10 Global Margarita Champion’s Recipes for the Perfect Cinco de Mayo Cocktail
History of the Margarita
Like all alcohol lore, the origin story for the Margarita is flowery, poetic—and maybe a little bit romanticized. As the legend goes, when Dallas socialite Margaret Sames tasked her bartender to whip up something for her thirsty guests to sip poolside and keep the fiesta going in full force. Obviously tequila was on hand; when he decided to shake it with lime juice and Cointreau, the French liqueur crafted with bitter and sweet orange peels that was all the rage at the time, a new cocktail was created that bore her nickname.
How Bartenders Reimagine a Classic
Seventy-five years later, the French brand celebrated this iconic libation by inviting bartenders from around the world to submit an original concoction whose recipe didn’t veer too far from the DNA of the Margarita yet showed off their individual flair and creativity. The catch? Ingredients and techniques had to be available in 1948 when the original Marg was shaken. In other words, yes to sous vide, which can be accomplished with a simmering water bath, but no to fancy molecular mixology parlor tricks like the rotary evaporator.
A Global Competition
The competition culminated in early April, when ten finalists from around the world convened at the Cointreau château in Angers, France to show off their winning drinks. I was asked to be a judge on the jury for this competition, along with Cointreau’s master distiller Carole Quinton, Rory J. Shepherd, former creative director of the Little Red Door in Paris, and last year’s winner, Jonathan Stanyard, owner of The Bitter Gringo Co. We listened to these amazingly talented bartenders share the inspiration behind their cocktails, watched as they measured, poured, mixed and garnished, and sipped to judge for flavor, balance, mouthfeel and authenticity. During another round, we judged how they created a drink on the fly with Cointreau, a pomelo distillate Quinton curated especially for the event and their choice of a table full of ingredients. It was tough work, indeed.
Throughout the course of the day and in conversations since, we gleaned the award-winning recipes and expert tips for the perfect Margarita from these global bar stars. And check Cointreau’s website on May 5, when the winners will officially be announced.
10 Perfect Margaritas
Cama de Fleurs
Recipe courtesy of Will Patton of Bresca and Jônt in Washington, D.C., winner of the Cointreau U.S. Margarita Challenge 2023
Using a saucy name that translates to “bed of flowers”, Patton updated the rum- and Cognac- based French cocktail “Between the Sheets” with regionally appropriate Mexican ingredients. “In the end, it is a seductive and simple Margarita that earned its name.” This drink stays firmly in the Margarita lane, while picking up enticing tropical notes and a hint of salinity from the Manzanilla.
Cama de Fleura photo credit Kelly Magyarics
1 ¼ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. blanco tequila
¾ oz. lime juice
¾ oz. Manzanilla Sherry
¾ oz. pineapple juice
Pinch of salt
¼ oz. toasted coconut honey (see Note)
Salt, for rimming
Wet half of the outside rim of a rocks glass with a lime wedge, coat in salt and set aside. Add the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
For the toasted coconut honey:
Add 4 oz. unsweetened coconut flakes to a pan on low heat, and stir until golden brown. Add ¼ cup coconut water and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat, cover and let it infuse for 15 minutes. Strain out the solids, add 5 ounces honey and stir until integrated.
La Sorpresa
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Billy Lai Him Choi of Quinary in Hong Kong, winner of the Cointreau Hong Kong Margarita Challenge 2023
Oft-used Mexican ingredients were the inspiration for Lai Him Choi’s Margarita—chili, pineapple, lime, tortillas and tequila—whose name means “the surprise” in Spanish. “Infusing hops flowers into tequila gives the drink a beer aroma and flavor,” he says. The whole idea was to make an orange-flavored pineapple beer.” At the competition, he served it to us with a charred bacon- topped tortilla chip.
La Sorpresa photo credit Kelly Magyarics
1 oz. Cointreau
½ oz. hops-infused tequila (see Note)
1 oz. fresh pineapple juice
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. agave syrup
Chili salt and orange peel, for garnish
Wet half of the outside rim of a coupe glass with a lime wedge, coat in chili salt and set aside. Add the first five ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass, and garnish with the orange peel.
For the hops-infused tequila:
Add ½ oz. of dried hops flowers (available on amazon.com) to 20 oz. of Don Julio Blanco tequila in a glass bottle. Chill it in ice water for 2 hours, then strain out the solids using a coffee filter.
Orange Orange
Orange Orange photo credit Kelly Magyarics
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Laura Arrieta of Alquimico in Cartagena, winner of the Cointreau Colombia Margaria Challenge 2023
Arrieta’s drink was meant “to explore all the flavors and textures an orange can offer,” including the iconic liqueur, a milk punch with Campari and orange juice, and an orange salt rim. She even served us a creamy, luscious piece of orange cheesecake on the side, garnished with flecks of citrus peel.
1 oz. Cointreau
1 ½ oz. orange juice and Campari milk punch (see Note)
½ oz. blanco tequila
½ oz. lime juice
Orange salt for garnish
Wet half of the outside rim of a tumbler with a lime wedge, coat in orange salt and set aside. Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass.
For the orange juice and Campari milk punch:
Add ½ oz. Campari, 2 oz. fresh orange juice, ½ oz. lime juice and ¼ oz. of rich simple syrup (2:1 ratio of sugar to water) into a container. Mix it well and slowly add ¾ oz. whole milk. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator, then strain out solids with a super bag or a cheesecloth.
Dewy’s Lagerita
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Lize Rombaut of Bar Ran in Brugge, winner of the Cointreau Belgium Margarita Challenge 2023
Rombaut was influenced by time spent living in Southeast Asia for this libation, which includes a syrup infused with typical regional ingredients tamarind, galangal and coriander. A splash of Indonesian pilsner adds refreshing effervescence and gives another nod to her former home.
Dewy's Lagerita photo credit Kelly Magyarics
1 ½ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. tequila
½ oz. Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch
1 oz. lime juice
1 ½ oz. tamarind galangal coriander chili syrup (see Note)
Chilled pilsner, to top (Rombaut uses Bintang from Indonesia)
Cilantro and simple syrup, for garnish
Remove 2 whole cilantro leaves from their stems, and using a drop or two of simple syrup, attach them to the outside of a rocks glass; set glass aside. Add the first five ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared rocks glass over fresh ice, and top with a splash of pilsner.
For the tamarind galangal coriander chili syrup:
Add ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add 2 oz. peeled tamarind pods, 1 inch peeled, chopped galangal, 2 tbsp. Chopped coriander (cilantro) and 1 red chili pod. Infuse for 1 hour or until desired flavor is achieved, the strain out solids.
Fragaria
Fragaria photo credit Kelly Magyarics
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Alex Holmes of Tabula Rasa in Leeds, winner of the Cointreau United Kingdom Margarita Challenge 2023.
Thoughts of a summer barbecue stirred Holmes to create a drink that recreates it in drink form, with mezcal lending a meaty note and lacto-fermented strawberries offering sweetness and tang. “Strawberries ripen at the beginning of summer in the UK; in fact the moon that marks the first day of summer is called the Strawberry Moon,” he says. For a simplified home version, he recommends mixing strawberries, salt and water in a jar for a week, or using muddled strawberries and a pinch of salt. A cotton candy garnish provides a whimsical touch.
1 oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. blanco tequila
½ oz. joven mezcal
½ oz. coconut cream (like Coco Lopez)
½ oz. lacto-fermented strawberries (see Note), or muddled strawberries and a dash of salt
2 dashes strawberry vinegar (or white vinegar)
Pink cotton candy, for garnish
Add the first six ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass, and garnish with the cotton candy on a skewer, attached to the glass with a tiny clothespin.
For the lacto-fermented strawberries (simplified version):
Combine 7 oz. chopped strawberries and 1 ¾ oz. salt in a jar. Cover with water, seal and let set for a week. Strain out solids.
Florerita
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Osmari Corredor from Mimi Kakushi in Dubai, winner of the Cointreau United Arab Emirates Margarita Challenge 2023
Florerita photo credit Kelly Magyarics
“Florerita is inspired by those moments in cocktail bars where bartenders with simple ingredients and a lot of creativity managed to create drinks that have lasted over time, such as the Margarita,” Corredor says. It’s also a nod to the fascinating differences between women of the world. As she puts it, “we all have different characters, flavors and aromas.”
1 oz. Cointreau
½ oz. tequila
¾ oz. lemon
½ oz. honey
Salt, for garnish
Edible flower, for garnish
Wet the outside of a rocks glass with a citrus wedge, coat in salt and set aside. Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared cocktail glass over fresh ice, and garnish with an edible flower.
Acapulco Flor
Acapulco Flor photo credit Kelly Magyarics
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Leighton Rathbone of Gigi Rooftop at The Gorgeous George Hotel in Cape Town, winner of the Cointreau South Africa Margarita Challenge 2023
The Margarita meets the New York Sour in this creative riff. However, instead of a float of red wine, Rathbone creates a booze version of agua de Jamaica—a hibiscus tea infusion he read about on Atlas Obscura—that macerates the shockingly-hued petals in Chardonnay. He prefers a fruity unwooded New World expression to create the infusion, so the hibiscus flowers won’t compete with the oak.
1 ½ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. Jose Cuervo Tradicional Plata tequila
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. chilled hibiscus-infused Chardonnay (see Note)
Add the first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a wine glass or goblet. Slowly pour in the wine so that it settles on the bottom.
For the hibiscus-infused Chardonnay:
Add half a handful of dried hibiscus flowers and 1 ½ oz. of agave syrup to one 750ml bottle of New World, unoaked Chardonnay. Let infuse for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then strain out the solids.
Margatic
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Theobald Lanteri Minet of Origins in Cognac, winner of the Cointreau France Margarita Challenge 2023.
In his original creation, Lanteri Minet used all French ingredients, including Pineau des Charentes, vin de liqueur from the Cognac region and “a salty solution based on the salinity of the ocean that separates us,” (aka him and Ms. Margaret Sames.) He even used French Duralex glassware to show off his proudly Gallic cocktail. Bows FIBA is a French distillate made from prickly pears, but he says blanco tequila is an appropriate and more readily available substitute.
Margatic photo credit Kelly Magyarics
¾ oz. Cointreau
½ oz. Pineau des Charentes
¾ oz. Bows FIBA (can substitute blanco tequila)
½ oz. Verjus
½ oz. Atlantic solution (3 oz. of water mixed with ¾ tsp. salt)
Add all ingredients to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled tumbler. Read more about Pineau des Charentes.
A Margarita on the Sidecar photo credit Kelly Magyarics
A Margarita on the Sidecar
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Alessandro Cuomo of The Doping Bar in Milan, winner of the Cointreau Italy Margarita Challenge 2023
Cuomo mashes up two classics in his concoction, which gets some depth from the bitters and a touch of salty sweetness from the caramel syrup. To clarify the orange juice, pour it through a coffee filter to remove the pulp.
¾ oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
1 oz. clarified blood orange juice
½ oz. salted caramel syrup (Torani or Monin)
2 drops chocolate bitters (Fee Brothers or Bittermens)
Salt, for rimming
Wet the half of the outside rim of a Nick and Nora glass with an orange or lime wedge, coat in salt and set aside. Add all other ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass.
Mysterious East Margarita
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau and Lola Liu of Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou, winner of the Cointreau China Margarita Challenge 2023
Mysterious East Margarita photo credit Kelly Magyarics
Admittedly a bit ambitious for the home cocktailian, Liu’s heady and elegant tipple is like a Martini Margarita love child. “I wanted to create a cocktail that has multiple layers and is as complex as a nice perfume.” Agarwood and jasmine are common ingredients in fragrances, and five different peppercorns provide spice that hits different ways. Although it contains no lime or lemon juice, she says the combination of “all these ingredients make this Margarita a three dimensional citrus explosion.” She adapted the recipe to make it a bit more manageable to recreate at home.
¾ oz. Cointreau infused with jasmine tea (see Note)
2 oz. Mysterious East-spiced Patron Reposado tequila (see Note)
¾ oz. mixed peppercorn cordial (see Note)
¾ oz. verjus
Salt mixed with ground peppercorns, for rimming
Wet half of the outside rim of a Nick and Nora glass with a citrus wedge, coat in the salt and set aside. Add all ingredients to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass.
For the Cointreau infused with jasmine tea:
Combine 5 oz. Cointreau with 1 tsp. Loose leaf jasmine tea (Liu uses Basao). Let steep for 2 hours and strain out solids.
For the Mysterious East-spiced Patron Reposado tequila
Combine 6 oz. Patron Reposado tequila with 2 tsp. fresh green peppercorns, ½ tsp. Sichuan peppercorns and 1 tsp. agarwood (available on amazon.com). Let steep for a few days, or until desired flavor is achieved. Strain out solids.
For the mixed peppercorn cordial:
Combine 4 ½ oz. water, ⅔ cup sugar, dash salt, ¾ tsp. Malic acid powder, and 4 tsp. mixed peppercorns. Steep for 1 or 2 days, or until desired flavor is achieved. Strain out solids, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.