Italian Margarita Recipe

Rim (optional)

If you want a salted or tajín rim, rub a lime wedge around the outside rim of a rocks or coupe glass, then dip the rim into a shallow plate of coarse salt or tajín. Set the glass aside and chill briefly.

Place the chosen glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to chill it.

Add ice to a cocktail shaker until roughly 3/4 full.

Pour 2 oz Fortaleza blanco tequila into the shaker.

Add 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and 0.5 oz fresh orange juice to the shaker.

Add 0.5 oz agave syrup (or simple syrup) and 0.5 oz orange liqueur if using. These balance the citrus and fortaleza's profile.

Cap the shaker and shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds, until well-chilled and the shaker is frosty to the touch.

Discard ice water from the chilled glass if you used it. If using a rocks glass, add fresh ice (one large cube or a few medium cubes). For a coupe, serve without ice.

Double-strain the shaken cocktail into the prepared glass using a Hawthorne and fine mesh strainer to remove small ice shards and pulp.

To create the red wine float, gently pour 0.5 oz dry red wine over the back of a bar spoon held just above the surface of the cocktail so the wine floats on top. Pour slowly; the wine should layer and create a visible red float.

Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge on the rim and an optional orange twist perched on the glass or floated on top.

Serve immediately with a short straw or without — instruct the guest to sip through the red wine float to experience the Italian-Margarita interplay.