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A Nerd Cooks » Cocktails » Margaritas

Golden Margarita

Jan 26, 2022 by Lauren Pacek · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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You only need a handful of ingredients to make this refreshing Golden Margarita (sometimes called a Grand Marnier Margarita). The combination of top shelf liquor and fresh lime juice will ensure that you never want to touch a bottled marg mix again.

Looking for more margarita recipes? Try my Pineapple Margarita and Cadillac Margarita!

2 golden margaritas on a pink and green tile background
Jump to:
  • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • 💭 What is a Golden Margarita?
  • 📝 Ingredients
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Golden Margarita
  • 🔗 Other Margarita and Tequila/Mezcal Recipes
  • ❓ Frequently Asked Questions
  • 🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!
  • ✨ Recipe
  • 📌 Pin this recipe for later!

🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's made with top shelf liquor. High quality alcohol makes for a high quality beverage.
It's easy to make. All you need to do is shake up some ingredients and strain them into a glass with ice!
It tastes great. This margarita is sweet, tart, and completely delicious.

💭 What is a Golden Margarita?

A Golden Margarita--sometimes also called a Grand Marnier Margarita--is a delicious, refreshing, and golden-hued rocks margarita. All of the ingredients are fresh and top shelf. These cocktails are smooth, with sweet and sour flavors in perfect balance.

Please trust me when I tell you that it is so easy to make a truly fantastic margarita at home, all without even thinking about touching a bottle of pre-made margarita mix. Seriously, step away from the mix and give this drink a try. You'll never go back.

📝 Ingredients

One of the beautiful things about the recipe is that you really only need a handful of very good ingredients. You'll need:

  • Reposado tequila: Reposado tequila (or tequila reposado, more accurately) is tequila that has been rested and aged in oak barrels for 2-12 months, giving it a golden color ("reposado" means "rested" in Spanish). The golden color of the tequila is what gives this cocktail its signature golden hue. In addition to the different color, aged tequila has a smoother flavor profile than silver (or blanco) tequila, which is bottled directly after being distilled.
  • Grand Marnier liqueur: If you want to call this a Grand Marnier Margarita, you gotta use Grand Marnier. Cointreau or triple sec will also get the job done, if you happen to have either of those on hand. However, the flavor won't be quite the same.
  • Simple syrup or agave nectar: Either of these sweeteners would be a welcome addition to this margarita. No matter what you use, it's important that you choose something with a relatively neutral flavor so as not to overpower the flavors of the liquors. For instance, I probably wouldn't go with a flavored simple syrup. It's also important to go with a liquid sweetener, like simple or agave. That will ensure that the sweetener can be incorporated seamlessly into the drink. Granulated sugar, for instance, would make for a gritty margarita.
  • Lime juice: Freshly squeezed, please. It really does make a big difference in terms of flavor.
  • Kosher salt: You gotta have some kosher salt on the rim of your margarita, right? Right.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Golden Margarita

Like I said above, it is very easy to whip up one (or more) of these refreshing margaritas.

You'll start by rimming your glass of choice with kosher salt and carefully adding some ice to your glass. You don't want to dislodge the salt!

Next, ice, tequila, orange liqueur, freshly squeezed lime juice, and simple syrup (or agave nectar) will get shaken up in a cocktail shaker.

After that, you'll strain your cocktail into the prepared glass and garnish it all with a wedge of lime, if you're feeling fancy (you know that you are).

And that's it. You can totally do this. The little bit of effort that it requires is WAY worth the reward of sipping a fabulous, homemade, top shelf margarita.

2 golden margaritas on a pink and green tile background

🔗 Other Margarita and Tequila/Mezcal Recipes

Looking for other margarita and tequila recipes? Because you know I've got 'em. I even have some that use tequila/mezcal that aren't margaritas. Peep some of them below.

  • two short glasses rimmed with sugar and salt, full of white christmas margarita.
    White Christmas Margarita
  • two mexican candy shots in shot glasses.
    Mexican Candy Shot
  • a black margarita in a halloween wine glass.
    Black Magic Margarita
  • two short glasses filled with blood orange margaritas
    Blood Orange Margarita
  • a pitcher of margaritas
    Margarita Pitcher Recipe
  • two glasses of italian margaritas, rimmed with sugar
    Italian Margarita
  • 45 degree angle view of 2 glasses of pineapple margaritas
    Pineapple Margarita
  • a mason jar filled with silver tequila and sliced jalapeños
    Jalapeño Tequila

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different kind of tequila?

Sure! Just know that if you aren't using gold tequila, you won't be drinking a golden margarita.

Do I *need* to use Grand Marnier?

It is definitely the preferred orange liqueur, but you can also sub in some Cointreau or triple sec. However, just like for the tequila question above, if you don't use Grand Marnier, you can't technically call this a Grand Marnier Margarita.

Can I batch this recipe?

Sure! Just scale the ingredients up based on the number of drinks that you want to make!

3 golden margaritas on a pink and green tile background

🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!

✨ Recipe

2 golden margaritas on a pink and green tile background

Golden Margarita

Lauren Pacek
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this refreshing Golden Margarita (sometimes called a Grand Marnier Margarita).
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Additional Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 2 minutes mins
Course Margaritas
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 1
Calories 375 kcal

Equipment

  • Cocktail jigger
  • Boston shaker
  • Hawthorne strainer
  • Rocks glasses

Ingredients
  

  • kosher salt
  • 1.5 ounces reposado tequila
  • 1.5 ounces Grand Marnier liqueur see notes
  • 1.5 ounces lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 ounce simple simple syrup or agave nectar
  • lime wedge for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Run a wedge of lime around the rim of your glass. Spread about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt onto a small plate or shallow bowl. Dip the juice-moistened rim of the glass into the salt, creating a salt rim.
  • Add ice to the glass and set aside.
  • Add a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Add reposado tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup. Seal the shaker and shake until very cold.
  • Strain the margarita into the prepared glass.
  • Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

Notes

  • You can use another kind of orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or triple sec, if that's what you have on hand.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 1gSodium: 321mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40g

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

📌 Pin this recipe for later!

pinterest pin for golden margaritas

More Delicious Margarita Recipes

  • three margaritas on a dark wooden background, a dish of lime wedges in the left rear
    Cadillac Margarita
  • two glasses of cranberry margaritas
    Cranberry Margarita
  • Grilled Mezcal Margarita | A Nerd Cooks
    Mezcal Margaritas
  • Cara Cara Orange Margaritas | A Nerd Cooks
    Orange Margaritas

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Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at A Nerd Cooks. I'm a 30-something wife, mom, and scientist with a passion for mixing cocktails, brewing buzzy coffee drinks, and making other delicious beverages at home.

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