Updated April 2026.
The current IBA Margarita is 50 mL of 100% agave tequila, 20 mL of triple sec, and 15 mL of lime juice. At 40% ABV on both spirits, that is about 1.6 US standard drinks. An older IBA card still circulating used 35 mL tequila — about 1.2 drinks, not the 2026 recipe. A 2-ounce tequila bar pour plus 1 ounce of 40% orange liqueur is about 2 drinks. Lime, ice, and salt are not ethanol.
See how many margaritas to get drunk and whether margarita mix has alcohol.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current IBA Margarita | 50 mL at 40% | 20 mL | 40% (Cointreau-style) | 28 mL | 1.6 |
| Current IBA Margarita | 50 mL at 40% | 20 mL | 15% (cheap triple sec) | 23 mL | 1.3 |
| Older IBA card (3.5 cl tequila) | 35 mL at 40% | 20 mL | 40% | 22 mL | 1.2 |
| 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 |
| Current IBA Tommy’s | 60 mL at 40% | none (agave nectar) | — | 24 mL | 1.4 |
| Frozen pint glass, 3 oz tequila | 3.0 oz at 40% | 1 oz at 40% | 40% | 1.60 oz | 2.7 |
The public IBA Tommy’s Margarita is now 60 mL tequila, 30 mL lime, and 30 mL agave nectar — no triple sec. That is about 1.4 drinks at 40%, not a one-shot “skinny.” Older blogs still print 45 mL tequila for Tommy’s. Read the current IBA card.
Cointreau’s US bottling is typically 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.
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. Tommy’s at 60 mL tequila is more than that.
More in our Tequila Guide.
Sources
- IBA Margarita (fetched 2026-09-01): 50 mL 100% agave tequila, 20 mL triple sec, 15 mL lime.
- Older IBA card (Wayback 2016): 3.5 cl tequila, 2 cl Cointreau, 1.5 cl lime — not the current public recipe.
- IBA Tommy’s Margarita (fetched 2026-09-01): 60 mL tequila, 30 mL lime, 30 mL agave nectar.
- NIAAA standard drink: 14 g / 0.6 fl oz ethanol (December 2025).
- Generic triple sec: read the bottle. Cointreau US 40% is a prior label read, not re-fetched this pass.