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    Home » Recipes » Cocktail Recipes

    Passionfruit Margaritas

    Modified: Apr 12, 2024 · Published: Mar 28, 2024 by Ashley

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    Get ready for happy hour with these refreshing passionfruit margaritas. It's a delicious spin on a traditional margarita with tropical flair and a little bit of spice from a Tajín rim. This tequila cocktail can be made with either fresh passionfruit or bottled passionfruit nectar. It's also easily turned into a mocktail. Cheers!

    Two passionfruit margaritas with ingredients alongside.

    I originally came up with a version of this passionfruit chili margarita back in 2010 as a riff on a cocktail that me and my husband enjoyed at a local steakhouse (that has since closed).

    We really loved the combination of sweet, spicy, and sour in this cocktail recipe. Since that original incarnation, we've learned a lot about making cocktails at home, so I wanted to revisit this one to see if I could improve upon it.

    You know, for science 😉.

    In my testing, I wanted to offer options for using fresh passionfruit and also the bottled cocktail/juice/nectar. Fresh passionfruit can be expensive, and not everyone enjoys the texture of the seeds.

    I'm happy to say that I've now perfected this passionfruit cocktail (including a mocktail variation) and am thrilled to share the new and improved recipe with you!

    If you're looking for more summery tequila cocktail options, this guava cocktail and this watermelon cocktail are also great choices.

    Jump to:
    • 🧡 Why we love this cocktail
    • 📝 Ingredients
    • 🥃 Ingredient Spotlight: Tequila
    • 💛 How to tell if passionfruit is ripe
    • ✅ How to make this recipe
    • 📌 Tips
    • 🍹 Nonalcoholic "Mocktail" Variation
    • 🔪 Equipment
    • 🍹 Still thirsty? You may also like...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    Two passionfruit margaritas with ingredients alongside.

    🧡 Why we love this cocktail

    • It brings out tropical vibes even when it feels less than tropical outside.
    • Swapping out the tequila for coconut water makes it easy to turn these passionfruit margaritas into a delicious mocktail option.
    • Rimming the glasses with Tajín (or other chili lime seasoning blend) gives us the best of both salty and spicy to balance out the fruit in this cocktail.
    • The option to use fresh or bottled passionfruit makes it doable all year round (or when the fresh fruit is cost-prohibitive).
    • This recipe can be easily scaled up for a crowd.

    📝 Ingredients

    Here's everything you need to make passionfruit margaritas at home (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

    Ingredients ready to make passionfruit margaritas.
    • Passionfruit cocktail (sometimes called passionfruit nectar or passionfruit juice) or fresh passionfruit
    • Tequila blanco - swap this for coconut water if making a mocktail variation.
    • Freshly squeezed lime juice
    • Agave syrup
    • Orange bitters - feel free to omit if keeping it non-alcoholic and add a squeeze of fresh orange juice instead, if desired.
    • Tajín, Trader Joe's Chile Lime Seasoning Blend, or a homemade blend - for garnishing the rim.

    🥃 Ingredient Spotlight: Tequila

    This recipe uses tequila blanco which can be found in your local liquor store.

    Tequila is a distilled spirit made from the agave plant that is produced in only 5 areas of Mexico.

    Pouring tequila into a jigger.
    Pouring tequila into a cocktail shaker.

    Depending on the aging process, tequila is bottled and sold in a few different styles:

    • Blanco (white) – Tequila that is unaged or slightly aged (less than 2 months). Some distillers call tequila blanco "the essence of tequila". Great for mixing into cocktails.
    • Joven (young) – Usually made from a blend of aged tequila and unaged tequila.
    • Reposado (rested) – Tequila that has been aged for at least two months, and up to a year. This tequila is darker and has a deeper flavor.
    • Añejo (aged) – Tequila that has been aged for at least a year but less than 3 years, traditionally in oak barrels. It has a deep golden color and complex layers of flavor from the aging process.
    • Extra Añejo (very aged) – Tequilas that have been aged for at least 3 years. This is a growing category of tequila that has a lot of complexity of flavor, depending on the types of wood used in the aging barrels.

    Here are a few resources if you'd like to learn more about the different varieties and styles of tequila:

    • 10 Questions About Tequila, Answered (Thrillist)
    • What’s the Deal With Extra Añejo Tequila, And Is It Actually Worth It? (InsideHook)
    • Learn about Tequila: Everything you need to know (Decanter)

    💛 How to tell if passionfruit is ripe

    Choosing passionfruit from the store can feel intimidating, but it doesn't need to be! My supermarket had a sign above all of the tropical fruits describing how to determine when each fruit is ripe.

    If your store doesn't have a handy guide like that, just know that wrinkles are a good thing when it comes to a nice, ripe passionfruit.

    Three fresh passionfruit with wrinkly skin.
    Look for wrinkly passionfruit.
    Fresh passionfruit and limes cut in half to reveal the fruit.
    A serrated knife works well for slicing fresh passionfruit.
    Squeezing fresh passionfruit into a jigger.
    You can remove the pulp with a spoon or simply squeeze it out.

    Whole passionfruit are often sold when they're smooth on the outside. If you see a wrinkly one, grab it because it's ripe!

    If your passionfruit isn't ripe yet, just let it sit on the counter for a few days until it gets nice and wrinkly. Those "ugly" wrinkly ones are the fruit at its best!

    ✅ How to make this recipe

    Pouring passionfruit juice into a cocktail shaker.
    Bottled passionfruit is available year-round.
    Pouring agave nectar into a cocktail shaker.
    Agave syrup pairs well with tequila but you can also substitute maple syrup.
    Adding orange bitters to a cocktail shaker.
    Feel free to substitute a squeeze of fresh orange juice for the orange bitters.
    1. Rim a double rocks glass with chili lime seasoning.
    2. Shake the remaining ingredients together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
    3. Fill the rimmed glass with ice and strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a lime wheel, if desired, and enjoy!

    See recipe card below for full instructions.

    Pouring fresh passionfruit pulp into a cocktail glass.
    If using fresh passionfruit add it directly to the cocktail glass.
    Stirring a passionfruit margarita in a Tajin-rimmed cocktail glass.
    Give the finished cocktail a stir with a bar spoon to help mix the pulp.

    📌 Tips

    If using fresh passionfruit, add it directly to the cocktail glass. The seeds are too big to make it through the strainer when pouring your cocktail. You'll likely want to give your finished cocktail a stir with a bar spoon to combine.

    To adhere the seasoning to your cocktail glass, you'll need to wet the rim. I like using one of the limes that I juiced for the cocktail mixture. Just rub the cut-side around the edge of the glass.

    Rubbing lime on the rim of a cocktail glass.
    Rub the cut side of a lime on the side or rim of a cocktail glass.
    Rimming a cocktail glass with Tajín seasoning.
    Press the wet portion of the glass into the chile lime seasoning to adhere.
    Cocktail glass with Tajin on the rim for garnish.
    Feel free to do a thin ring around the rim or a wider swatch on your glass.

    If you'd like something a little sweeter, you can use agave nectar to adhere the seasoning.

    You can also rub it on just a portion of the glass, like what you see in the photos for this recipe.

    Pour your chili lime seasoning of choice onto a plate or other flat surface wide enough to fit the diameter of your glass. Invert the lime-coated glass and gently press it into the seasoning to adhere.

    Pouring a passionfruit margarita into a Tajin-rimmed cocktail glass.

    🍹 Nonalcoholic "Mocktail" Variation

    We like trying to find alternatives to alcoholic beverages so our son can enjoy a "fancy drink" with us. It's also great for those who either choose not to drink alcohol or aren't able to imbibe.

    To make this an alcohol-free passionfruit "mocktail", simply replace the tequila with coconut water. You can also omit the orange bitters and swap them out with a squeeze of fresh orange juice if desired.

    I really enjoyed this nonalcoholic variation. It made for a nice, midday break at my desk!

    Passionfruit margarita garnished with Tajin and lime.

    🔪 Equipment

    You don't need anything fancy to make these passionfruit margaritas. You can use regular measuring cups and spoons, etc. If you plan to make drinks at home often, here are a few things that will help make your cocktail mixing more smoothly:

    • A jigger for measuring your ingredients.
    • A cocktail shaker for mixing everything together.
    • A citrus juicer to press all of the juice form the limes.
    • A Hawthorne strainer if your shaker doesn't have a built-in strainer.
    • A bar spoon for stirring ice-filled drinks without making a big mess.
    Two passionfruit margaritas with ingredients alongside.

    🍹 Still thirsty? You may also like...

    Do these passionfruit margaritas have you looking for more refreshing, summery cocktail recipes? Try these:

    • Tray of cocktails made with watermelon, mint, lime, and tequila with a bottle of Tajin seasoning in the background.
      Watermelon Sugar High Tequila Cocktail
    • Guava cocktails on a tray with fresh citrus fruit in the background.
      Guava Cooler Tequila Cocktail Recipe - Tropical and Refreshing!
    • Overhead view of 2 copper mugs filled with a Cucumber Moscow Mule cocktails with ingredients alongside.
      Cucumber Moscow Mule
    • 2 gin cocktails on a tray with a bottle of gin and garnishes.
      The Grace Lane Graduate: A Gin Cocktail

    Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!

    Print

    📖 Recipe

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    Two passionfruit margaritas with ingredients alongside.

    Passionfruit Margaritas

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    • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
    • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 Cocktail 1x
    • Category: Beverage
    • Method: Cocktaill Shaker
    • Cuisine: Mexican
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    Description

    Get ready for happy hour with this passionfruit margarita. It's a delicious spin on a traditional margarita with tropical flair and a little bit of spice from a Tajín rim. This tequila cocktail can be made with either fresh passionfruit or bottled passionfruit nectar. It's also easily turned into a mocktail. Cheers!


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For the cocktail:

    • 1 ½ oz passionfruit cocktail OR fresh passionfruit pulp (about 1 passionfruit)
    • 2 oz tequila blanco*
    • ¾ oz lime juice
    • ¼ oz agave syrup
    • 2 dashes orange bitters*

    For the glass (optional):

    • Chili lime seasoning, such as Tajín, Trader Joe's Chile Lime Seasoning Blend, or a homemade blend
    • Lime wheel

    Instructions

    1. Rub the cut side of one of your juiced limes around the edge of a chilled double rocks glass and coat the rim with chile lime seasoning.
    2. Fill the rimmed glass with ice. If using fresh passionfruit, add the pulp to the glass.
    3. To a cocktail shaker, add passionfruit cocktail (if not using fresh), tequila, lime juice, agave, and orange bitters to a cocktail shaker. Fill past the top of the liquid with ice, close, and shake well.
    4. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass. If using fresh passionfruit, you'll likely want to give your cocktail a stir with a bar spoon to combine. Garnish with a lime wheel, if desired, and enjoy!

    Equipment

    Image of bar spoon

    bar spoon

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    citrus juicer

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    cocktail shaker set

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    passionfruit cocktail

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    Notes

    Passionfruit cocktail is sometimes called passionfruit nectar or passionfruit juice.

    See post above for notes on different types of tequila and how to rim a cocktail glass.

    *For a mocktail variation: Swap the tequila for coconut water. You can also omit the orange bitters if keeping it nonalcoholic - feel free to add a squeeze of fresh orange juice instead if desired.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Cocktail
    • Calories: 198
    • Sugar: 9.9 g
    • Sodium: 13.2 mg
    • Fat: 0.3 g
    • Saturated Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 17.1 g
    • Fiber: 4.5 g
    • Protein: 1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

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