Ingredients
- 2 ozreposado tequila
- 1 ozgrand marnier
- 1 ozfresh lime juice
- ½ ozsimple syrup
- 🍋Lime wheel on rim.(garnish)
Instructions
- Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass and dip the rim into coarse salt to coat. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
- Combine the reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously for 15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty.
- Strain into the prepared rocks glass over fresh ice.
- For the traditional presentation, slowly pour an additional 0.25 oz of Grand Marnier over the back of a spoon to float it on top. Garnish with a lime wheel and serve immediately.
📜 History
The Cadillac Margarita takes its name from the American expression for a luxury upgrade — a margarita made with top-shelf ingredients rather than standard well spirits. Origins are disputed, with some accounts tracing the drink to the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, while others credit El Torito, a Southern California restaurant chain where founder Larry Cano is said to have developed a premium margarita in the mid-1980s. PUNCH Magazine documented El Torito's 1985 campaign promoting a high-end margarita served alongside a float of Grand Marnier, and the first published recipe attributing the name to that El Torito location appeared in the Montreal Gazette in 1987. What defines a Cadillac Margarita today is the use of premium reposado or añejo tequila in place of blanco, and Grand Marnier — a cognac-based orange liqueur — in place of standard triple sec. The cognac base in Grand Marnier adds vanilla, oak, and caramelized orange notes that distinguish the drink from a classic margarita.