Ultimate Cadillac Margarita

Name: Ultimate Cadillac Margarita
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces Patron Silver tequila (or other brand); 2 ounces Cointreau (or triple sec); 4 ounces fresh lime juice; 2 ounces simple syrup; 2 ounces Grand Marnier (divided); 2 lime wheels; salt for glass rims

Last updated on March 20, 2020. Originally posted on April 26, 2018 By Elaine 72 Comments

Jump to Recipe

The ultimate Cadillac margarita recipe. What makes it an ultimate? The premium ingredients, of course. And the delicious balance of flavors. Many people attest that this is the best margarita ever!

Grand Marnier poured in both margaritas with limes on the rims and in the background

This ultimate Cadillac margarita is the number ~~one~~ ~~two~~ ONE recipe on my blog (again). The post that went viral because of an HBO show called “Camping” brought the Jelly Donut Shot forefront of everyone’s attention, turned the table. Which is crazy in the Dishes Delish history, but welcomed, believe me.

The history

When I worked at that Mexican restaurant all those years ago, this was the best margarita that you could purchase. It had a few mid range ingredients and it came with a side shot of Grand Marnier, which is considered premium. I wanted to recreate that delicious cocktail for the blog, but instead of using the liquors they did, I upped the game and use the ingredients I love the most.

The above photo shows the empty side shots. I floated them in the cocktails, although the Grand Marnier doesn’t stay afloat; it delicately slinks down into the glass.

But if you stir the Cadillac margarita, it will turn a lovely golden color!

Back in the day, the Cadillac car was considered premium and the car everyone wanted to own. The Cadillac margarita is the premium margarita made with premium ingredients. The combination of these ingredients is perfect and delicious. Everyone I’ve served this margarita to, says it’s the best.

This truly is, and continue to be, the best margarita of all time.

Do I make it on the rocks or can I have it frozen?

If I had my druthers, I’d tell you to only have this margarita on the rocks. I have seen someone drink a frozen caddy (my nickname of the margarita) but I think that having it frozen doesn’t really highlight how delicious it is. It also tends to water the margarita down because blending the ice causes the water to disperse quicker than with ice cubes.

And did you know that people drink frozen drinks much faster than cocktails made on the rocks?

They do. It’s because people see the separation that occurs in a frozen drink, so they take their straw and stir it around and take a healthy slug each time they stir, which is often.

When you drink the Cadillac margarita on the rocks, you can savor the drink by sipping it at your own rate.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

What are these premium ingredients?

The premium ingredients are the Patron Silver tequila, which is so smooth that you can take a shot of it without needing lime to chase it down (although that’s super fun and tasty!) and the Cointreau, which is one of the premium orange liqueurs. Non-premium ingredients are lime juice and simple syrup.

The last but not the least premium ingredient is the Grand Marnier, which makes this margarita a Cadillac. I love this liqueur. It is made with cognac and orange.

Want to make your own orange liqueur? Here’s my friend, Laura’s recipe.

Helpful tips

Use the BEST ingredients you can afford, but just know that using premium ingredients equal a more delicious drink
Always make your own sweet and sour mix. I prefer a 2:1 ratio, so two parts sour to one part sweet. Start there and if you decide you want it sweeter, add a bit more simple syrup
Always serve the Grand Marnier on the side, especially when you serve to guests. They’ll be quite impressed when they pour the shot into the Cadillac margarita themselves
Salt the rim, but don’t overdo it! Sometimes, after I salt the rim, I take my finger and clear a spot so if someone doesn’t want to taste the salt they can use that spot to sip
Do NOT pour the liquid in such a way that it hits the salt. You do not want the salt washed into the cocktail

What is the ratio best to use for sweet and sour mix?

I prefer the 2:1 ratio between the lime and simple syrup, because any more sugar than that, in my humble opinion, makes the drink too sweet. And sweet is for chocolate! Also, Cointreau and Grand Marnier are both sweet liqueurs that balance the tequila and sour mix nicely.

How do you salt the rims of the glasses?

Wet the rim of the glasses with some lime juice, pour some kosher salt on a plate and dip the rim in the salt. Keep the glass upside down for a moment and shake the glass a little before placing it right side up. You don’t want the salt from the rim to fall into the glass as it makes the cocktail salty.

How to make the Cadillac margarita

Pre-step

Fill a cocktail shaker ¾ way with ice. Get a measuring glass and glassware.

Slice a few thin lime wheels and cut a small slit through the skin of the wheels so you can place it on the side of the glass as garnish.

After measuring out each ingredient below, pour it into the shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – tequila, Cointreau, limes, simple syrup and Grand Marnier.

Tequila, limes, Cointreau, Grand Marnier and simple syrup for the Margarita

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of tequila. (A)

Step three

Measure 2 ounces Cointreau. (B)

Tequila and Cointreau measured out for the margarita. The bottles of liquor are in the background

Step four

Squeeze and measure 4 ounces fresh lime juice. (C)

Step five

Measure 2 ounces simple syrup. (D)

Lime juice and simple syrup measured out for the margarita

Step six

Pour 1 ounce of Grand Marnier in each shot glasses.

Grand Marnier poured out for the margarita. There are two limes in the background as well as the cocktail shaker filled with the drink

Step seven

Cap the shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Stick a few big cubes in the glasses and pour the Cadillac margarita equally between the two glasses. Mustn’t play favorites.

Here are the Cadillac margaritas, shots on the side.

Ultimate margarita shaken and poured into two salted glasses, with Grand Marnier shots at the side

Now with the Grand Marnier poured in. It gives them an appealing glow!

Here’s the vertical view of the margarita.

Vertical view of the margaritas with limes on the side

I hope you enjoyed this Cadillac margarita recipe.

I would love to hear what kind of tequila you like and why, so leave me a comment. 🙂

Other popular margaritas

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!