Our easy Whiskey Margarita recipe is a riff on the classic Mexican cocktail, where sweet American bourbon replaces tequila.
Also known as a Kentucky Margarita, this thirst quenching cocktail is easy to make at home, shaken together with bourbon, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and agave syrup.
Serve in a rocks glass with a salt rim and garnish with a fresh slice, wedge or wheel of lime!
Save this story to Pinterest!
What Is A Bourbon Whiskey Margarita?
A margarita is a popular Mexican cocktail consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some margarita recipes include simple syrup as well and are often served with salt on the rim of the glass. Margaritas can either be served shaken with ice, without ice, or blended with ice.
The margarita is one of the world’s most popular cocktails and without a doubt the most popular tequila-based drinks.
This Whiskey Margarita is a refreshing craft cocktail that we love to serve in the summer on a hot summer day as it’s so refreshing.
Our spin on the classic Mexican cocktail simply substitutes tequila for bourbon whiskey.
Serve Bourbon Margaritas garnished with a lime wheel for a refreshing sip on a patio or at your next backyard barbecue.
You May Also Enjoy These Margarita Recipes….
- Perfect Patron Margarita Cocktail
- Tommy’s Margarita Cocktail
- Thanksgiving Margarita Cocktail
- Spicy Mezcal Margarita Jalapeño Cocktail
- 1800 Tequila Margarita Cocktail
- Vodka Margarita Cocktail
- Rum Margarita Cocktail
- Gin Margarita Cocktail
- Raspberry Chambord Margarita Cocktail
Best Bourbon For A Whiskey Margarita
An American whiskey, bourbon is made from sweet corn.
In fact, to be called bourbon whiskey, the spirit needs to be made from at least 51% corn, aged in a new oak barrel and produced in America. It has no minimum aging period and needs to be bottled at 80 proof or more.
Popular Bourbon brands include Ezra Brooks, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Evan Williams, Larceny, and Elijah Craig.
Kentucky Bourbon Margarita Ingredients
Our Whiskey Margarita recipe is quick & easy to make, always prepared with quality ingredients:
- Bourbon: we tested this recipe with Evan Williams, Larceny and Yellowstone bourbon.
- Orange Liqueur: flavour the bourbon with sweet orange using Cointreau or Triple Sec.
- Lime Juice: always use fresh lime juice instead of citrus concentrate as it is off putting and overly tart.
- Agave Syrup: sweeten the cocktail using this natural Mexican organic sweetener.
- Garnish: decorate the rocks glass with a salt rim and slice, wedge or wheel of lime.
How To Make A Whiskey Margarita
- Run a slice of lime around the edge of a cocktail glass and dip into salt to create an attractive rim.
- In an ice filled cocktail shaker add bourbon whiskey, orange liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake for 30-45 seconds until cold.
- Strain into an ice filled salt rimmed glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cocktail Recipe Tips
This Whisky Margarita recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes.
It’s best to prepare this cocktail with bourbon but it also works well with Scotch, Irish whiskey or Canadian rye.
The recipe below serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug.
If you don’t have access to agave syrup substitute with simple syrup, maple syrup, ginger syrup or honey.
Store the Bourbon and Cointreau bottle in your freezer so when guests arrive it is well chilled.
Serve the drink in a handsome rocks glass, similar to what you’d use for an Old Fashioned.
We like to garnish the glass with a salt rim and a freshly sliced lime slice, wedge or wheel.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Bourbon Whiskey Margarita party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Enjoy These Whiskey Cocktails…
- Bourbon Blackberry Bramble Cocktail
- Apple Cider Bourbon Mule Cocktail
- Irish Mule Ginger Beer Whiskey Cocktail
- Whiskey and Coke Cocktail
- Whiskey and Sprite Cocktail
- Holiday Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail
- Wheat Beer and Whiskey Cocktail
- Ginger Whiskey Pear Cocktail
- Iced Irish Coffee Cocktail
- Blueberry Buck Whiskey Cocktail
- Berry Lemonade Summer Whiskey Cocktail
- Fresh Whisky Orange Juice Cocktail
- Classic Scotch Old Fashioned Cocktail
- Whiskey and Ginger Ale Cocktail
- Perfect Rob Roy Scotch Manhattan Cocktail
- Whiskey and Ginger Beer Cocktail
- Irish Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail
- Bushmills Cocktail Irish Whiskey and Apple Juice
How To Make The Best Whiskey Margarita Recipe
Bourbon Whiskey Margarita Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Glass
- Jigger
- Ice
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Bourbon Whiskey
- 3/4 oz Orange Liqueur
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- 1 oz Simple Syrup or Agave Syrup
- Salt Rim
- Lime Wheel garnish
Instructions
- Run a slice of lime around the edge of a cocktail glass and dip into salt to create an attractive rim.
- In an ice filled cocktail shaker add bourbon whiskey, orange liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake for 30-45 seconds until cold.
- Strain into an ice filled salt rimmed glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
