Bring on the margaritas! Made popular from the Olive Garden, this Italian margarita with amaretto comes with the perfect sweet and sour balance for one refreshing cocktail. This easy margarita recipe takes just a few minutes to whip up, and you only need a handful of fresh ingredients.
Love a twist on a classic margarita? Same. And that's exactly why I'm bringing you this amaretto-spiked margarita.
We still get plenty of bright lime that we all know and love from our margaritas, but the amaretto adds a welcomed richness to make one unforgettable tequila cocktail. I find amaretto is one of those flavors that people love, but for whatever reason, it's rarely the first liqueur that comes to mind when mixing drinks.
So how about we put an end to that? People love margaritas, and people love amaretto. Let's flex those hosting skills and give the people what they want at our next gathering -- enter these ridiculously delicious amaretto Italian margaritas.
What Is Amaretto?
Amaretto is a sweet almond liqueur from Saronno, Italy, which gives this margarita its Italian flair. Not only is this liqueur delicious in cocktails, but it also adds a richness to desserts, such as my amaretto-strawberry-Nutella puff pastry tart. While you can pick up amaretto from different distillers, Disaronno is the top-shelf brand and my favorite choice.
Typically, I like to use an orange liqueur in my margaritas, but I skip it in this recipe. Matt and I tried this margarita with only amaretto and then a combination of amaretto and orange liqueur. We both preferred the amaretto-only version. To us, using only amaretto really allowed that delicious almond flavor to shine.
How to Make
Besides being ridiculously delicious and a guaranteed crowd favorite, I love serving margaritas when playing hostess because they’re super simple to make. If you can squeeze juice and pour liquor, you have all the mixology skills necessary to make one fine margarita.
To make this Italian margarita, we simply add tequila, lime juice, orange juice and amaretto to a cocktail shaker with ice. If you have a sweet tooth, feel free to add a smidge of simple syrup.
We pop on the top and give it a good shake. About 15-30 seconds generally works. And just like that, you have the tastiest Italian margarita you’ve ever tasted. See? Easy as can be.
Now let’s chat ingredients. I highly recommend freshly squeezed lime and orange juice. The stuff from a bottle just won’t taste the same in these margaritas. Squeezing fresh juice takes hardly any time and is simple with a handheld juicer.
For the tequila, I prefer reposado. Sure, you can use blanco, otherwise known as silver tequila, but I love the flavor of reposado over blanco, especially with out nutty amaretto. Reposado spends some time aging in oak barrels, which gives it a complexity that blanco lacks along with a hint of vanilla that's perfect with the almond.
Perfect Pairing
Amaretto gives these tequila cocktails a sweeter quality than your typical margarita, so I love pairing this drink with a dessert. The nutty, rich amaretto works especially well with chocolate, and cherries match beautifully to the vanilla and oak flavors that come from reposado. With that in mind, you’ll love pairing my frozen chocolate-cherry mousse pie or chocolate-covered cherry cheesecake with this Italian margarita.
When you need a sweet, delicious twist on a classic margarita, I hope you try this Italian margarita with amaretto. Please let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
Cheers!
Looking for More Margarita Recipes?
- Jalapeno-mango margarita
- Blood orange margarita
- Raspberry-peach margarita
- Coconut margarita
- Roasted strawberry margarita
Italian Margarita
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker or jar with solid lid
- Citrus juicer
- Jigger or small measuring cup
Ingredients
- 2 ounces tequila preferably reposado
- 1 ounce amaretto
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 lime juiced
- Ice
- ½ ounce simple syrup optional
- Lime slices for garnish, optional
- Coarse sea salt for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add the tequila, amaretto, orange juice, lime juice and ice. Put the top on and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds. Taste. If you'd like additional sweetener, add the simple syrup. Otherwise, leave as is.
- Run a lime slice along the rim of your serving glass. Pour coarse sea salt onto a small plate and swirl the moistened rim in the salt. Add ice to the glass.
- Strain into serving glass. Garnish with an additional lime slice if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a pitcher serving 16, use 4 cups tequila, 2 cups amaretto, 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice and 16 limes.
- You can buy simple syrup or make your own. To make your own, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I love the flavor twist in this Margarita! So party-perfect and great for the holidays, too!
Absolutely! We love this for a special occasion. The amaretto really makes it special.
I'm a classic margarita fan, but wouldn't mind having a sip of the Italian one. Sounds really refreshing.
It is wonderful! Definitely one of the most popular recipes on here for a reason!
I love a good twist on a margarita and stumbled on this recipe to make. I'm so glad I did. It's so perfect and tastes just like Olive Garden. So delish!
Yay! So happy that you came across it!
Amaretto is probably my favorite and I'm always looking for ways to use it in cocktails. This was so good and I will make it again!
I'm so happy you loved it as much as I do!
I always have a bottle of Amaretto on hand and this sounds delicious I think tonight will be a cocktail made in heaven for us. Thanks for sharing.
You're so welcome! This is a reader favorite, and I have no doubt you'll love it!
Making tasty cocktails at home is great. Sounds like a great drink for an afternoon gab session with the neighbours.
That sounds like the perfect way to spend the day!
This was so fresh!
The amaretto really added something different to the classic marg!
My girl friends and I drank more than a couple!
Such a fun end of summer drink!
Sounds like a good way to say goodbye to summer! Glad y'all enjoyed.
This is one of those recipes ... why didn't I think of that?! Love it, thanks for sharing!
Awww, thank you so much, Julie! I'm so glad you love it as much as I do.
Made this at the request of my dad for his 80th birthday and now it’s the most requested cocktail! So easy to make and fresh and delicious!
Awww, that's so sweet! I'm so glad everyone loves it, and I hope it made his day that much more special. Cheers!
Loved this twist on margarita! Refreshing for summer nights!
Totally! It's perfect for sitting on the patio.
Margaritas are one of my favorite drinks so I love any version of them. This one is so fresh.
Thanks for sharing!
Always love a good cocktail with a kick and this was no exception! Loved the added flavor of the orange juice; delicious!
Thank you, Sara! So glad you enjoyed.
Love this twist on a classic margarita!! So refreshing and fun for summer!
Thank you! It's definitely one of my favorites.
I love both amaretto and margaritas, but never thought to combine them - what a delicious idea! I love the slightly sweet almond flavor that it gives the margaritas!
They're so good together! Glad you enjoyed.
Smooth and delicious! A salt rim is even better!
Thank you! So glad you loved it. Cheers!