Introducing, Clayton’s Margarita!
Clayton is always the bartender on the weekends and when we have guests over to our house. He can make some really good cocktails and his margarita is my personal favorite. I’ve been asking him for ages to sit down and write out an exact recipe so that I can share it with you but that’s not easy for him. He usually just throws stuff in a mixer and tastes it until it tastes right. But, after bugging him for long enough and with Cinco De Mayo around the corner, he finally agreed to share his recipe!
Clayton’s Margarita is just a good, classic margarita on the rocks with a few little tweaks to make it special. My favorite part? That he adds egg whites to it to make it foamy. Sounds weird, I know, but it’s what makes his margaritas so good. Give me all the foam!
Also, you can obviously use less tequila if you choose. Clayton claims “if you are going to take the time to make a drink you might as well make it strong.” So, yeah. There’s that… so please drink responsibly!
And for some fun twists on Clayton’s classic recipe, try Clayton’s Grapefruit Margarita and Clayton’s Holiday Margarita — with the addition of rosemary and a little pomegranate juice, you have a perfectly festive cocktail ready for the holiday season.
Clayton's Margarita

Ingredients
- 1 cup Good Tequila (we love LALO tequila) you can use less tequila if you don't want it as strong
- 1/4 cup cointreau
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup of Simple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon egg whites fresh or out of the carton is fine!
- Tajin or salt, for the rim
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a blender. Blend until frothy.
- Pour some salt or tajin on a small plate. Cut a slit in the lime wedge and rub it along the rim of a glass. Roll the edge of the glass in the salt or Tajín to coat the rim. Carefully fill with ice and pour in the margarita.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
37 Comments
Jenna
February 12, 2023 at 10:34 pmMake this margarita recipe asap! I rarely mix drinks at home and this was so easy and absolutely delicious. I did use less tequila and wow this will be my new go to when making drinks at home. Thanks Alex & Clay!!
Mario
September 3, 2022 at 8:23 amwhat can you use instead of egg whites
Alex
September 6, 2022 at 6:27 pmThere is no swap for this so I would just omit if you have an allergy! But I highly recommend including if you are able to have eggs; adds a fantastic foam!
Zander
March 9, 2023 at 3:28 amAquafaba is a good vegan substitute for egg whites! I’ve used it in my whiskey sours and it works great. Just make sure to use the “NO SALT ADDED” garbanzo beans, or else your drink is gonna be pretty gross.
Alex
March 9, 2023 at 3:10 pmThanks for sharing!
Kara
April 21, 2022 at 3:49 amI started making these for my friends and they are now requested at every event! They call these Kara’s Krazy Margaritas because one or two goes a long way!!
sarah barnes
January 23, 2022 at 4:20 pmexcited to try these! can I leave out the egg whites?
Alex
January 24, 2022 at 4:58 pmYou can but you will not get the wonderful foam on top if you do!
Haleigh
January 12, 2022 at 5:14 amhi…do you have measurements for making these for a crowd?
Kyle
January 16, 2022 at 1:02 amPretty easy to figure out. Here’s the recipe for 20.
40 oz tequila
10 oz cointreau
20 oz fresh lime juice
20 oz of Simple Syrup
Amber
December 26, 2021 at 11:40 pmHi Alex,
I made Clayton’s Holiday margarita last night and it was a hit! I’m just wondering if you might be able to attach a link for the glasses you used in both the regular margarita and holiday. I’m in the market for new glasses and love both of them.
Alex
December 29, 2021 at 8:18 pmHi!!
The classic margarita glass is this one by MadeIn (and I have a code for 20% off as I am a partner with them, DEFINEDDISH)
https://madeincookware.com/products/drinking-glasses
The other ones for the holiday margarita I believe I purchased at World Market!
Lisa Bove
October 1, 2021 at 2:33 pmThis is a great recipe! We’ve added orange juice or pomegranate to change it up and infused the tequila with jalapeño.
Kiah
July 17, 2021 at 8:36 pmHave made this so many times in the last two years.! Sorry I’m just leaving a review now. Love it.
Peter
July 4, 2021 at 7:10 pmWould this recipe work well in a frozen margarita machine? If not, do you have a recommendation for how to modify or another recipe?
Alex
July 6, 2021 at 8:38 pmWe’ve honestly never tried it in a frozen margarita machine so I am not sure!
Cindy
June 2, 2021 at 11:25 amDo you recommend using egg whites from the box? I can’t wait to make thesee!
Janna Kinney
April 2, 2021 at 8:00 pmI’m not a margarita or tequila person but this recipe is a game changer!
Alex
April 5, 2021 at 1:11 pmCheers!!
Cindy Gordon
August 13, 2021 at 9:12 pmJust a little confused. The IG said the original recipe got a makeover but the link in bio defaults to recipe from 4/18 & I don’t see any updates/edits. Maybe just my oversight?
Alex
August 15, 2021 at 10:49 pmhaha, yes. I just gave it a photo update (makeover) that’s all!! sorry if I confused you!!
Cindy
August 17, 2021 at 8:14 pmNo worries!! Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something! Thanks for responding!
Teri
March 27, 2021 at 8:00 pmWhat kind of tequila? Blanco or gold respasado?
Alex
March 28, 2021 at 11:19 pmWe use Blanco!
Kelli Ann Ortmann
February 11, 2021 at 7:35 pmHow many is this supposed to yield? I make them all the time but I need to multiply the recipe for a party of 35!
Alex
February 11, 2021 at 8:00 pmYou can get about 4 margaritas from this recipe. They will go quickly so definitely make extra!
Sydney
February 2, 2021 at 10:58 pmI make these so much, everyone in my life calls them Sydney’s margaritas! They are the best of the best! Can’t thank Clayton enough!
Emily
December 10, 2020 at 10:37 pmI do not have any simple syrup. Is there a substitution or can I leave it out? or do you have a recipe you recommend for making simple syrup at home?
Alex
December 10, 2020 at 10:57 pmmaking simple syrup is super simple 😉 hehe.
Just bring equal parts water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan (1 cup water: 1 cup sugar, for example).
once boiling, simmer, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool and then you can use!
L
November 6, 2020 at 12:02 amDelicious, easy, and looks fancy with minimal effort. Winner.!
Melissa
June 19, 2021 at 10:32 pmMy favorite margs! I make these all the time – they’re so easy and so delicious!
Jenny
November 2, 2020 at 1:19 pmWhat chili lime salt do you use on these?
Alex
November 2, 2020 at 2:45 pmWe use Tajin.
Lesllie
October 30, 2020 at 5:29 pmHow early do you think you could make it ahead for a party if it’s not going in the fridge??
Alex
November 1, 2020 at 12:49 pmYes, you definitely can– I’d just omit the egg white part as the foam will disappear with time.
Traci Torres
October 25, 2020 at 7:39 pmMy go-to recipe! I make sure to show all the margarita lovers in my family and friend circle!
Alex
October 25, 2020 at 8:56 pmHappy you love it!!!