Nothing says 4th of July like Red, White, and Blue Margaritas! Technically a Devil’s Margarita this delicious red white and blue cocktail is made to impress all your guests!!

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Close up of a red, white, and blue margarita.

Red, White, & Blue Cocktail for 4th of July

These fabulous margaritas came to me on a dark and cold winter’s evening… obviously I was really dreaming of summertime.

I actually thought of the idea after making a whiskey sour with a red wine float on top. It looked so pretty and made me think about making a devil’s margarita in the near future. A Devil’s Margarita is a classic margarita with a red wine floater on top. (Both of these drinks btw are so delicious)

From there my mind wandered… and it ended up on the possibility of making a floating red, white, and blue margarita but with a wine floater on top.

The next weekend I was already on top of it, sure it was the middle of winter but I was going to be making 4th of July Margaritas and loving them!

So these red, white, and blue margaritas were born.

With a little help from science. I calculated what the different layers would be so that they would layer properly. You will see with the blue layer a little bit of agave syrup is added and with the white layer there is none. This is because sugar is a heavy ingredient and so to keep the layers from mixing too much they had to have a slightly different weight.

And then to top them both off a red wine worked perfect because the tequila is heavier than wine.

So let’s see what we need to make this incredible drink.

A highball glass on a cutting board filled with red, white, and blue layers of a margarita.

Ingredients

Ice – Enough for 2 glasses + for the shaker to shake the two different colors of margaritas.
Blue Curaçao – This is an orange flavored blue colored liqueur that will make the blue layer the color that it is. There aren’t really any substitutes for Blue Curaçao but you should be able to find it sold by a few different brands.
Fresh Limes – Fresh limes are a must, if you are going to go through all the trouble of making a fancy cocktail please please don’t use the bottled stuff, the flavor difference is huge. You will need at least 2 limes, 3 if the limes are small.
Blanco Tequila – You will want blanco (also known as silver tequila) for this drink. Your favorite kind will work here.
Agave Syrup – When using agave syrup it is the one variety of simple syrup that I tend to buy pre-made over making myself. If you can’t find agave syrup near you no worries you can just use plain simple syrup instead.
Cointreau – This is for the white layer. Cointreau is the classic liqueur found in a margarita but you may use other orange flavored liqueurs in its place, triple sec is a popular substitution.
Red Wine – Chose your favorite red wine, no need to go find a special kind use what you already drink. I happen to love cabernet so that is what I always end up using.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make red, white, and blue margaritas on a table top.

pro tip

To beat the heat: If it is hot out you will want to make these fast so they don’t start to melt on you. Have both layers of the margarita prepped before shaking and pouring. Maybe you are lucky enough to have 2 shakers you can make them in. If not add the ingredients for the blue into the shaker and have all of the ingredients for the white layer mixed together in a measuring cup or glass so it is easy to pour into the shaker with ice and pour! This way you will be able to pour one layer right after the other.

A highball glass filled with ice and layers of red, white, and blue margarita.

Instructions

Fill 2 highball or pint glasses full of ice. Add a handful of ice to a shaker. To make the first blue layer add 1 ounce blue curaçao, 1 ounce lime juice, 2 ounces tequila, and 1/2 ounce agave syrup. Add the top to the shaker and shake 10 to 20 seconds until the drink is cold. Carefully divide the blue margarita evenly between the two glasses so that it fill up the cup about 1/3 of the way. Rinse out the shaker to remove any access blue margarita.

To make the white layer add a handful of ice to the shaker. Add 1 ounce cointreau, 1 ounce lime juice, and 2 ounces tequila to a shaker. Add the top to the shaker and shake 10 to 20 seconds until the drink is cold. Using the back of a spoon slowly pour half of the white layer over top the back of the spoon over the blue margarita in one glass. Do the same for the second glass. Going slow and evenly over the back of the spoon will help the white layer float on top of the blue layer better.

For the red layer you will use about 2 ounces for each glass (depending on the glass size). Just like with the white layer use the back of the spoon to slowly pour the wine overtop the white layer in each glass to float it on the top. Once the red layer is in place serve immediately, cheers!

Collage showing the different blue, white, and red layers in the margarita.

tips, tricks and questions

What red wine works best for a Devil’s margarita?

Any red wine will work for this drink, so chose your favorite. I use a cabernet since that is what I usually drink.

The layers in this drink are specifically made by weight/sugar, the heaviest on the bottom with a bit of added sugar and the lightest on top, if you try to deviate or change the order of the recipe you might not get the same results.

Floating a cocktail does take a little bit of practice, so don’t be too let down if it isn’t perfect the first time.

You may substitute plain simple syrup for the agave syrup.

As much as I love a salted rim on a margarita you do NOT want to do that for this version. The salt will make the red wine bitter and not taste good!

Close up of a red, white, and blue margarita on a cutting board.

If you like this Red, White, & Blue Margarita you might also like:

Yield: 2 drinks

Red, White, and Blue Margaritas

Impress everyone with these layered red, white, and blue devil's margaritas! The perfect way to celebrate for 4th of July!

Ingredients

Ice for 2 glasses + for the shaker

Blue layer

1 ounce blue curaçao
1 ounce lime juice
2 ounces blanco tequila
1/2 ounce agave syrup

White layer

1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lime juice
2 ounce blanco tequila

Red layer

4 ounce red wine, divided

Instructions

Fill 2 highball or pint glasses full of ice. Add a handful of ice to a shaker. To make the first blue layer add 1 ounce blue curaçao, 1 ounce lime juice, 2 ounces tequila, and 1/2 ounce agave syrup. Add the top to the shaker and shake 10 to 20 seconds until the drink is cold. Carefully divide the blue margarita evenly between the two glasses so that it fill up the cup about 1/3 of the way. Rinse out the shaker to remove any access blue margarita.
To make the white layer add a handful of ice to the shaker. Add 1 ounce cointreau, 1 ounce lime juice, and 2 ounces tequila to a shaker. Add the top to the shaker and shake 10 to 20 seconds until the drink is cold. Using the back of a spoon slowly pour half of the white layer over top the back of the spoon over the blue margarita in one glass. Do the same for the second glass. Going slow and evenly over the back of the spoon will help the white layer float on top of the blue layer better.
For the red layer you will use about 2 ounces for each glass (depending on the glass size). Just like with the white layer use the back of the spoon to slowly pour the wine overtop the white layer in each glass to float it on the top. Once the red layer is in place serve immediately, cheers!