This Coconut Margarita Will Fast Track You to Paradise

This tropical Margarita rendition from Los Angeles restaurant Mírate is made with coconut-washed reposado tequila, coconut cream, coconut liqueur, and fresh lime juice. 

Mírate beverage director Maxwell Reis created this decadent variation as a tribute to El Cholo, L.A.’s first Mexican restaurant. The historic eatery, one of the oldest, family-run restaurants in the city, is credited with introducing restaurant-style burritos to the U.S. in the 1930s. The iconic location features a blended Coconut Margarita on its menu, which Reis has had some experience with.

“My friend Rob, who used to run Oy Bar, [and I] had ordered them one day prior to a fancy dinner,” says Reis. The two friends may have enjoyed a few too many, and that fancy dinner was just a blur. It had been an inside joke between them since. “I decided to lean into the joke, and the Mírate Coconut Margarita was born.”

The drink soon became a fan favorite.

Since opening in the Los Feliz neighborhood in 2022, Mírate’s bar program has quickly become recognized as a leader in the agave spirits space, featuring smaller, less recognized producers and hosting educational tasting events with notable experts. It was named as one of the Top Bars in the U.S. in this year’s F&W Global Tastemakers Awards, and recently ranked No. 12 by World’s 50 Best Bars in North America. 

Why the Coconut Margarita works

Though many associate coconut with Piña Coladas and rum cocktails, the slightly nutty, earthy, and tropical flavors pair especially well with a woodsy reposado tequila. 

“We use a beautiful reposado from G4 [Tequila] that already has subtle notes of toasted coconut from its barrel finish,” says Reis. “[It] combines incredibly well with the toasted coconut infusion.” 

For the infusion, the tequila is “washed” with toasted coconut flakes overnight, enhancing the natural coconut aromatics in the spirit. (The recipe featured here has been simplified to make at home.) For the coconut liqueur, Reis likes using Kalani, a brand that ferments fresh coconut milk with a Mexican sugar cane rum base.

“Hilariously enough, [this cocktail] has five kinds of coconut integrated into it, so you’ll find it’s definitely not your everyday Coconut Margarita,” says Reis. “We make a house-made coconut cream integrating three different kinds of coconut, but you could easily substitute in Coco Lopez [coconut cream] blended with coconut milk, or another more craft brand of coconut cream.”

The result of all of that coconut is more nuanced than you might think. The bold cooked agave flavors from the reposado tequila cut through the luscious coconut cream, and freshly squeezed lime juice helps to brighten and balance the overall sweetness. It is layered, complex, and pure vacation in a glass.

“[This drink] was actually part of the inspiration behind opening our new bar venture, Daisy Margarita Bar,” says Reis. 

Now, there are two places in Los Angeles to try this guest favorite. Or, you can take a stab at the recipe here and summon a tropical holiday from home.