Two beloved cocktails—Aperol Spritz and Margarita—come together to create the Aperol Margarita, a fun and refreshing cocktail that’s as delicious as it is stunning!
Inspiration for the Aperol Margarita
This Aperol Margarita has a bit if a tiki flare to it thanks to it’s gorgeous color and mild almond flavor. It’s inspired by a drink called the Dead Man’s Handle from Miss Carousel in Houston. At Miss Carousel, the drink is made with tequila blanco, Aperol, lime juice, orgeat and Tajin. I stayed pretty close to the original version, but instead of orgeat (an almond syrup which proves to be harder to find than you might think) I use a quick almond simple syrup that’s to die for.
If you can find orgeat, by all means, use that! I just figured if it was a struggle for me to find it, it might be a struggle for you as well. Plus, the almond simple syrup is SO easy and made with pantry ingredients.
What you’ll need for this margarita
- Aperol
- Orgeat or homemade almond syrup (sugar, almond extract, orange blossom water)
- Tequila Blanco
- Limes
- Crushed Ice
- Tajín or margarita salt
- Rocks glasses
- Cocktail shaker
What is Aperol?
Aperol is an Italian apéritif that’s low in alcohol content and is both slightly sweet and slightly bitter with notes of both orange and rhubarb. It’s the main ingredient in the Aperol Spritz, but that’s not the only cocktail you can use it in!
5 cocktail recipes that use Aperol
- Classic Aperol Spritz
- Basil Daisy
- Paper Plane
- The Amen Corner (similar to a paper plane)
- Waterproof Watch (twist on the negroni)
Not into the Aperol Spritz? You’re not alone.
Cocktail recipes you may also like…
- Rhubarb Margarita
- Chocolate Orange Negroni
- Charred Jalapeño Margarita
- Blood Orange & Ginger Boston Sour
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Don’t forget, if you make this Aperol Margarita, leave a comment and rating below!
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Aperol Margarita
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cocktails 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Two beloved cocktails—Aperol Spritz and Margarita—come together to create a fun and refreshing cocktail that’s as delicious as it is stunning!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces blanco tequila
- 1 ½ ounces Aperol
- 1 ounces fresh lime juice
- 1 ounces almond syrup (or orgeat)
- Crushed ice
- Tajín, for garnish
Almond Simple Syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon orange blossom water
Instructions
Fill two rocks glasses or stemless tulip glasses with crushed ice. Add tequila, Aperol, lime juice, and almond syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, secure lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly. Strain margaritas into prepared glasses. Finish with a light sprinkle of Tajin and enjoy!
For the syrup, bring sugar and water to a simmer in a small saucepan until sugar has dissolved. Off heat, stir in almond extract and orange water; let cool.
Notes
If you like your cocktails more tart than sweet, start with a little less of the syrup and adjust as needed by preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: Aperol cocktail, aperol margarita
I made this drink exactly per the recipe using trader vic’s orgeat syrup. I didn’t have takin so I used marg salt. Fantastic drink that looks amazing
Hi Steve, I’m glad to hear the orgeat syrup worked well! Thanks for giving it a try, I’m happy you liked it!
Orgeat is not hard to aquire. It’s a bar basic if it serves Mai Tai’s or other “tiki” drinks
Bartender here, for homemade orgeat mix equal parts simple syrup & almond milk with a few dashes of orange blossom water ♡ I’ve made something similar (with agave) and it was a great cocktail – excited to try this out with orgeat! Thanks for sharing!