Floridita Margarita
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 12.1% ABV ∙
The Floridita Margarita is a complex sour built on reposado tequila, triple sec, grapefruit, cranberry, and lime cordial, served in a salt-rimmed coupe. A tart grapefruit edge and soft red berry undertones lead the palate, while a barrel-aged agave warmth lingers through a crisp, salt-kissed finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with salt
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Tequila reposado 45 mlTriple sec 15 mlCranberry juice 15 mlLime cordial 10 mlPink grapefruit juice 45 mlLime juice 20 mlSugar syrup 15 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a lime wedge
Tips
- Salt only the outer rim of the coupe, not the inside, so each sip controls its own salinity.
- Taste before adding extra sugar syrup — cranberry juice and lime cordial already bring sweetness, so it's easy to oversweeten.
- Fine-strain firmly to keep pulp and ice shards out of the glass; with seven shaken ingredients, a loose strain clouds the pour.
History
The Floridita Margarita was created in 1999 by bar-industry consultants Robert Plotkin and Raymon Flores of BarMedia, who built it around Cointreau with fresh grapefruit and cranberry juice added alongside the tequila and lime for a Cosmopolitan-influenced, blush-colored variation. It's a documented riff on the classic Margarita, whose own origin remains unsettled, with several rival claimants across Mexico and the American Southwest dating back to the 1930s and 40s, and which cocktail historians link to the brandy Daisy family remade with tequila.
FAQ
What is in a Floridita Margarita?
Tequila reposado, triple sec, fresh lime juice, fresh pink grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, lime cordial, and sugar syrup, shaken with ice and fine-strained into a salt-rimmed coupe. The grapefruit and cranberry give it a fuller, fruitier profile than a standard Margarita's three core ingredients.
Is a Floridita Margarita shaken or stirred?
Shaken. With seven ingredients including fresh citrus, cranberry juice, and sugar syrup, a shake is needed to properly chill, dilute, and integrate everything before fine-straining up.
How strong is a Floridita Margarita?
About 12.1% ABV, noticeably lighter than a standard Margarita.
