The mezcal margarita recipe
for your table
Rub the outside of half the glass rim with a lime wedge and dip only that part in coarse salt, optionally mixed with ground chili. Hold the glass at an angle so the inside stays clean.
Put the mezcal, lime juice, and agave syrup or triple sec into a shaker and fill it two-thirds full with ice.
Shake vigorously for ten to fifteen seconds, until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted.
Strain the cocktail into the pre-chilled glass without pouring the ice from the shaker into it, and place a lime wheel on the unsalted side.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you’d like to add something, we’ll review it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the mezcal margarita recipe to your own email so you have it handy when you’re ready to make it. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code on orders from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
Mezcal and tequila both come from agave, but tequila is made only from blue agave, while mezcal can be made from a whole range of agave species. The difference you taste is mainly in the preparation: for mezcal, the hearts of the plant are cooked in a pit in the ground over hot stones and wood, and that smoke infuses the juice extracted later. You notice it immediately in a margarita. The recipe does not change, but the drink does: where tequila remains peppery and vegetal, a layer of smoke now comes over it, making the acidity and salt land differently.
The right glass
A margarita glass has a wide, shallow bowl, and that is exactly what you need when working with a rim: you can never neatly coat a narrow opening with salt. The wide bowl also lets you smell the mezcal's smoke before you drink, and that is half the story here. If you prefer to serve it without a rim and with a cleaner look, a stemmed glass works just as well; take a look at our cocktail glasses.
Royal Leerdam Cocktail Margarita glass 30 cl (4 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Ypsilon Margarita glass 33 cl (2 pieces)
Both sets together € 42,90.
The right tools
For a mezcal margarita, in addition to the glass, you use a shaker, a jigger for precise measuring and a glass rimmer for the half salt rim. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 71,80.
What do you use to make a mezcal margarita?
For a mezcal margarita, you need mezcal, a spirit distilled from agave, just like tequila. Well-known agave bottles include Don Julio and Patrón. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, how it tastes, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Replace the agave syrup with triple sec and you will be closer to the classic margarita, with more orange and slightly less depth. Leave out the liqueur entirely and use only agave syrup, and you have the structure of the Tommy's Margarita, with mezcal in the starring role here. An extra half bar spoon of agave syrup better supports a robustly smoky bottle, and those who want more heat can mix ground chili or sal de gusano into the salt on the rim. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Put the glass in the freezer half an hour in advance and make the half-salted rim only once the glass is cold; the salt will adhere better. Pour the margarita into the glass without the ice from the shaker, so it does not dilute further, and place the lime wheel on the unsalted side.
Good to know
Why a half-salted rim
A fully salted rim determines every sip for you, and that works against a mezcal margarita: the salt intensifies the smoke and can bring it so far forward that little of the agave and lime remains. So cover only half the rim. If you turn the glass in your hand so you drink from the unsalted side, you taste the drink neat; turn it around, and you get the salt as well. This way, you can choose with each sip and do not have to decide beforehand.
Salt with ground chili or sal de gusano
Coarse sea salt is the base, but in Mexico something is often mixed into it. A teaspoon of ground chili per two tablespoons of salt gives a dry heat that lingers at the back of the throat and pairs well with the smoke. Sal de gusano is the best-known version: a mixture of salt, dried chili and the ground larva that lives in the agave plant. It sounds more intense than it tastes; it mainly adds a savory, earthy note. Make the mixture in advance and store it dry, so it does not clump on the rim.
Agave syrup versus triple sec
Agave syrup only brings sweetness and a little of the plant itself, so the mezcal remains undisturbed in the starring role. Triple sec also brings orange and alcohol: the drink becomes fuller and rounder, but the smoke gains a rival. If you want the mezcal to speak for itself, choose agave syrup. If you want a margarita that feels familiar, go for triple sec. You can also combine them, using, for example, half a centiliter of each, although the result will be sweeter.
Which mezcal works best here
Espadín is the agave used to make by far the most mezcal, and a smooth espadín is a better choice here than a very smoky bottle. In a margarita, the smoke doesn't stand alone, but combines with acidity and salt, and the three enhance one another. A bottle that is already intensely smoky on its own will overpower everything else in this ratio. If you're unsure, first taste a small sip neat: if it tastes mainly of fire and tar, use less and top it up with tequila.
The Tommy's version without liqueur
In a Tommy's Margarita, agave syrup completely replaces the orange liqueur, leaving just three things in the glass: agave distillate, lime juice, and agave syrup. With mezcal, this is a logical step, because the liqueur is precisely the component that counteracts the smokiness. In that case, use 5 cl mezcal, 2.5 cl lime juice, and 2 cl agave syrup, making it slightly sweeter than in the main recipe. A salt rim is not standard in this version, so taste it without one first.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into a mezcal margarita?
A mezcal margarita contains 5 cl mezcal, 2.5 cl fresh lime juice, and 1.5 cl agave syrup or triple sec. Shake it with ice, strain it into a margarita glass with a half salt rim, and garnish with a lime wheel.
What is the difference between mezcal and tequila?
Tequila is made only from blue agave, while mezcal can be made from a whole range of agave varieties. The biggest difference in flavor comes from the preparation: the agave hearts for mezcal are cooked in a pit in the ground over wood and hot stones, which gives the drink a smoky character.
Why make only a half salt rim?
Because salt enhances the mezcal's smokiness. With a half rim, you choose with each sip whether to include salt by rotating the glass, instead of every sip tasting the same.
What glass do you serve a mezcal margarita in?
In a margarita glass with a wide, shallow bowl, because only there can you neatly coat the rim and smell the smoke before you drink. See our margarita glasses for suitable models.
Also delicious
Everything for your bar,
at one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered as a set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →