The Cadillac Margarita is a great way to treat yourself, and you don’t have to be on a white sand beach to enjoy one!

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What is a Cadillac Margarita?

The Cadillac Margarita is made with the best ingredients available, making it a luxury cocktail. It’s named after the Cadillac, a premium automobile that was the symbol of luxury at that time.

As with any cocktail, the origin of the Cadillac Margarita is highly debated with many claiming to be the mastermind behind this signature cocktail. Many people believe the drink originated with the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico in 1947, becoming an instant hit which catapulted the bar into opening multiple locations in Texas, Georgia, and New York.

A Gold Cadillac Margarita was being served as early as 1968 by the Carousel Cantina in Cincinnati, OH and in 1979, the Cadillac Margarita was featured in Playboy’s Bartenders Guide although it was not the same recipe we know today.

Although we may not know who invented this-high end cocktail, we know that it represents the finest things in life and should be enjoyed as such.

 

Choosing your Tequila

Because we are making a Cadillac margarita, we want to choose a high quality or aged tequila.

If you really want to treat yourself, you can choose a top shelf tequila brand like Don Julio, Patron, Casa Azul, Codigo or Casamigos. We really enjoy the refined flavor of Casamigos for our Cadillac Margarita, a clean finish with a subtle hint of lime, floral notes with a touch of vanilla.

If you don’t want to break the bank with a $50+ bottle of tequila, you can choose a brand like Cazadores, Milagro, Espolon, Altos (reposado) or Hornitos Cristalino.

Hornitos Cristalino is one of our personal favorites. An añejo tequila that has been aged and filtered to remove the color. Extremely well balanced and is one of the best tequilas you can find in that price point.

 

Cointreau or Triple Sec? What is Gran Marnier?

Cointreau and Gran Marnier are both name brand liqueur, only one company makes Cointreau, only one company makes Gran Marnier. Triple sec is a type of orange liqueur made by many different companies.

Cointreau is made from sweet and bitter orange peels and beet sugar alcohol. It has a crisp, smooth orange flavor. Gran Marnier, made with distilled bitter orange essence, offers an amazing addition of cognac brandy giving it a caramel color and a more complex flavor profile. Triple sec originated in France and is a drier style of orange liqueur.

If you want a high-end, traditional Cadillac margarita, Cointreau is the way to go. If you want a more economical option, triple-sec works great as well. Gran Marnier is served on the side to add to your cocktail, or it is floated on top.

Want to stray from the norm and try something authentically Mexican? Controy is an orange liqueur first distilled in Mexico in 1933 and has just recently become available in the US. You can also add an herbal twist to your margarita with Damania, an herbal based liqueur made from the damiana plant which is only found in Baja California. With claims that Damania is an aphrodisiac, the bottle really speaks for itself.

 

Mary’s Margarita Mix

Take the hassle out of making the perfect margarita. Rated “Best Margarita You Can Buy” by Purewow.com, we only use the highest quality ingredients including Organic Blue Agave. We start with lime for the base flavor. Since straight lime can be extremely bitter, we add key lime for a little sweetness and floral notes. Next, we add a little tangerine juice to naturally curb the acidic bite while still maintaining the citrus profile. We finish it off with calamansi which gives it a slightly tart, pucker finish that resembles authentic margaritas of Mexico. The tangerine is what lends Mary’s Margarita Mix to fit perfectly with a Cadillac Margarita and allows us to use less cane sugar than most brands on the market. The sweetness of the Organic Blue Agave mixes perfectly with tequila.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE A CADILLAC MARGARITA:

Prep your workspace:

You will need a shaker filled with ice, a measuring/shot glass, a few wedges of lime, and a glass of your choosing. We decided to use a rocks glass.

 

Step #1:

Gather your ingredients; Tequila, Cointreau, Gran Marnier, Mary’s Margarita Mix, lime wedges, and margarita salt.

 

Step #2:

Take a lime wedge and run it along the rim of the glass, turn the glass over and gently press the rim into the margarita salt. Add ice to the glass and set aside.

 

Step #3:

Measure out 1-2 oz of the tequila of your choice, 1 oz of Cointreau or triple sec and 3 oz of Mary’s Margarita Mix.

 

Step #4

Add all ingredients to shaker.

 

Step #5:

Shake until chilled, about 30 seconds should do it. Pour contents into your prepared glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

 

Step #6:

Serve Cadillac Margarita with the shot of Gran Marnier on the side.

 

Step #7:

Slowly pour Gran Marnier into your cocktail.

 

Step #8:

Enjoy!

 

Try this recipe with one of our other mixers!

Mary’s Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita Mix

Mary’s Strawberry Margarita Mix

Mary’s Dark Cherry Pomegranate Mix