This Hibiscus Margarita is everything you want in a margarita: tart, sweet, and a little boozy. Plus, an absolutely gorgeous color makes this drink stand out on any table!
This recipe takes a classic margarita recipe and adds hibiscus flavor and color with a simple syrup. You can find store-bought versions of hibiscus simple syrup, or check out my Hibiscus Simple Syrup recipe first!
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Why Make This Recipe
- Creative and Fun: We love a traditional margarita, but are always looking for ways to jazz them up a bit. If you’re the same way, you might want to try our Blood Orange Margarita or Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita as well.
- Delicious Flavor: Hibiscus adds an almost berry-like tart flavor to the margarita, a perfect pairing with traditional lime juice.
- Gorgeous Color: These margaritas have a dark magenta hue, so stunning!
🥗 Ingredients
- Tequila: We love a silver or blanco tequila for margaritas, but feel free to use what you love. See the FAQ section for more information.
- Grand Marnier or Cointreau: These are different types of triple sec, which is an orange liqueur made from dried orange peels. Use whichever you prefer (or a regular triple sec).
- Hibiscus Simple Syrup: We make ours using dried hibiscus flowers which you can find in packages of dried flowers or prepackaged in tea bags.
- Lime Juice: Squeeze your own fresh lime juice, and taste the difference! A lemon/lime squeezer makes this quick and easy.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
If you like to salt the rim of your glass, combine 1 teaspoon of salt with 1 teaspoon of sugar and add to a saucer wider than your glasses. Make a rough circle with the spices.
Prepare two cocktail glasses by running a lime wedge around the rim of the glasses, then dipping the rims into the sugar-salt mixture.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add 3 ounces tequila, 1 ounce grand marnier, 3 ounces hibiscus simple syrup, and 2 ounces lime juice.
Shake well so that the outside of the shaker becomes quite cold, then strain into the prepared glasses.
Serve each drink with a slice of lime for a garnish.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Hibiscus Margarita
Hibiscus has a tart flavor not unlike cranberries. It makes a delicious tea, as well as cocktails!
Yes, absolutely! Just triple or quadruple the recipe, and pour the cocktail into a pitcher (you may need to do a few different batches in your cocktail shaker). Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator until ready to serve. At that point, add a bunch of ice to the pitcher (if you like ice in your margaritas) and pour into individual glasses. Then garnish with lime slices.
Tequilas that are 100% agave are the highest quality, so look for those. We usually prefer a silver or blanco tequila in our margaritas. Silver tequila has a strong, pure flavor and clear color as it has only been aging in oak barrels for up to two months. Gold tequila, on the other hand, develops a golden color and oaky flavor as it ages longer. A reposado tequila is aged between 2 months and a year, which lends it a smoother flavor than most silver tequilas. Gold tequilas that have been aged over one year (añejo and extra añejo) are quite expensive and are made to be sipped neat, without accompaniments and not as part of a mixed drink.
Yes you can! If you have hibiscus tea bags, heat up a cup of water until it starts to boil. Then turn off the heat, and put in 2-3 tea bags. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Then remove the tea bags, and put the pan back on the stove. Bring it back to a simmer and add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and cool. Store in the fridge.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
This is a strong, flavorful margarita. If you prefer your margaritas on the rocks, this recipe is perfect for those too. Just fill your cocktail glass with ice before pouring in the cocktail. Or, throw it in the blender with ice and make a frozen hibiscus margarita! Super refreshing.
Once you’ve mastered this hibiscus margarita cocktail, think about adding more flavors to it. You might add some crushed jalapeño slices or even habanero for heat, or add another type of juice, like pineapple, grapefruit, or mango. Try adding fresh herbs too, like basil, thyme, or mint. Fresh ginger would be another excellent pairing. You might also add in fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
You might want to also explore past the margarita, and try other hibiscus cocktails like a hibiscus gin and tonic or hibiscus mojito. Both would be easy to make if you have hibiscus simple syrup on hand.
Need ideas for what to serve with this cocktail? Check out my entire Appetizers archive, or see below for some of our favorite pairings for this Hibiscus Margarita.
- Smoked Salmon Potato Chips
- Charred Tomatillo and Red Onion Guacamole
- Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad
- Baked Jalapeño Artichoke Dip
- French Jarcuterie
- Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto
Other Delicious Cocktail Recipes
If you love cocktails as much as we do, you might want to check out some of our other favorite cocktail recipes. This tropical Pineapple Margarita Recipe is super refreshing. and this French Martini Recipe is pretty in pink. Or try one of these:
If you try this Hibiscus Lime Margarita recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Hibiscus Margarita
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier or Cointreau
- 3 ounces hibiscus simple syrup
- 2 ounces lime juice
- Kosher salt, sugar, and lime wedge for salting glasses if desired
- Lime wedges or wheels to garnish
Instructions
- If you like to salt the rim of your glass, combine 1 teaspoon of salt with 1 teaspoon of sugar and add to a saucer wider than your glasses. Make a rough circle with the spices.
- Prepare your cocktail glasses by running a lime wedge around the rim of the glasses, then dipping the rims into the sugar-salt mixture.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add tequila, Grand Marnier, hibiscus simple syrup, and lime juice.
- Shake well so that the outside of the shaker becomes quite cold, then strain into the prepared glasses.
- Serve each drink with a slice of lime for a garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this hibiscus cocktail recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Sara Jelinek says
The color on this drink is fabulous!
Chef Molly says
Thank you, I love it! Who doesn't like a bright pink cocktail??