My easy sweet tea margarita recipe puts a twist on a classic margarita on the rocks with the flavor of proper southern sweet tea! It's one of my favorite drinks to have in hand during blazing hot Texas summers. And you can make this fun cocktail in just five minutes and I've even included pitcher instructions because I just know you'll want to make it a party.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my piña colada margarita, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy - You only need a few minutes and six simple ingredients to mix up this tea and tequila cocktail with no special skills so it's very beginner friendly!
Fun Flavor - You'll taste the familiar orange pekoe black tea of classic sweet tea complemented by citrus and liqueur and everything plays amazingly with tequila.
I love a good homemade margarita and have so many delicious flavors to choose from like my hibiscus margarita and blood orange margarita--both made with mezcal. And for the tequila lovers, don't skip my passion fruit margarita with the tajin rim!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Tequila - Use the brand and expression you like best and the best quality you can afford. I love tequila blanco or reposado in this recipe!
Orange Liqueur of most any kind will work, including triple sec and Cointreau. You can even use Grand Marnier if you want to get fancy.
Sweet Tea Syrup takes the place of agave to add sweetness and spot-on sweet tea flavor. Make my homemade sweet tea syrup for the best results.
Sugar on the rim is optional but adds extra razzle dazzle so I highly recommend it. Use raw cane sugar also called turbinado sugar or natural brown sugar for the best results.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Citrus - Fresh squeezed orange juice takes the place of lime juice in this margarita recipe but you can certainly make it a sweet tea lime margarita or even use lemon, if that's what you have available. Fresh is best but juice from concentrate is a close second.
Tequila or Mezcal - This cocktail tastes great with either liquor option (or even both) so go for what you most enjoy!
On the Rocks or Frozen - I have instructions for making this margarita shaken and served on the rocks below or you can toss the same ingredients into a blender to make a blended frozen cocktail instead.
How to Make a Sweet Tea Syrup Margarita
Step One: Run a piece of orange around the rim of the glass then dip the rim into sugar and fill halfway with ice.
Pro Tip: I like to use a Cara Cara orange in this recipe because it yields lots of juice and has a delicate sweet flavor!
Step Two: Shake up the remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice then strain into the prepared glass.
Sweet tea flavor actually works with many difference kinds of cocktails like my sweet tea mojito or sweet tea martini. For the whiskey drinkers, check my sweet tea old fashioned and sweet tea mint julep recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions
To large batch this recipe for a crowd, add six ounces tequila, three ounces orange liqueur, three ounces sweet tea syrup, and three ounces ounces orange juice to a pitcher over ice and stir until chilled. Serves four.
More Favorite Tequila Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy this sweet tea alcohol recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Tea Margarita
Equipment
Ingredients
- raw cane sugar optional garnish
- 1 orange like a navel or cara cara orange
- ice
- 1 ½ ounce blanco tequila
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- ¾ ounce sweet tea syrup
Instructions
- Cut orange into quarters and run one piece around the rim of the rocks glass to coat it in orange juice. Dip the glass into sugar to create a decorative rim.
- Fill glass halfway with ice and set aside.
- Add tequila, orange liqueur, sweet tea syrup and ¾ ounce of orange juice to cocktail shaker, cover, and shake until chilled to the touch (about eight seconds).
- Strain liquid into prepared rocks glass. Serve immediately and enjoy responsibly.
Notes
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Dissolve 1 ½ cup sugar in one cup of water in a saucepan over medium high heat.
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Add six tea bags and bring the mixture to a boil.
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Remove pot from heat and steep the tea until syrup is cooled (about 30 minutes) then remove tea bags from syrup. Don't squeeze the bags to get extra liquid out as this releases tannins that can turn the syrup bitter!
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