.

Add half of the ice, tequila, Triple Sec and lime juice. If desired, add sugar to taste. Cover and process until blended.

Step 3: Serve

Serve the watermelon margaritas in rimmed glasses, and garnish with lime wedges. Once the blender is emptied, blend the other half of the ingredients, and serve.

Recipe Variations

• Put it on the rocks: Because watermelon can’t be juiced like a citrus, this cocktail will have a bit of texture to it from the blended flesh of the watermelon. If you prefer drinks with a smoother pour, blend the watermelon on its own, then pass it through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Then, pour the strained juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and the rest of the ingredients, and shake until chilled, about 20 seconds.
• Use a salt rim: The sugar rim keeps things sweet, but if you like a sprinkle of salt on your fresh watermelon slices, use a salt rim on watermelon margaritas for the same effect.
• Give it an herbal twist: Watermelon and basil pair so well together. Gently muddle a few fresh basil leaves in the bottom of the glass to release the oils, then pour the watermelon margarita over the leaves. Or make a basil-infused simple syrup to swap for the sugar. Use about 3 ounces, or more or less depending on the level of sweetness you prefer.

Can you store watermelon margaritas?

If you haven’t made the frozen version, yes. An on-the-rocks margarita will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, as long as there are no ice cubes in the glass or pitcher. We don’t recommend storing the frozen version of this drink because it will taste watered down.

Watermelon Margarita Tips

How do you make this a skinny watermelon margarita?

To cut the calories or refined sugars in this margarita, there are a couple changes you can make. Use fresh-squeezed, no-sugar-added orange juice instead of the orange liqueur, and skip the optional added sugar in the drink.

What can I use if I don’t have Triple Sec?

Triple Sec is an orange liqueur that can be replaced with any other brand of orange liqueur. Cointreau and Grand Marnier would be the next best swaps—just note that the different liqueurs vary in flavor, which will make the margarita take on sweeter or warmer tastes.

Watermelon Margarita

PREP TIME20 min

YIELD12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium limes
• 1/3 cup sugar, optional
• 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon (1 inch)
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 2 cups tequila
• 1 cup triple sec
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Directions

1. Cut 1 lime into 12 wedges; reserve for garnishes. If desired, coat the rim of each glass with sugar: Cut remaining lime into wedges. Using these wedges, moisten the rims of 12 margarita or cocktail glasses. Sprinkle sugar on a plate; hold each glass upside down and dip rim into sugar. Discard remaining sugar.
2. Place half the watermelon in a blender; cover and process until pureed (this should yield 3 cups). Add half each of the following: ice cubes, tequila, triple sec and lime juice. If desired, add sugar to taste. Cover and process until blended.
3. Serve in prepared glasses. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Garnish with reserved lime wedges.

Nutrition Facts

3/4 cup: 188 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 5mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 1g fiber), 0 protein.

Why is it called sex on the beach?

Cocktail lore tells us Ted Pizio, a bartender at Confetti Bar in Florida, created this iconic cocktail. Back in the mid-’80s, peach schnapps had recently been introduced to the market. Ted took up the challenge to sell as much of the liqueur as possible, creating a cocktail that combined peach schnapps with vodka, orange, cranberry and pineapple juice.

As for the grown up name?

Anticipating its popularity with spring breakers, Pizio christened it after the two reasons he believed tourists flocked to the area. Some cocktail historians note there are recipes of this very drink in cocktail books from the early 1980s, made by combining two other iconic drinks from the decade: the fuzzy navel and the Cape Codder.

Sex on the Beach Ingredients

• Peach schnapps: This peach-flavored liqueur adds a sweet, bright fruit flavor. Use peach puree or peach juice for a fresher, more modern take.
• Orange juice: Go freshly squeezed or reach for a carton of your favorite orange juice.
• Pineapple juice: Adding pineapple juice brings a vibrant, refreshing tropical twist.
• Vodka: No need for anything fancy here. Any good quality vodka brand works: You won’t really taste it over the fruit juice and schnapps, so no need to use top-shelf.
• Cranberry juice: The cranberry juice float gives this cocktail its sunset-esque look and provides a refreshing tartness to counterpoint the schnapps, orange juice and pineapple.
• Garnishes: Top your sex on the beach drink with a maraschino cherry and orange wedge for added color and vacation vibes.

Directions

Step 1: Build the cocktail

Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice. Pour in peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice and vodka. Stir well to combine. Top with cranberry juice and garnish.

Sex on the Beach Variations

• Make it frozen: Blend the ingredients with 1 cup of crushed ice for an effortless slushy take on the ’80s cocktail classic.
• Add coconut: Boost the tropical flavors by adding coconut liqueur, coconut rum or coconut-flavored vodka to the recipe.
• Use melon liqueur: Swap the peach schnapps for a melon liqueur like Midori.

Can you make sex on the beach cocktails ahead of time?

Mix up a pitcher of sex on the beach up to three days in advance or up to one day if using fresh fruit juices. Avoid pre-batching drinks with ice so you don’t have to worry about diluting the cocktail.

Sex on the Beach Tips

What’s the best glass to serve a sex on the beach?

As a long drink, the sex on the beach is served in a Collins or highball glass. Other types of cocktail glasses you can use are hurricane glasses (ideal for leaning into the tropical appeal) and Mason jars.

What can you serve with a sex on the beach?

Thanks to its fun, fruity profile, the sex on the beach is excellent with all things seafood: Shrimp cocktail, grilled tilapia and South Seas mango halibut.

Crab recipes like crab cakes, crab dip and crab rangoons are fabulous washed down with a sex on the beach thanks to crab meat’s subtle natural sweetness. Chicken is stellar, too, especially recipes with zesty bold marinades like jerk chicken or five-spice chicken wings. For another non-seafood option, you can’t go wrong with pulled pork sliders.

Sex on the Beach

PREP TIME5 min

YIELD1 serving

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• 1 ounce peach schnapps liqueur
• 1 ounce orange juice
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 1 ounce vodka
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• Orange slice and maraschino cherry

Directions

1. Fill Collins glass with ice. Top with peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice and vodka. Stir to combine; top with cranberry juice. Garnish with orange wedge and maraschino cherry.