Updated July 2026.
The IBA Margarita is 50 ml 100% agave tequila, 20 ml triple sec, and 15 ml fresh lime. That 50 ml of 40% tequila is about 1.13 NIAAA standard drinks before you count the triple sec (Cointreau is 40%; cheap triple sec can be 15–30% — read the neck). “Best tequila” is a 100% agave blanco that still tastes like agave after lime. This is not a 2022 top-15 tasting.
Blanco / silver is the working bottle. Reposado is legal; it adds oak. Gold / joven is often mixto plus caramel — a different drink. CRT types: silver vs gold. Related: tequila guide, margarita drinks.
What the shaker actually needs
| Job | Typical bottles | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 100% agave blanco | Espolòn, Olmeca Altos, Cimarrón, El Tesoro, Fortaleza when you see it | CRT 100% agave; no oak in the way |
| Widely distributed blanco | Patrón Silver, Casamigos Blanco, Don Julio Blanco, Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver | Confirm “100% de agave” — Especial Gold is mixto |
| Reposado if you want oak | Same brands, reposado SKU | ≥2 months oak (CRT) |
| Skip for this drink | Mixto gold, flavored “margarita” 12–20% RTDs | Different class; extra sugar |
Cointreau at 40% in a 20 ml pour is about 0.45 of a standard drink. The IBA glass is then ~1.6 drinks before ice melt. Four IBA Margaritas are about 6.4 drinks. NIAAA binge pattern is a health line, not a target. Allocation extra-añejo is wasted here. Alcohol in the drink: margarita ABV math.
Sources
- IBA Margarita (fetched 2026): 50 ml 100% agave tequila, 20 ml triple sec, 15 ml lime.
- CRT tequila types (blanco / reposado / añejo / joven). Mixto vs 100% agave is on the label.
- NIAAA standard drink (December 2025). No invented ranking or MSRP.