Pink, fruity, fresh and super smooth — this raspberry orange margarita is a celebration in a glass. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo, Valentine’s Day, a summer cookout, or any night you want a colorful, flavorful cocktail.
Hello!
Margaritas are one of our absolute favorite warm-weather drinks. Whenever we visit my parents in Florida each spring, we celebrate the first warm evening with margaritas — they even have everything ready so a drink is in our hands as soon as we arrive. Those warm memories inspired a pink, fruity margarita perfect for Valentine’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, taco night, girls’ night, guys’ night — or really any evening you want a fun cocktail.
I mixed up a batch with homemade raspberry syrup, fresh citrus, tequila and orange liqueur, gave it a shake, and wrote the recipe down after the first sip. It’s easy, bright, and wonderfully balanced.
When to enjoy a pink margarita?
- Valentine’s Day
- Cinco de Mayo
- Taco Night
- Girl’s Night
- Guy’s Night
- Any Night You Want a Fun Drink!
What do you need?
- Raspberries & sugar — equal amounts by weight to make the syrup.
- Lime — one juicy lime for two drinks.
- Orange — one medium orange for two drinks.
- Tequila & orange liqueur — use a 100% agave blanco tequila and your favorite orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Grand Marnier work well).
How to make this
Combine raspberry syrup with orange and lime juice, add tequila and orange liqueur, shake with ice, and serve over the rocks in sugar-rimmed glasses.
- Make the raspberry syrup by heating raspberries and sugar until they break down and the sugar dissolves; then strain.
- Juice a lime and an orange.
- In a shaker combine syrup, juices, tequila, and liqueur with ice; shake well.
- Serve over ice in sugar-rimmed glasses and garnish as desired.
1. Make the syrup
This recipe uses a raspberry syrup instead of plain simple syrup. Use a 1:1 ratio by weight of raspberries to sugar. Cook the raspberries first to release their juices, add the sugar, and continue to gently heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes syrupy. Strain to remove seeds.
Frozen raspberries work great — they’re often more economical and already softened by freezing, which makes the syrup even easier to prepare. You can store the strained syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
2. Make the drink
Once the syrup is ready the cocktail comes together quickly. Add the syrup, the juice of one lime and one orange, tequila, and orange liqueur to a shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into two ice-filled glasses. Rim the glasses with coarse sugar if you like and garnish with orange slices, lime wedges, or fresh raspberries.
Tip: Cara Cara oranges are lovely for garnish and flavor. While their flesh is reddish, the juice is orange — so expect orange-colored juice even from pink-fleshed varieties.
Cocktail Shaker
A glass shaker with a metal top is handy — you can see the contents and you don’t have to worry about frozen metal pieces sticking together. Any standard cocktail shaker will work.
Glasses are a matter of preference; stemless margarita glasses or rocks glasses are both great for serving.
Best tequila?
Choose a 100% agave tequila. Mixto tequilas contain added sugars and don’t offer the same clean agave flavor. For margaritas, a blanco (unaged) tequila is ideal because it provides a bright, clean backbone that pairs well with citrus. If you only have a reposado or añejo, they’ll still work but may be a bit more mellow against the other flavors.
Margarita Ideas
Other fresh margarita variations to try:
- Blood Orange Margaritas
- Cranberry Margaritas
- Peach Margarita on the Rocks
If you try this Raspberry Orange Margarita, please share your experience and rating. I’m happy to answer any questions about the recipe.
– Happy Drinking, Annemarie
Print Recipe
Fresh Raspberry Orange Margarita
10
10
Ingredients
Cocktail
- 1 oz raspberry syrup
- 1 lime
- 1 medium orange
- 3 oz tequila
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
- ice
- coarse sugar to rim the glasses
Raspberry Syrup
- 6 oz raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Cocktail
-
Mix together the raspberry syrup, juice of the lime, and juice of the orange in a cocktail shaker.
-
Add the tequila, orange liqueur, and ice. Shake well.
-
Pour coarse sugar onto a plate. Rub the rims of the glasses with one of the squeezed lime halves and coat the rims in the sugar.
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Fill each glass with ice, then pour the drink equally between the glasses.
Raspberry Syrup
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Gently heat the raspberries in a saucepan until they begin to break down. Add the sugar and continue heating until the sugar has fully melted and the raspberries have broken down into syrup.
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Strain the syrup. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to one week.
Notes
- Raspberry Syrup: Adjust sugar in the syrup to taste. Add more syrup for a sweeter cocktail or reduce sugar if you prefer a tarter margarita.
- Tequila: Use a 100% agave blanco (white) tequila for the best balance with the citrus and raspberry flavors.
