National Margarita Day 2026 Is Here, Check Out These Drinks

Friends cheering with margarita cocktails during a garden party

National Margarita Day is just around the corner, and as I’ve written in this space previously, I usually think of the Margarita as a warm-weather drink. Well, it’s certainly not cool in every part of the world, so let’s get into checking out this year’s collection of cocktails for National Margarita Day.

This year, National Margarita Day falls on Sunday (February 22), and bars all across the nation are packing their weekend calendar with themed events, brunches, day parties, and more. I’m actually attending a few of these gatherings myself in the Washington Metropolitan area.

I tend to bounce between having Tommy’s Margarita version of the cocktail, which swaps out orange liqueur for agave nectar, or keeping things classic by leaving the orange liqueur. What I do tell anyone who makes the cocktial that one thing you shouldn’t skimp on is fresh juice. I would suggest that a margarita be made with a blanco tequila, although a reposado will get it done as well.

Although there isn’t much history around the day’s origins beyond being credited to one Todd McCalla, there is a lot of debate about the Margarita’s origins. We’ll save that discussion for another day.

For now, let’s get into some margs for National Margarita Day. We hope you find a new riff below among roundup.

As always, sip safely and sip surely.

—

Photo: Getty

Altos Blood Orange Margarita

Ingredients:

2 parts Altos Plata Tequila
1 part fresh blood orange juice
3/4 part freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 part agave nectar
Method:

Prepare a glass by gliding a lime wedge along the rim and dipping in sea salt, if desired. Add tequila, blood orange juice, lime juice, and agave nectar into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain over fresh ice and garnish with a blood orange slice or lime wheel.

Blood Orange Margarita

Ingredients
1.5 oz. Casamigos Blanco Tequila OR Casamigos Reposado Tequila
.75 oz. Fresh Blood Orange Juice
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz. Simple Syrup 
½ Rim Equal Parts Sugar/Salt/Tajín Mixture

Garnish: Garnish with Blood Orange Wheel

Instructions:
Wet ½ rim of glass with lime wheel or wedge and dip into salt mixture. Combine all ingredients into a tin shaker and muddle serrano. Add ice, shake vigorously and fine strain into a rimmed Rocks glass. Add fresh ice and garnish.

To make spicy add 2 Serrano Slices OR 2 dashes Firewater Bitters.

CAZADORES Avocado Margarita

Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. Tequila CAZADORES Blanco (Made with 100% Blue Weber Agave)
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz. Agave Syrup
1 Quarter of Avocado
1 Sprig of Cilantro
1 Slice of Roasted Jalapeño

Method: Muddle avocado, cilantro and jalapeño in a mixing glass. Add the rest of the ingredients with ice, then shake and serve over the rocks.

Código 1530 Reposado Cadillac Margarita:

2oz Código 1530 Reposado
1.5oz Orange Liqueur (Italicus)
1.5oz Fresh Lime Juice
0.5oz Agave Nectar
Coarse kosher salt

Method:

Shaken & served over large rock or over ice, Garnish with a lime wheel or dehydrated orange slice (optional). Wet the rim of a margarita glass with a lime wedge and roll it in salt to make your salt rim. Combine Código, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until cold. Strain and pour into your margarita glass over fresh ice.

DeSour Margarita

Ingredients:
1 oz DELEÓN Reposado
1 oz Lemon juice
0.5 oz Agave nectar
0.5 oz Red wine (float)
Glass: Rocks

Garnish: Dried orange wheel

Method:Add all ingredients into a shaker except the red wine. Fill with ice and shake for about 6 to 8 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add the red wine float and garnish.

Hibiscus Margarita

1.5 oz El Tequileño Platinum
2 oz sweetened hibiscus juice
0.5 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz agave syrup
Glassware: Rocks

Garnish: Hibiscus flower, dehydrated lime wheel

Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker over cubed ice. Shake until ice cold. Strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice, garnish.

Knox & Dobson

Knox & Dobson enters into the fast-growing RTD (ready-to-drink) market with seven classic cocktails, some which have won awards in various competitions. I haven’t tried this one yet but at the reasonable suggested price of $14.99, I’m on the lookout.

Learn more here.

LALO Daisy Margarita

Ingredients
1.5 oz LALO Tequila
.5 oz yellow Chartreuse
. 5 oz Raspberry syrup
1 oz lime juice

Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice.

Lagavulin Smoky Spicy Margarita

Ingredients:
1.25 oz Lagavulin 16YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky
0.5 oz Lime
0.5 oz Jalapeno Agave Syrup (see recipe below)
20 oz Agave syrup
5 oz hot water
3-6 Jalapenos depending on the desired spice level

Add 5 oz hot water to agave syrup and stir until combined. Add jalapenos and agave mix to a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve pressing on the solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Glassware: Rocks

Garnish: Tajin Rim, Lime Wheel

Method: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake for 8-10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Lyre’s Classic Margarita

Ingredients
1.5 oz Lyre’s Tequila Alternative
0.5 oz Lyre’s Orange Sec
1 oz lime juice
0.25 oz white sugar syrup (1:1)
1 dash orange bitters (optional)

Method
Half salt-rimmed cocktail coupette

Glass
Small stemless wine OR tulip glass

Garnish
Lime wedge

Margarita (PATRÓN)

Ingredients:
1.5 oz PATRÓN Silver
1 oz Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur
.75 oz Fresh lime juice
.25 oz Simple syrup
Lime wedge for garnish
Kosher salt (optional)

Method: Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice to chill. Strain onto fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime wedge. Optionally, salt half the rim of the glass with kosher salt.

Matcha Margarita

Ingredients:
2 oz Blanco tequila
1 oz Cointreau
0.75 oz Fresh lime juice
1 tsp Matcha Green Tea Powder

How-To:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned Glass/ Garnish with a lime slice.

Non-Alcoholic Margarita

Ingredients:
2 oz. Ritual Agave Spirit Alternative
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. agave nectar
Glassware: Rocks glass

Garnish: Salt rim

Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a rocks glass and garnish with a lime slice or wedge.

PATRÓN CRISTALINO Margarita

Ingredients
1.5 oz PATRÓN CRISTALINO – An additive-free tequila
0.5 oz Citrus Cordial
0.25 oz Agave Nectar
2 dashes Salt solution 4:1
Garnish: Charred Lemon Wedge

Method
Add all ingredients to a rocks glass over a block of ice. Garnish with flamed oils from a lemon peel, then discard. Ingredients can be pre-batched and frozen.

Princess Cruises’ 24K Gold Margarita

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Pantalones Tequila
.75 oz Cointreau
5 oz Margarita Mix
0.5 oz Grand Marnier

Salt (for rimming the glass)

Optional: lime wedge for garnish

Method:
Rim a margarita glass with salt. In a shaker, combine tequila, Cointreau, and margarita mix, then shake with ice and strain into the prepared glass. Top with a float of Grand Marnier, garnish with citrus, and enjoy.

Seedlip Margarita

Ingredients:
2 oz Seedlip Notas de Agave
1 tbsp Agave Syrup
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
Glassware: Rocks

Garnish: Salt Rim, Lime Wheel

Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain over ice, garnish with a lime wheel and half-rim of salt.

Spicy Manarita

2 oz. Teremana Reposado
.75 oz. Lime Juice
.5 oz. Agave Nectar
2 Jalapeño Slices (remove seeds)

Method: Muddle jalapeño in shaker. Add Teremana, Lime Juice & Agave Nectar. Shake with ice. Strain and serve over fresh ice.

Garnish: Garnish with a jalapeño slice.

Tequila Don Julio Margarita

Ingredients:
1.5oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
0.75oz Fresh Lime Juice
0.75oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1 Lime Wedge

Glass: Rocks Glass

Preparation:
Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fresh lime juice, simple syrup/agave nectar into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Vida Rita