Types of Margaritas: A Guide to Every Style

The types of margaritas are the variations on one cocktail: tequila, orange liqueur and fresh lime juice. Each type changes one part of that formula, such as the sweetener, the spirit, the fruit or the way it is served.

The main types are the classic, Tommy's, Cadillac, skinny, frozen, spicy, mezcal and fruit margaritas. Others include the blue margarita, sunrise and sunset versions, the beergarita and zero-proof margaritas. Most bars, including Mi Casa's margarita menu in Breckenridge, pour several of them.

This guide explains what makes a drink a margarita, compares every style in one table, then gives each style a short section. It closes with how to choose a style and answers to common questions.

What Makes a Drink a Margarita?

A margarita is a cocktail of tequila, triple sec or another orange liqueur, and lime juice, sometimes with simple syrup. It can be served on the rocks, straight up or frozen, often with a salt rim.

Those three parts are the margarita's frame. A style stays a margarita as long as it keeps the core idea: an agave spirit, lime and a sweet element in balance. Change the spirit to vodka and you have a different drink, the kamikaze. Replace the orange liqueur with grapefruit soda and you have a paloma.

The tequila matters in every style. Knowing the tequila aging categories helps you predict how a margarita will taste: unaged blanco keeps it bright, and oak-rested reposado makes it rounder.

Margarita Styles at a Glance

• Classic: Nothing: tequila, orange liqueur, lime (taste: Bright, tart, balanced; best for: First-timers and purists)
• Tommy's: Agave syrup replaces orange liqueur (taste: Agave-forward, clean; best for: Tequila lovers)
• Cadillac: Grand Marnier and often reposado tequila (taste: Rich, orange, smooth; best for: A premium treat)
• Skinny: Little or no liqueur or syrup, more lime (taste: Dry, sharp; best for: Less sugar)
• Frozen: Blended with ice (taste: Slushy, mild, cold; best for: Hot days, parties)
• Spicy: Fresh chile or chile bitters (taste: Tart with heat; best for: Heat seekers)
• Mezcal: Mezcal replaces some or all tequila (taste: Smoky, earthy; best for: Adventurous drinkers)
• Fruit: Fruit purée or juice added (taste: Sweet, fruity; best for: Sweeter tastes)
• Blue: Blue curaçao replaces triple sec (taste: Orange, sweet, bright blue; best for: Fun and color)
• Sunrise and sunset: Orange or pomegranate juice (taste: Fruity, layered; best for: Brunch and color)
• Beergarita: Light beer poured in (taste: Fizzy, lighter; best for: Casual drinking)
• Zero-proof: Non-alcoholic spirit or no spirit (taste: Tart, refreshing; best for: Anyone not drinking)

Classic Margarita

The classic margarita is the original style: tequila, orange liqueur and fresh lime juice, shaken and served with a salt rim. The International Bartenders Association sets its ratio at 10 parts tequila, 4 parts triple sec and 3 parts lime.

Most home bartenders use a simpler 2:1:1 ratio. Every other style on this list is measured against it. For amounts, the salt rim and a pitcher version, follow our step-by-step classic margarita recipe.

Tommy's Margarita

A Tommy's margarita replaces the orange liqueur with agave syrup. Julio Bermejo created it in 1990 at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.

Bermejo used agave nectar to bring out the agave flavor of the tequila, instead of the orange notes of triple sec. The standard recipe is 60 ml of 100% agave tequila, 30 ml of fresh lime juice and 30 ml of agave syrup made with half water and half agave nectar. It is shaken and served over ice in a rocks glass.

Because nothing competes with the tequila, a Tommy's shows off a good bottle. Pick a 100% agave blanco.

Cadillac Margarita

A Cadillac margarita is a classic made with Grand Marnier as the orange liqueur. The name signals a top-shelf drink.

Recipes vary, but most pair Grand Marnier with a premium tequila, often a reposado. Reposado rests in oak for at least two months, which adds vanilla and oak notes that match the richer liqueur.

The result is smoother, sweeter and richer than a classic, with more orange flavor. If you want to try it at home, our list of top-shelf tequila picks is a good starting point.

Skinny Margarita

A skinny margarita cuts the sugar by using little or no orange liqueur or syrup and more fresh citrus. The style was popularized in 2008 by Bethenny Frankel, whose recipe used 1.5 ounces of premium tequila, four squeezed limes and a splash of Cointreau.

Bars now make skinny margaritas many ways. Some use only tequila, lime and a touch of agave. Others add sparkling water or fresh orange juice for body.

Expect a drier, sharper drink. It has fewer sugar calories, but the alcohol, which also carries calories, stays the same.

Frozen Margarita

A frozen margarita is blended with ice into a slush instead of being shaken. Albert Hernandez Sr. reportedly blended one in La Jolla, California, in 1947.

The frozen margarita machine came later. In 1971, Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez adapted a soft-serve ice cream machine to make frozen margaritas quickly and consistently. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History acquired his original machine in 2005.

Frozen margaritas taste milder because cold dulls sweetness and flavor. Good ones add a little extra syrup or fruit to compensate. They are usually served in a large margarita glass, often in fruit flavors.

Spicy Margarita

A spicy margarita adds heat, usually from fresh jalapeño or serrano peppers or from chili bitters. The style grew popular in the early 21st century.

There are three common ways to add heat.

1. Muddle: crush 2 or 3 chile slices in the shaker before adding ice.
2. Infuse: soak sliced chiles in tequila for a few hours, then strain. This gives steady, even heat.
3. Rim: use a chile-salt rim instead of plain salt for heat on the lips only.

Start with less chile than you think you need. You can add heat, but you cannot take it out.

Mezcal Margarita

A mezcal margarita, sometimes called a mezcalita, uses mezcal in place of some or all of the tequila. The swap gives the drink a smoky, earthy flavor.

Mezcal is a spirit made from any type of agave, and about 90% of it comes from Oaxaca. Its smoke comes from roasting agave hearts in underground pit ovens. Tequila is technically a type of mezcal made only from blue agave. To learn more about this smoky agave spirit called mezcal, see our full guide.

If smoke is new to you, start with a split base: 1 ounce of tequila and 1 ounce of mezcal. Fruit such as mango or pineapple balances the smoke well.

Fruit Margaritas

A fruit margarita adds fruit purée, juice or fresh fruit to the classic. Strawberry, mango, watermelon, pineapple, peach and prickly pear are popular choices.

Fruit margaritas can be shaken or frozen. Shaken versions use about 1 ounce of purée per drink. Frozen versions blend whole fruit with ice.

Fruit brings its own sugar, so reduce the syrup or orange liqueur to keep the drink from turning sweet. A pinch of salt or a chile rim helps balance very sweet fruit.

Blue Margarita

A blue margarita swaps triple sec for blue curaçao, an orange liqueur colored bright blue. It tastes much like a classic but slightly sweeter.

The blue margarita is mostly about looks. It can be shaken or blended like any other style.

Sunrise and Sunset Margaritas

Sunrise and sunset margaritas are layered drinks. They add orange juice and pomegranate juice to the classic margarita.

Pour the margarita over ice, then add the darker juice slowly so it sinks and forms layers, like a tequila sunrise. The fruit softens the tartness and makes the drink look like a sky at dawn or dusk.

Beergarita

A beergarita, also called a Coronarita, is a margarita on the rocks with a light beer poured in. A common version pours a bottle of Corona into the glass.

The beer adds fizz and stretches the drink, making it lighter and less tart. Use a crisp Mexican lager.

Margarita Relatives: Paloma, Picador and Kamikaze

Some drinks share the margarita's frame but are not called margaritas.

• Paloma: tequila and lime with grapefruit soda in place of orange liqueur. It is lighter and fizzier than a margarita. For more simple drinks built on tequila mixers like grapefruit soda, see our mixer guide.
• Picador: a drink in the 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book with the same tequila, triple sec and lime proportions as a margarita. It is one of the strongest clues to the margarita's early history.
• Kamikaze: a margarita made with vodka instead of tequila.

The name "margarita" is Spanish for "daisy," and historian David Wondrich links the drink to an older cocktail, the brandy daisy. For the full history, see our post on the February margarita holiday.

Non-Alcoholic Margarita

A non-alcoholic margarita, or zero-proof margarita, keeps the lime, salt and sweetness but drops the alcohol. Some versions use a non-alcoholic tequila alternative. Others use lime, orange juice, agave and sparkling water.

A good zero-proof margarita still tastes tart and refreshing. It lets non-drinkers, drivers and anyone taking a break join the toast.

How to Choose a Margarita Style

Pick a style by what you like in a drink.

• You like tequila: order a Tommy's or a classic with a 100% agave blanco.
• You like rich and smooth: order a Cadillac.
• You like dry and less sweet: order a skinny margarita.
• You like heat: order a spicy margarita.
• You like smoke: order a mezcal margarita.
• You like sweet and fruity: order a frozen or fruit margarita.
• You are not drinking: order a zero-proof margarita.

Food helps you choose too. Spicy and mezcal margaritas suit grilled meat. Fruit and frozen styles cool down chile-heavy plates. For ideas, browse these traditional Mexican dishes to pair with your drink.

Whatever you order, drink responsibly. A margarita with 2 ounces of 80-proof tequila holds more than one US standard drink, which is 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most popular types of margaritas?

The best-known types are the classic, frozen, spicy, Tommy's and fruit margaritas such as strawberry and mango. The classic is the standard that other styles are measured against.

What is the difference between a Cadillac margarita and a regular margarita?

A Cadillac margarita uses Grand Marnier instead of triple sec, usually with a premium tequila such as a reposado. It tastes richer and smoother, with more orange flavor than a regular margarita.

What is a Tommy's margarita?

A Tommy's margarita is tequila, fresh lime juice and agave syrup, with no orange liqueur. Julio Bermejo created it in 1990 at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.

Is a skinny margarita healthier?

A skinny margarita has less sugar because it uses little or no orange liqueur or syrup. It holds the same amount of alcohol as a regular margarita made with the same pour of tequila.

What is a margarita made with mezcal called?

A margarita made with mezcal is usually called a mezcal margarita or a mezcalita. It tastes smoky because mezcal's agave is roasted in underground pit ovens.

What is the difference between a margarita and a paloma?

A margarita uses tequila, lime and orange liqueur. A paloma uses tequila and lime with grapefruit soda, making it lighter, fizzier and less sweet.

Margarita Styles on the Mi Casa Menu

At Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Breckenridge, our margarita menu covers most of the styles in this guide, all made with fresh-squeezed lime instead of premade mix. The Classic is Tierra Zafiro silver, triple sec and lime, and The Natural is a Tommy's-style drink with El Jimador silver and organic agave. The Spicy Natural adds serrano-infused tequila and Ancho Reyes Verde, the Mango Mezcalita is our mezcal and fruit style, and the Mi Casa Margarita, with Casamigos reposado and Grand Marnier, is our Cadillac. We also pour a seasonal margarita and a zero-proof margarita made with Mock One non-alcoholic tequila. See the full Breckenridge bar and tequila list, or come in for our margarita happy hour deals, daily from 2 to 5 pm in the cantina.