Coconut Margarita Recipe (On the Rocks)

Sweet coconut, fresh lime juice, and your favorite tequila blanco combine in this Coconut Margarita recipe on the rocks. It’s a creamy, tropical twist on the classic margarita that comes together in 5 minutes!

Margaritas are super refreshing cocktails, perfect for hot summer days and warm spring nights. This delicious coconut margarita recipe is a sweet take on one of my favorite cocktails. 

Ingredients

• Silver Tequila – Choose blanco tequila (also known as silver tequila or white tequila) for this recipe. I like Jose Cuervo or 1800 tequila as they’re nice mid-priced tequilas that blend well with the sweet flavors in this margarita. Pass on the gold tequila (reposado tequila). The aged oak flavors don’t work well as well with the sweet coconut and can overpower the freshness of the cocktail.
• Limes – Fresh lime juice is important here, so skip the bottle and squeeze fresh limes. You’ll need them for rimming your glass as well as garnishing your drinks. Plan on 1 lime per cocktail. 
• Simple Syrup – Easily made at home, mix up your simple syrup a few hours (or days) ahead of cocktail hour so it has time to completely cool in the refrigerator. You can substitute agave syrup in place of the simple syrup, if preferred. 
• Cream of Coconut – Make sure you use cream of coconut NOT coconut cream or coconut milk. It’s usually by the cocktail mixers at your local grocery store because it’s used in a piña colada and other sweet tropical drinks. Cream of coconut is sweetened and shakes up well in drinks. Coconut cream and coconut milk are not sweetened and neither work a substitution in this drink. 
• Orange Liqueur or Triple Sec – Any kind of orange liqueur will work here so choose your favorite. I prefer the flavor and color of Cointreau over Grand Marnier, but triple sec works well too.
• Coarse Salt and/or Raw Sugar – This is for the rim of your glass, so it’s totally optional but highly recommended. 

How to Make a Coconut Margarita (Step by Step)

Place salt and/or sugar on a small plate. Run a slice of lime around the rim of a glass.

Dip the glass into the salt mixture. Add ice cubes to the glass and set it aside. 

Making Homemade Simple Syrup 

Simple syrup is water and white sugar combined to make a liquid sweetener. It lasts in the refrigerator for weeks, making it easy to stir up days ahead of your happy hour. Get all the details on my simple syrup recipe page.

Looking to serve a large batch of coconut margs? Here’s what you need for 8 margaritas:

• 2 cups blanco tequila
• 1 cup cream of coconut
• 1 cup fresh lime juice (or quality bottled lime juice)
• 1/2 cup simple syrup
• 1/2 cup orange liqueur or triple sec
• 1/2 cup cold water

Measure all ingredients into a pitcher. Using a large whisk, stir vigorously to combine everything well. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve: Rim rocks glasses with sugar/salt. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Give the margarita mixture one more good whisk before pouring into individual glasses.

How to Garnish a Coconut Margarita

You probably noticed this coconut margarita recipe doesn’t call for coconut flakes or toasted coconut. Covering glass rims in coconut flakes is popular for this margarita, but I can’t stand it.

Why? Because I don’t like to chew my drink. And a salt rim adds a nice flavor dynamic alongside the sweet cream of coconut. So instead of a toasted coconut rim, I’m recommending a sugar or salt (or both!) rim for this cocktail along with a slice of fresh lime.