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Ultimate Cadillac Margarita

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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 glasses of ultimate Cadillac Margarita

This ultimate Cadillac margarita is the number one two recipe on my blog.  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.   Check out my jelly shot recipe!

Table Of Contents

The History of my Cadillac Margarita

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.  If you stir the Cadillac margarita, it will turn a lovely golden color!

What is a Cadillac margarita?

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 the Cadillac margarita 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. 

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.

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

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

Tips for Mixing the Margarita

  • 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 on the rocks

Pre-step

Fill a cocktail shaker 3/4 way with ice.  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.

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of tequila. (1)

Step three

Measure 2 ounces Cointreau. (2)

Collage of step by step shots for the Cadillac Margarita

Step four

Squeeze and measure 4 ounces fresh lime juice. (3)

Step five

Measure 2 ounces simple syrup. (4)

Step six

Pour 1 ounce of Grand Marnier in each shot glasses. (5)

Shaking the Cadillac Margarita

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 Cadillac 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!

Grand Marnier poured in both glasses of ultimate Cadillac Margarita

Here is my original photo of the Cadillac margarita.

The ultimate Cadillac margarita with the grand marnier poured and ready to be drunk

Here’s the vertical view of the Cadillac margarita.

Vertical view of the ultimate Cadillac margaritas

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 on Dishes Delish:

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

If you’ve tried this Cadillac margarita 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!

4.97 from 28 votes
Grand Marnier poured in both glasses of ultimate Cadillac Margarita
Print
Ultimate Cadillac Margarita
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

This ultimate Cadillac margarita is a mixture of premium liquors and delicious because of it!  This is the best margarita I've ever had.

Course: Cocktail
Cuisine: Cocktails
Keyword: cadillac margarita
Servings: 2 cocktail
Calories: 396 kcal
Author: Elaine Benoit
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces Patron Silver tequila or other brand
  • 2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
  • 4 ounces fresh lime juice
  • 2 ounce simple syrup
  • 2 ounce Grand Marnier divided
Tools
Garnish
  • 2 lime wheels
  • salt for glass rims
Glassware
Instructions

  1. Fill your shaker 3/4 full with ice

  2. Add tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and simple syrup

  3. Wet rim of glass with water or lime juice
  4. Dip glass into plate of Kosher salt

  5. Pour 1 ounce of Grand Marnier into each shot glass, set aside

  6. Cap shaker and shake for 30 seconds

  7. Add extra ice to both glasses and pour contents of the shaker equally between the two glasses, being careful not to pour it over the salted rims

  8. Put lime wheels on the rim of the glasses

  9. Set shots of Grand Marnier beside glass of margarita

  10. Serve

  11. Pour Grand Marnier into margarita or do it as a shot

  12. Lick some salt off rim
  13. Sip drink
  14. Smile
  15. Enjoy

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Tips on making the Cadillac margarita

  1. Use the BEST ingredients you can afford.  Premium ingredients equal a more delicious drink
  2. Always make your own sweet and sour.  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
  3. Always serve the Grand Marnier on the side, especially when you serve to guests.  They're quite impressed when they pour the shot into the Cadillac margarita themselves
  4. 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
  5. Do NOT pour the liquid in such a way that it hits the salt.  You do not want to wash salt into the cocktail
Nutrition Facts
Ultimate Cadillac Margarita
Amount Per Serving (1 cocktail)
Calories 396
% Daily Value*
Sodium 22mg1%
Potassium 84mg2%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Sugar 39g43%
Vitamin A 30IU1%
Vitamin C 17mg21%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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. You can read my disclosure here.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Yum Girl

    Absolutely awesome recipe!! Welcome to Yum Goggle! We are following you on all your social media and hope you will follow us back. We will do our best to tag you each time we promote your posts. Kelli at YG!

    Reply

  9. Cathy Wilson

    Wonderful margarita! So far it’s the best I’ve had since I started my quest for a really good margarita last year, so you win! Thanks! I would have done 5 stars but I’m leaving room for yours and our broadened horizons. I made them last night and my husband just came in from work and asked for another one. That’s a really good sign!

    Reply

  10. Brian Gohata

    Hi. Can you substitute the Patron reposado? Also, I have to watch my sugar, is the simple syrup necessary, or is there a substitute. Do you need the sweet and sour taste? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Brian. You do need the simple syrup because of the sweet and sour. It would be too sour otherwise. And yes you can use the reposado. What I would do if I were you, is use 1/4 ounce – taste it, and then if you need to get to 1/2 ounce – it still won’t be too sweet. In fact, it’s still a little on the sour side which I like.

      Reply

  11. Duke Cullinan

    Fantastic post. And thank you! I only drink Cadillac margaritas. Because of finances, I’ve devised a cost-friendlier version. Any 100% agave reposado tequila – get the cheapest one. Regular triple sec is fine, as the “Grand Marnier” fattens the drink up nicely anyway. I cheat by adding sugar (rather than simple syrup) into the shaker first because the lime juice will help it dissolve sufficiently. Likewise, shake a little more than you do, and you’ll get the added water from melted ice, plus it fully dissolves the sugar. Finally, I buy the least expensive Grand Marnier-substitute I can find. There aren’t many, but I use Gran Gala. It makes a great margarita, maybe a shade less elegant than yours, but it’s still marvelous.

    Reply

  12. georgie

    yay for margaritas!!! this reminds me of sipping margaritas on the beach in Mexico! I fell in love with margaritas there! I’ll be sure to make a batch for Cinco de Mayo!

    Reply

  29. Wendy

    This. Is an excellent margarita. Close to the Cadillac we get at our favorite authentic restaurant. My husband was pleased! Thank you.

    Reply

    • Elaine

      I’m so pleased to hear that Wendy. It’s a beloved margarita that I learned to make at a Mexican restaurant. I switched it up a bit with more premium liquor and homemade sweet and sour but fairly close to the flavor I remember! I’m so glad you and your hubby liked it!

      Reply

  31. Twana

    Cadillac margaritas have been around forever. El Torito restaurants was the first place I saw these, I was a cocktail waitress there 30 years ago.

    Reply

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