Updated April 2026.
An IBA Margarita is 50 mL of 100% agave tequila, 20 mL of triple sec, and 15 mL of lime juice. If both spirits are 40% ABV (Cointreau is 40%), that is about 1.6 US standard drinks. A bar pour of 2 ounces of tequila plus 1 ounce of 40% orange liqueur is about 2 drinks. Frozen house pours can run higher. Lime, ice, and salt are not ethanol.
Margarita alcohol by recipe
Standard drinks ≈ (mL of spirit × ABV) ÷ 17.7, because 0.6 fl oz of ethanol is about 17.7 mL. Or (fl oz × ABV) ÷ 0.6.
| Build | Tequila | Orange liqueur | If liqueur ABV | Ethanol | Std drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBA Margarita | 50 mL at 40% | 20 mL | 40% (Cointreau) | 28 mL | 1.6 |
| IBA Margarita | 50 mL at 40% | 20 mL | 15% (cheap triple sec) | 23 mL | 1.3 |
| Classic US 2:1:1 | 2.0 oz at 40% | 1.0 oz | 40% | 1.20 oz | 2.0 |
| Lean 1.5 oz tequila | 1.5 oz at 40% | 0.75 oz | 40% | 0.90 oz | 1.5 |
| Tommy’s (IBA-style) | 45 mL at 40% | none (agave syrup) | — | 18 mL | 1.0 |
| Frozen pint glass, 3 oz tequila | 3.0 oz at 40% | 1 oz at 40% | 40% | 1.60 oz | 2.7 |
Cointreau’s US bottling is 40% ABV; it is a triple-sec style liqueur, not a 15% grocery mixer. Many bottles labeled “triple sec” sit between about 15% and 40%. If the bartender uses a 15% triple sec, the orange liqueur adds much less alcohol than Cointreau. Do not assume. See how many margaritas to get drunk for time-and-body math, and whether margarita mix has alcohol (most bottled mixes are non-alcoholic until you add tequila).
ABV of the glass is not ABV of the tequila
Shake 85 mL of IBA ingredients with ice and you might serve ~120 mL of cold liquid. Dilution lowers the drink’s overall ABV and does not delete the grams of alcohol you already poured. A frozen machine mix that tastes “light” can still hide three ounces of tequila. Pitcher margaritas at restaurants are often priced per pitcher, not per standard drink — split the recipe, do not split the buzz by guesswork.
Tequila labeled 100% agave is still usually 40% ABV in the US, the same as mixto at 40%. CRT rules allow tequila between 35% and 55% ABV. High-proof tequila changes the table. A 1.5-ounce shot of 40% tequila is one NIAAA standard drink on its own, with no mixer. See tequila shot counts.
Pitchers, machines, and mixers
A restaurant pitcher is often 48–60 ounces of finished drink. If the recipe is 2 ounces of tequila per serving and the pitcher holds six servings, that is 12 ounces of 40% tequila — 8 standard drinks — plus the liqueur. Split four ways, that is two tequila-drinks each before anyone counts Cointreau. Frozen machines hide the same ounces in slush. Jose Cuervo margarita mix, like most grocery mixes, is not the alcohol; the tequila you add is. See whether that mix expires.
On-the-rocks vs blended does not change grams already poured. A salt rim does not. A “skinny” margarita that skips the liqueur and uses 1.5 ounces of tequila is one standard drink of tequila plus lime. That is the honest skinny math.
Sources
- IBA Margarita: 50 mL 100% agave tequila, 20 mL triple sec, 15 mL lime.
- IBA Tommy’s Margarita: 45 mL tequila, 15 mL lime, agave nectar — no triple sec.
- NIAAA standard drink: 14 g / 0.6 fl oz ethanol.
- Cointreau: 40% ABV on the US label. Generic triple sec: read the bottle.