The Mezcal Margarita swaps the tequila for mezcal. The lime, the orange liqueur, the salt all stay; what changes is everything — the roasted, smoky agave turns a bright, familiar drink into something deeper and wilder.
Same drink, same glass, a completely different evening.
Smoke in the Frame
The Margarita is one of the great cocktail frames — spirit, citrus, sweetener, salt. Mezcal's earthy woodsmoke fits that frame perfectly: the lime keeps it bright, the orange liqueur rounds it, and the smoke gives the whole thing a savoury, lingering depth.
All Mezcal, or a Split
A full pour of mezcal makes an assertively smoky Margarita. Splitting the base — half tequila, half mezcal — gives a gentler version where the smoke is a top note rather than the whole story. Both are common; neither is wrong.
A Chili-Salt Rim
Mezcal's savoury smoke invites a more interesting rim — chili salt, Tajín, or a worm-salt if you can find it. The faint heat and extra salt pick up the smoke and tie the drink together.
The Margarita Family
The benchmark — tequila, lime, and orange liqueur, shaken hard with a salted rim.
- 2 ozBlanco tequila
- 1 ozLime juice
- 3/4 ozTriple sec
Triple sec replaced with agave syrup — the Margarita as a pure expression of tequila.
- 2 ozBlanco tequila
- 1 ozLime juice
- 1/2 ozAgave syrup
Fresh jalapeño muddled in — heat that sharpens the lime and deepens the drink.
- 2 ozBlanco tequila
- 3/4 ozTriple sec
- 2–3 slicesJalapeño
Grand Marnier for the triple sec — the top-shelf Margarita, richer and deeper.
- 2 ozReposado tequila
- 3/4 ozGrand Marnier
- 3/4 ozLime juice