
I have come to the recent conclusion that margaritas are my “happy” drinks.
Wine is my relax-and-feel-just-a-little-bit-classy drink. Beer is my kick-back-with-friends-and-have-a-good-time drink. Bourbon is my sip-and-savor-and-talk-about-real-stuff drink. Scotch is my feel-like-a-grownup(-and-the-peatier-the-better) drink. Piña coladas are my ultra-cheesy-but-gotta-order-one-each-time-I’m-on-a-beach drink. And the list goes on…
But margaritas?
I’m convinced it’s nearly impossible to have a well-made margarita sitting in front of you and not have a good time. Maybe it’s due to those cute salted rims that totally remind me of confetti. Maybe it’s due to that brilliant mix of sweet and sour and salty flavors, mixed with tequila. (¡Tequila!) Maybe it’s due to the fact that margaritas almost always mean that chips and salsa are nearby. (Always a good thing.)
Whatever the reason, margaritas just make me happy. And as much as I will truly-madly-deeply love my classic margarita recipe, I still love experimenting regularly with other new flavors. My obsession this winter?
Grapefruit margaritas.

My food-blogging friend, Kathryne, has always sworn that grapefruit is the magical fruit that works well in just about any cocktail. And after putting her theory to the test over this past winter, I think that she’s right. And I must say that I think it pairs exceptionally well with tequila in a good, fresh, homemade margarita.
The ingredients you’ll need to make one for yourself are simple:
- tequila (any kind will do, but most margs are made with blanco)
- orange liqueur (such as Cointreau, which I totally forgot to photograph – oops!)
- agave nectar (to sweeten)
- fresh grapefruit juice (or you can use store-bought juice if fresh ones aren’t in season, see below*)
- fresh lime juice (I don’t drink margaritas without it!)

Just juice the fruit, and stir everything together…

…and then you can either give it a good shake with some ice in a shaker, and/or just serve it over the rocks.
The sweetness is totally up to you on these. I generally prefer my margaritas a little tart, and especially love them so with the flavors of the fresh grapefruit juice. But feel free to just add in more/less agave to taste.

I would just recommend going ahead and juicing enough fruit for at least a double batch, because these guys are tasty, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to want seconds. ;)
Cheers, everyone!
Grapefruit Margarita

Ingredients
- 2 ounces freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila, silver or reposado
- 3/4 ounce Cointreau (or any orange liqueur)
- 3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
- agave nectar for sweetening, to taste
- ice
- optional: lime wedge and salt for rimming the glass
Instructions
- If you would like salt-rimmed glasses, begin by running a lime wedge (the juicy part) around the top rim of a glass. Fill a shallow bowl with salt, and dip the rim in the salt until it is covered with your desired amount of salt. Set aside.
- Add grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice and Cointreau to a cocktail shaker, and shake or stir until combined. Taste, and if you would like it to be sweeter (most people do!), stir in a half teaspoon of agave, and then repeat as needed until the mix reaches your desired level of sweetness.
- Fill glass with ice. Pour in the margarita mixture over the rocks. Serve immediately, garnished with an extra lime or grapefruit wedge if desired.




Hey the reason they make you happy is because Tequila is the only ‘upper’ alcohol and all the others are ‘downers’ You can feel it right? Thanks for the recipe I think this is the greatest cocktail because I feel like grapefruits are an upper fruit as well! Plus they’re soo healthy xx
excellent- would have never thought of using grapefruit juice- but love the tartness!! thank you, my new favorite!!!!!
grape cocktail is great. also I enjoy put lemon,passion fruit and sprite together. what a wonderful drink.
I love taking juice and am looking forward to preparing this recipe for my entire home Thanks for this post
I love your tips. My mother and I are going to try together. thanks
These looked and sounded so good, that I decided to make one. Two. I ran out of triple sec, and I already had to wing the grapefruit juice ( Simply Grapefruit) lime juice ( used True Lime) and agave syrup ( sugar) but the two I had on the fly were delicious! I will get the real stuff when I go to the super mercado!
We’re glad you were still able to make these work, Leigh! :)
Bring on the booze. Gonna try this with patron silver that’s pretty much the only tequila we drink in LA.
Awesome Jessica — we hope you love these!
These are beautiful! Great job, Ali. Margarita season is back and I can’t wait to try a grapefruit flavored one :)
Thank you Haley! :) We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Thanks for recipe!
I will try after work with my boyfriend!
I hope that’s easy. =D
You’re welcome — we hope you both enjoy these! :)
HECK YES! These look amazing. I just bought a juicer the other day, can’t wait to try these!
Thanks Erin! We hope you enjoy them! :)