9 Insider Tips for Making Restaurant-Quality Margaritas According to a Chili’s Expert

One of the most iconic cocktails, ubiquitous for its refreshing flavors, citrusy punch, and versatility, is the classic margarita. Typically made with tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur, its simple nature lends itself to endless riffs and variations. Whether served on the rocks or blended, with a salt or sugar rim, spicy or fruity flavor, margaritas are the perfect canvas for innovation and honing your bartending skills.

Although the origins of margaritas are unclear, the drink is rumored to have been created in the late 1930s to early 1940s. One tale recounts a bartender making a drink for a patron who had a tequila allergy, in an attempt to mellow out the alcohol’s pungency. Another story speaks of a socialite named Margarita, who served the drink at one of her parties. Although the origins have become murky over the years, one thing is certain: a beloved cocktail was born.

The classic margarita has become a globally renowned cocktail, gracing the lips of cocktail lovers from around the world. Its bright, vibrant citrus notes, subtle sweetness, and balanced profile make it a perfect drink for summer. Although margaritas seem straightforward, there are simple steps that can help elevate them from a kitchen table cocktail to a restaurant-quality masterpiece.

We reached out to top experts in the margarita industry to give you the best tips on making restaurant-quality margaritas. Chili’s, the American casual dining restaurant chain, sold over 25 million margaritas in 2024 alone. We contacted Chili’s bartender Jackie Baggs, who has nearly 20 years of experience under her belt. We also spoke to Andrea Langus, director of beverages at Brinker International, a leading casual dining restaurant company that owns Chili’s.

You’ve likely heard of the iconic James Bond line, “Shaken, not stirred.” Although Bond was making this preparation request in regard to his martini, this is a solid rule when it comes to making margaritas. “I think the whole hand-shaking thing is the most important thing when you’re making a margarita,” says Jackie Baggs. For Chili’s margaritas, Baggs says she typically gives the cocktail about eight to 10 shakes. For some drinks, they are even shaken until they reach the customer’s table. If you are making margaritas at home, you don’t need to shake them for that long if you don’t want to. A pro tip is to shake at least until your shaker feels cold. “We shake it, but at home, you can shake less,” says Baggs. Andrea Langus adds, “You want to feel that metal get really cold, almost like you can’t hold it anymore. You’re really agitating the ice. You’re agitating the drinks to get mixed and to get that ice broken up.”

For cocktails, whether they are meant to be shaken or stirred is typically based on their composition. For drinks that include only alcohol-based ingredients, stirring is recommended, but for drinks with non-alcoholic ingredients, like citrus juice, shaking is ideal. Margaritas have a lot of lime juice, which makes shaking the optimal choice. Shaking allows the ingredients to incorporate together properly, the cocktail to get nice and cold, and for bits of air to mix into the drink. Aeration helps give the cocktail a smooth, silky texture and a bit of frothiness on the surface. During the shaking process, bits of ice chip off and break into smaller bits, which then melt. This not only helps to cool the drink, but also dilutes it. “Shaking it over ice will just make it feel fresher. The ingredients won’t sit; you kind of get that agitation from the ice, and the ice melt goes into it, and just kind of makes it feel a little more fresh,” explains Langus. For margaritas, which have powerful flavors from citrus, tequila, and liqueur, this little bit of melted ice helps to mellow out the cocktail and make it more palatable.

One of the most classic visual signifiers of a margarita is a seasoned rim. Whether it’s the traditional salt rim, a sweet sugar rim, or even a spicy Tajin rim, if you see someone at the bar drinking a cocktail with seasoning on the lip of the glass, chances are they are enjoying a margarita. A rimmed cocktail may seem like something you’d only get at a restaurant or cocktail bar, but it’s actually a really simple process for those who want to step up their cocktail game at home. The key to a perfect rim is making sure the seasoning properly sticks to the edge of the glass.

For Chili’s margaritas, Jackie Baggs uses lime juice as the adhesive to create that perfect flavored edge. For those who don’t have squeezed lime juice at the ready, a wedge of lime can do just the trick. “At home, you can even just take this lime and rim the glass with it and then stick it right into the salt or the sugar if you don’t have the actual lime juice,” suggests Baggs. If you happen to have a handful of limes available, she explains that you can squeeze them into a dish and “stick the top of the glass in and then stick it right onto the salt.”

Whether you are dipping the glass directly into lime juice and then salt, or using a wedge to coat the edge before dipping, both are effective ways of adding an extra pop to your margarita. That extra step not only adds an elevated flair to the drink’s presentation, but it also contributes to the overall flavor profile of the drink itself. Salt enhances the sweet, sour notes in a margarita while also weakening the bite of the alcohol. Sugar works well by providing a sweet contrast to the tangy citrus.

When it comes to serving up the perfect margarita, there are a lot of different techniques out there. Some chill their glassware and serve without ice. Others shake and pour, ice and all. As for Jackie Baggs, she suggests shaking the margarita on ice, straining it, and pouring it into a glass that is pre-filled with fresh ice. She says that this method makes a big difference in the final margarita. “I think you can absolutely taste the difference, and it actually looks different sometimes,” notes Baggs. “It makes a difference in appearance and a difference in taste.” Aeration from shaking can change the appearance of a margarita, since foam can occasionally form on the surface of the drink upon pouring.

To serve a margarita on the rocks, straining is necessary. After shaking a margarita with ice, those ice cubes break apart and melt slightly, which chills the liquid and slightly dilutes it. The strainer helps prevent those bits of semi-melted ice from making their way into the cocktail glass. Straining also helps prevent any additional larger bits of ingredients, like muddled fruit or purees, from going into the drink. “Depending on what kind of margarita you’re making,” says Baggs, “like if you were adding blackberries or anything like that, it’ll kind of keep those particles out.” Serving the cocktail on a fresh bed of ice not only keeps the drink cold, it slows down the rate of dilution, since the liquid itself is still chilled from the shaker, and the ice cubes still have a large surface area, slowing the melt rate.

If you’ve ever been to a bar and seen the bartender lift a nozzled bottle of liquor into the air and bring it back down, causing a long, thin stream of alcohol to descend into the shaker, that’s a free pour. Free pouring cocktails that taste the same each time takes a steady hand and an eye for consistency that requires years of practice. Luckily, jiggers exist, and they get rid of all of that guesswork and unpredictability. When it comes to making uniform cocktails, Andrea Langus explains that, “for consistency, and for making sure everything’s in balance, the jiggers really help.”

A jigger is a type of bar tool that is used for measuring and pouring alcohol. Also called a double jigger, since there are two shot glass-like cups on either end, this tool typically has both 1½-ounce measurements and 1-ounce measurements. When making a margarita, having the right balance of tequila, lime juice, agave, and orange liqueur is crucial. Using a jigger allows you to follow a recipe’s measurements to a tee, or to help you find the right balance when developing your own recipes. If you’re experimenting with your cocktails and trying out different combinations, Jackie Baggs suggests, “write out what you’re putting in, what exactly you’re measuring in, so it’s the same every time when you perfect a recipe.” Jiggers help with this because you can control the ratios for each drink, and taste the differences until you find the one that works best for you.

One of the most fundamental elements of a balanced margarita is the inclusion of citrus. A margarita is simple at its core, with minimal components, so quality ingredients can make all the difference. In terms of citrus, recipes vary. You’ll find margarita recipes that use sour mixes, others that use fresh lime juice, and some that use bottled.

If you want to really liven up your drink, Jackie Baggs notes that fresh citrus can give your margarita a little pop of flavor. “If you’re having company over,” says Baggs, “I would definitely cut up some fresh limes and do a little squeeze on top.” If you happen to have both bottled juice and limes on hand, you can mix and match. “I would personally like fresh better, but you can also cut it in half, too. You could do half of your bottle and squeeze a bunch of limes in, and you have a sour mix,” explains Baggs. A sour mix typically incorporates lemon and lime juice, sugar, and water. If you’ve ever come across what is labeled as “margarita mix” at the grocery store, it is quite similar to sour mix, except it uses all or mostly lime juice. These premade mixes tend to have artificial flavors or preservatives and often tip towards being overly sweet, but if you’re in a pinch, they’d suffice. However, if you are looking for the best quality of flavors possible, using fresh limes is the way to go.

One of the best parts about getting a drink at a restaurant or bar is the presentation. There’s just something about a fancy cocktail, the way the glassware looks, that crystal clear ice, the little garnishes that seem so perfectly curated to the drink. When making a cocktail at home, sometimes you want that extra something that brings it from just a drink in a glass to a restaurant-quality experience. Garnishes can do just the trick. A simple way to elevate a margarita, both in flavor and appearance, is to add fresh citrus garnishes.

For one margarita at Chili’s, Jackie Baggs squeezes a lime into the drink and adds a fresh lime on top. “We squeeze a lime in. And then discard the limes, and then add a lime on top.” If you happen to have oranges on hand, orange slices can be a great garnish, since margaritas include orange liqueur. For citrus garnishes, wedges and slices are great, but if you want to go the extra mile, there are endless possibilities with the peels. If you have a vegetable peeler, there are a variety of twists that can be made. You can even smoke the peel, which would pair well with smoky drinks like a mezcal margarita.

If you enjoy hosting parties, or like to get into the holiday spirit, making themed garnishes for your cocktails is another fun way to spice things up. “Swizzles, stick bites, or any type of garnish can go with your theme,” suggests Andrea Langus, “and you can get stuff from the grocery store or Amazon.” Many large and local retailers sell different swizzle sticks and small decorations at an affordable price to add to the festivities.

Garnishes are a great way to elevate your drink to new heights, but it’s important not to forget about the flavors of the cocktail itself. Margaritas are incredibly versatile. You can adjust nearly any component on the ingredient list. Switch a blanco tequila for mezcal to give your drink a smoky layer. Blend your margarita with ice for the perfect summer sipper. Swap out limes for other citrus, like blood orange or grapefruit. You can muddle fresh fruits or add fruit purees. Herbs like cilantro or basil can add extra flavor. A popular variation is to go for a spicy margarita. Muddling jalapeños or shaking the ingredients with a few chili slices thrown in will give the final cocktail a chili kick.

For those who appreciate carbonation, adding soda water or beer can add a refreshing twist to a classic margarita. According to Andrea Langus, “certain beers go great with margaritas, and adding that in gives you the fizziness, but it also adds a flavor element.” One popular margarita with beer, called a Coronita, calls for a bottle of Corona, which is a light Mexican beer, poured into a glass filled with a margarita. Light Mexican lagers work best with margaritas because of their refreshing, light flavor profile.

There are multiple types of tequila, with the most common being blanco, reposado, and añejo. Tequila is a distilled beverage made from agave. The variations of tequila are often categorized by their aging processes. Blanco, also known as silver or plata tequila, has minimal aging. It is typically clear in coloration and aged for up to 60 days. Reposado, or rested tequila, is aged in oak barrels for at least two months and up to a year. The oak barrels infuse woody, nutty notes into the liquor and give it a golden hue. Añejo tequila is aged for a minimum of three years in wooden casks, which imparts deep, powerful flavors. 

While a classic margarita is great, sometimes you want to spice things up and try out a new variation. Blanco tequila serves as the perfect canvas for new flavors, since it has a bright, refreshing profile that won’t overpower or conflict with other ingredients. “It’s clear, it’s usually clean,” notes Andrea Langus, who says it’s “best for mixing with margaritas and with flavors.”

For margaritas, there’s often a lot of talk on the type of tequila used, what sort of sweetener, if any, and whether fresh or store-bought citrus is best. However, orange liqueur is an indispensable component of a margarita, and which liqueur you use makes a difference. A go-to classic, affordable margarita usually uses a budget-friendly blanco tequila, some lime juice, and likely triple sec for the orange liqueur.

Triple sec is an orange-flavored liqueur with an alcohol content that ranges from around 20% to 40%. Bottles can sell for under $10, making it an affordable option to have in your home bar. However, you wouldn’t drink it on its own. Its sole purpose is to amplify its surrounding ingredients. Cointreau is a brand of triple sec, but its alcohol content is on the highest end of the range, at 40%. Cointreau is more intense in flavor than a typical triple sec and incorporates both sweet and bitter orange peels. Grand Marnier, another type of liqueur, also has 40% alcohol content, but only uses bitter orange peels, is aged, and includes Cognac. Cointreau and Grand Marnier run at a higher price point than a typical triple sec, but they have a more developed flavor profile.

When making a margarita, if using a more expensive brand of tequila, it’s worth it to level up the orange liqueur as well. Those stronger, more developed orange notes add a clean, clear flavor profile that complements those stronger tequilas like reposados. At Chili’s, the CasaMigos Marg uses a reposado tequila and pairs it with a more premium orange liqueur, Cointreau. Resposado tequila is an aged tequila, and Andrea Langus explains that as you age, it is important to keep those flavors in front of you, so a stronger liquor like Cointreau works as a great balance.