Aperol Coconut Margarita
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CEO of spritz season meet margarita queen 🤝 say hello to THE Aperol Coconut Margarita. If you only ever make one Join Jules cocktail recipe, let this be the one! I love a Classic Margarita as much as the next person, but I also love Aperol, and I really love throwing the rule book out the window.
For example… who said Aperol doesn’t belong in a margarita? It certainly wasn’t me. In this one-of-a-kind cocktail recipe, you get a little bitter and sweet from the Aperol, creaminess from the coconut milk, and of course all the delicious flavors of a margarita with fresh lime juice, Cointreau, Tequila blanco, and a little simple syrup to cut the bitterness. This Aperol Coconut Margarita is my kind of heaven. You in?!
How to Make an Aperol Coconut Margarita
- Rim a margarita glass with lime juice and rim with Tajin.
- In a cocktail shaker with ice, add tequila, Aperol, Cointreau, coconut milk, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake!
- Double strain into your rimmed glass, filled with ice.
- Garnish with a citrus wheel and maybe some edible flowers and enjoy!
Aperol Coconut Margarita Ingredients
Tequila blanco
I make a lot of my margaritas with a good bottle of tequila blanco, which is unaged and has a crisp, clean flavor. I love LALO Blanco Tequila.
Aperol
Aperol is one my all-time favorite liqueurs, so if you don’t already have a bottle, you need to buy one. I promise you won’t regret it. Aperol is an orange, bittersweet Italian liqueur made from rhubarb and other roots and herbs. It’s most often used in the Classic Aperol Spritz, but we’re breaking rules over here and tossing a splash in with your margarita! Campari is somewhat similar if need a substitute, but the flavor will be a bit more bitter and the color a bit deeper red.
Cointreau
Any classic margarita, or riff on a margarita, like this Aperol Coconut version, will probably have some kind of orange liqueur, or triple sec. Cointreau is always on my bar cart, so you really can’t go wrong.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk can be finicky. Some brands tend to separate more than others and the level of separation changes with how warm or cold it gets. whichever brand you choose, go for full-fat coconut milk and don’t pour directly from the can into your jigger in case it had separated. Open the can first and, if separated, pour it into another container and reincorporate at room temperature.
Simple syrup
Simple syrup isn’t always in a margarita (and sometimes only agave syrup is used if a sweetener is used at all). But since we’re breaking so many rules here, I like adding an easy homemade simple syrup to cut the slight bitterness of the Aperol.
Lime juice
If it’s not fresh… WE DON’T WANT IT!
Tips for the Best Aperol Coconut Margarita
- For the coconut milk, see my tips above for what to do if you have found yourself in the unfortunate situation of opening a can of separated coconut milk. It is rectifiable, don’t worry. (p.s. choose full fat coconut milk).
- Always use fresh-squeezed citrus juice in your cocktails. Fresh lime juice makes a huge difference for the final flavor and brightness of the whole thing!
- You really can make your own simple syrup at home. It takes about 10 minutes (plus cooling time) and only uses equal parts water and sugar. Basically, if you can boil water, you can make simple syrup!
- If you love a margarita as much as I do, go ahead and buy yourself a gooooood bottle of tequila blanco. You’ll thank me later.
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Why You’ll Love This Aperol Coconut Margarita
- Because the internet loved it (lol). This might not convince everyone to try it, but it must have done its rounds on the internet for a reason. Give it a try and tell the rest of the internet if they were right or not!
- It’s the perfect melding of flavors and cultures, with the margarita from Mexico, Aperol from Italy, and coconut from tropical islands in faraway oceans!
- If you want a unique cocktail that everyone is still bound to love, shake up a pitcher of Aperol Coconut Margaritas for your next party. Pool parties and beach days are especially appropriate.
- Taco Tuesday was made for the Aperol Coconut Margarita, especially when paired with some fish tacos with a pineapple or mango salsa to lean into more tropical flavors.
Variations and Similar Recipes
The Aperol Coconut Margarita is itself a variation on the classic margarita, but if you want to keep riffing, I support you.
- For Aperol Margarita Lovers: Instead of coconut milk and simple syrup, make your own cherry syrup for this Cherry Aperol Margarita.
- For Coconut Margarita Lovers:
- Leave out the Aperol and make a classic Coconut Margarita
- If you want more riffs and marriages of different cocktails, try the Coconut Margajito
Aperol Coconut Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz. tequila
- 1 oz. Aperol
- 3/4 oz. Cointreau
- 3/4 oz. coconut milk
- 3/4 oz. lime juice
- 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- Garnish: Tajin, lime wheel, marigold
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker add all ingredients, add ice, and shake!
- Rim glass with lime juice and rim with Tajin.
- Add ice and strain into glass.
- Garnish and enjoy!
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Curious… coconut milk or coconut cream?
Mine looked like Pepto Bismol. Tasty though.
Would love if you also wrote the measurements in millilitres or centilitres for us europeans following you!
1 star. I love a good coconut margarita and was excited to try this version. Honestly, the idea was good but the execution just missed the mark. The Tajin was also not complementary.
How to not curdle the coconut milk with the lime juice?
Same! Love the balance and brightness of flavor but the curdled coconut milk is unappealing. Love your work! Cheers.
I’ve found double straining but also the brand of coconut milk, so you can opt for the sweet cream of coconut and back down on the sugar syrup OR I use the brand Real Coco and it works really well to avoid any curdle!
I used the double strainer method like recommmended and have not had any curdling. Although I feel it would have been fine without straining as well. Just used regular unsweetened coconut milk out of a can. Color and flavor turned out excellent! Thanks for the ecipe.
I’m so glad it worked and turned out well!