Can't decide between a cold beer and a sweet & salty margarita? An Iceberg Margarita (Coronarita) combines both for one cold, refreshing sip.
Yes it's true! A classic margarita can be made even better.... with beer!
What is a Coronarita? A Beer Margarita!
A Coronarita is simply a classic margarita mixed with beer. A crisp Mexican lager works best for this drink, as it does not overpower the margarita flavor. It is popular to use Coronitas (mini beer bottles) for these beer margarita drinks, but what makes this recipe special is that mix it all together for optimum flavor.
Like our Pink Señorita, the inspiration from this drink came from a trip to Mexico. Keith asked our bartender to make him a Coronarita. It took a few moments, but finally our new friend smiled with recognition: "you mean an Iceberg?" he said, with his charming Spanish accent. We watched as he mixed the familiar ingredients in a blender and served it over just the right amount of cerveza. We were hooked at the first sip.
Mixing beer into the margarita adds a bit of saltiness and punch. It balances the sweetness of the fresh lime and triple sec. And the Chile Lime rim adds an extra kick. Get ready for total refreshment.
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Ingredients
- MEXICAN LAGER: we like Corona Light, Dos Equis, Trader José Light, or a Coronita
- TEQUILA: we like José Cuervo tequila or Patrón Tequila
- TRIPLE SEC: orange flavored liquor is key to a good margarita
- LIME: fresh squeezed lime juice
- ORANGES: fresh squeezed orange juice
- ICE: plenty of ice in the blender makes this drink cold & refreshing
- SIMPLE SYRUP: use store bought simple syrup or follow recipe below.
- CHILI LIME SEASONING: (we like this one from Trader Joe's) to rim glass. You can also use Tajin seasoning.
*see recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- BLEND MARGARITA INGREDIENTS: In a blender, combine ice, tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec, orange juice, and simple syrup. Blend until slushy.
- RIM THE GLASSES: Rub rim of 10 ounce glass with a lime wedge to wet. Place Chili Lime Seasoning (or salt) onto plate. Invert rim of glass onto plate to coat.
- ADD THE BEER: Pour 6 ounces of beer into the glass. Then slowly pour blended margarita onto top of beer (the margarita floats on top of beer to resemble foam of beer).
- GARNISH: Garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.
How to make simple syrup
- heat ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Cool and store until needed.
Expert Tips
- Use Mexican Lager: Any light beer will work for this recipe, but we find that a pale, Mexican lager (Corona, Dos Equis, or Pacifico) tastes the best when combined with the Margarita flavor.
- Serve Immediately: wait to mix the cocktails until you are ready to serve. Iceberg Margaritas taste best when they are fresh and ice cold.
- Use Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice: bottled lime juice just does not measure up. Fresh lime is best, plus that lime wedge looks great on the margarita glass!
Substitutions and Variations
- CHILI LIME SEASONING: If you don't have Chili Lime Seasoning, you can make your own by combining salt, chili powder and a dash of cayenne pepper. Remember to rim the glass with lime before dipping!
- MARGARITA MIX: using Margarita Mix is a good time saving short cut. Just add tequila and ice to it in step 1.
- CLASSIC SALT RIM: If you're not feeling spicy, use sea salt, kosher salt, or smoked salt to rim the margarita glass.
Serving suggestions
- CHIPS AND SALSA: Crispy corn tortillas and salsa is our go-to. Try our fresh Pineapple Salsa!
- NACHOS: Loaded Pulled Pork Nachos are a great appetizer that can also be a meal!
- TAQUITOS: Chipotle Chicken Taquitos taste great with Iceberg Margaritas. They're perfect for Game Day
- TACOS: Any kind of taco: we like Short Rib Tacos, Korean Chicken Tacos, or Vietnamese Shrimp Tacos.
FAQ
Our recipe takes the guess work out of drinking because we mix the beer + margarita together before serving. No bottle balancing or uneven flavor.
The best part about this drink is that it looks good in most glasses (as long as they are big enough for a spicy rim). We chose high ball glasses, but classic margarita glasses look great too.
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Coronarita recipe
Can't decide between a cold beer and a sweet & salty margarita? The Iceberg Margarita (Coronarita) combines both for a cold, refreshing sip.
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
Ingredients
- 6 oz light beer
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz triple sec
- 1 ½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ oz fresh orange juice
- ½ C ice
- 1 oz simple syrup (recipe below)
- Chili Lime Seasoning (we like this one from Trader Joe's) to rim glass. Salt is optional.
Instructions
- In a blender combine ice, tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec, orange juice and simple syrup.
- Blend until slushy
- Rub rim of 10 oz glass with lime wedge to wet.
- Place seasoning or salt onto plate and invert rim of glass onto plate to coat with seasoning.
- Pour 6 oz beer into glass and then slowly pour blended margarita onto top of beer.
- The margarita floats on top of beer to resemble foam of beer.
- Garnish with lime and enjoy.
- Try stopping at one. We dare you 🙂
Simple Syrup recipe:
- ½ C sugar and ½ C water heated over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Cool and store until needed.
Notes
How to make simple syrup:
- heat ½ C sugar and ½ C water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved
- cool and store until needed
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 266
- Sugar: 30.8 g
- Sodium: 354.4 mg
- Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: drink, cocktail, lime, beer, Mexico, Mexican, margarita, coronarita, summer, tequila, corona, iceberg, triple sec
Jim says
We love them too....a good shortcut is to just use frozen concentrate lime aid (fill empty container with tequila) and add beer....Corona of cousre! A trick that I've learned is to make a pitcher of the the mix and add the beer as you're severing. This way your marg is nice and bubbly!
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Jackie says
Thanks for the tip Jim! This sounds like a great shortcut... will definitely be trying that idea ourselves....