Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt for rim
- 1½ ounces tequila
- 1½ ounces coconut milk
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce cream of coconut
- ¼ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, coconut milk, lime juice, cream of coconut, and orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into prepared over fresh ice.
- Garnish with lime wheel.
Variations and Substitutions
If you want more of a coconut flavor punch or want to tweak some flavors, you have plenty of options to choose from.
- For a more pronounced coconut flavor, use coconut tequila to punch it up.
- Play around with proportions of coconut milk and cream of coconut, changing it by a quarter ounce at a time.
- Add extra lime juice to up the citrus and sour flavors.
- Include agave, honey, or simple syrup for a sweeter flavor.
- Skip the cream of coconut for less coconut flavor and overall sweetness.
- Try out añejo or reposado instead of silver tequila.
- Substituting mezcal for silver tequila makes for a smokey coconut flavor.
Garnishes
Just because the recipe calls for a lime wheel garnish and salt rim doesn't mean you need to follow the rules.
- Skip the salt rim in favor of a coconut or sugar rim.
- Use a lime wedge or slice instead of a wheel.
- Likewise, use a lemon or orange wheel, wedge, or slice instead of a lime.
- Consider a lemon, orange, or lime peel, twist, or ribbon.
- A dehydrated wheel or slice on its own, with a ribbon, or side by side with a fresh citrus wheel makes for an eccentric look.
- Try to stay away from pineapple as the drink can be mistaken for a piña colada.
About the Coconut Margarita
The classic margarita and piña colada both rocketed in popularity around the same time in the 1940s and 50s, although their stories originated in separate countries. In North America, tequila was still heavily on the American radar after Prohibition, when the spirit was easily obtained from across the border in Mexico. In Puerto Rico, the piña colada was the hottest drink on the island after first being served in 1954.
Eventually, the cocktails crossed paths. The coconut margarita is a happy medium between a classic margarita and a piña colada; however, there's no sure way of knowing if someone first added tequila to a piña colada or the two collided in a cocktail shaker until the coconut margarita emerged. Whatever the truth, the coconut margarita is a tasty tropical cocktail.
Put a Lime and Tequila in the Coconut
The coconut margarita is a great way to enjoy those refreshing coconut flavors without having to choose between the notes of a piña colada or the tart flavor of a margarita, without ever having to pick one. If only the rest of life was this easy.
