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This Cointreau Margarita Recipe is top notch! It is a delicious homemade margarita recipe made with only 4 ingredients and naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

Up close glass of Cointreau Margarita with a lime on the rim.

This margarita with cointreau has been the only margarita recipe that I have been making for the past year and a half.

It started as a recipe that my husband and I made during quarantine. Since then, I have made it for friends and family and everyone loves it.

It’s basically a classic margarita recipe, made with lime juice and silver tequila, but the flavor is enhanced by cointreau, which is an orange liqueur. It is then sweetened by maple syrup. Which tastes AMAZING. It is the best margarita recipe, if you ask me.

Why this recipe works

  • It is made with a handful of quality ingredients. Which results in better tasting margaritas.
  • It is a healthier margarita option. If you order a margarita at a bar or restaurant, there is often a lot of sugar inside, along with a margarita mix full of chemicals, preservatives, food coloring…etc. If you make it at home, you know exactly what is inside.
  • It is versatile. You can make it more or less sweet. Add jalapeños or watermelon.
  • It is the perfect margarita!

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients needed to make Cointreau Margaritas.
  • silver tequila
    • Silver tequila or tequila blanco is clear in color ( as opposed to gold tequila). It has a softer flavor, which goes better with margaritas.
    • Its important to use a good quality tequila or your favorite tequila. My personal favorite is Don Julio.
  • cointreau
    • Cointreau is an orange liqueur. It is a type of triple sec, and is known as being a higher quality orange liqueur.
  • lime juice– fresh lime juice is best, but you can also buy it already squeezed.
  • maple syrup– make sure it is pure maple syrup and not anything with corn syrup inside.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/Substitutions

(1) You can rim your cup with salt, or sugar, prior to filling it with your ice-cubes and cointreau margarita.

(2) Instead of maple syrup, you can make a honey syrup. You can make honey syrup by boiling water and adding honey to the hot water. I would melt 1 Tbs of honey into 1 Tbs of boiling water for one serving.

(3) You can use another orange liqueur instead of cointreau. You could even use orange juice.

(4) You can make your margarita “spicy” by adding jalapeños.

(5) Add fruit to your margarita! Watermelon and berries work well, just make sure to crush them a bit to get the juices out.

Aerial view of cointreau margarita.

How to make a margarita with cointreau

Step 1: Juice your limes.

Step 2: Add the lime juice, tequila, cointreau, and maple syrup to a cocktail shaker, along with a few ice-cubes, and shake well.

Step 3: Serve! Fill your serving cup with ice and pour the margarita on top.

Easy as that!

Recipe FAQS

Is triple sec and Cointreau the same thing?

Cointreau is a type of triple sec. It is an orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur made in France.

Can Cointreau replace triple sec in a margarita?

100%. I find that it has better flavor and quality than other triple secs.

What can I use if I don’t have Countreau?

You could try Grand Marnier or another orange flavored triple sec or liqueur.

Two glasses of Cointreau Margaritas with limes on the rim.

Other cocktails (or mocktails) you may enjoy:

This Fresh Paloma Cocktail with Honey Syrup is a wonderful grapefruit flavored and tequila cocktail that is perfect for summer!

This Virgin Margarita Mocktail from This Vivacious Life is a great virgin option for anyone in the mood for a margarita.

This Dairy-free White Russian is a delightful creamy kahlua flavored drink. Yum!

I’m all about these Healthy Homemade Strawberry Daiquiris. They are tart yet sweet and full of strawberry flavor!

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

4.82 from 22 votes

Cointreau Margarita Recipe

Servings: 1
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Cointreau Margarita Recipe | Perchance to Cook, www.perchancetocook.com
A delicious homemade margarita recipe made with only 4 ingredients and naturally sweetened with maple syrup!

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 ounces silver tequila, 1 shot
  • 3/4 ounce Cointreau, 1/2 shot
  • 1.5 ounces lime juice, 1 shot
  • 1 Tbs maple syrup

Instructions 

  • Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker along with a few ice cubes and shake. Fill your serving cup with ice and pour margarita mixture on top. Enjoy!

Notes

(1) You can rim your cup with salt, or sugar, prior to filling it with your ice-cubes and cointreau margarita.
(2) Instead of maple syrup, you can make a honey syrup. You can make honey syrup by boiling water and adding honey to the hot water. I would melt 1 Tbs of honey into 1 Tbs of boiling water for one serving.
(3) You can use another orange liqueur instead of cointreau. You could even use orange juice.
(4) You can make your margarita “spicy” by adding jalapeños.
(5) Add fruit to your margarita! Watermelon and berries work well, just make sure to crush them a bit to get the juices out.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @perchancetocook or tag #perchancetocook!
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