Makgeolli Margarita is a fun Korean Mexican fusion drink that is made with Korean rice wine Makgeolli and Tequila. It is really refreshing, milky and mildly sweet. A fabulous drink for the summer!
Makgeolli Margarita
Makgeolli Margarita is a drink I had several years ago at a famous Korean Mexican fusion restaurant called Vatos in Seoul. They called it Mageollita and I ordered it and was blown away by how delicious it was. Since then, I have always wanted to make one at home, but I felt I really didn’t have enough cocktail-making skills to attempt such a drink.
But you know.. the last 2+ years of the pandemic changed all that.. 😝😜
Like many who had to stay home and had to find a way to entertain themselves, I started making different cocktails at home for the first time! Costco was selling a great cocktail mixer set and then I was off!!
And I have to say I am thrilled how this came out! I am so excited to share this recipe now and look forward to seeing all of you enjoy this wonderful drink this summer!
What is Makgeolli and best Makgeolli to use?
Makgeolli is a Korean Rice Wine that was typically made at home in the old days by fermenting sweet or regular white rice in water with a unique Korean wild yeast called Nuruk. It’s milky, mildly sweet, and sour with a hint of banana. One could say it has a slightly chalky texture with even very slightly bitter tastes in some cases. It is a great filling drink that tastes great on its own but even better with Korean food.
If you’d like, you can make Makgeolli at home which will be even better to use in this drink because it’s boozier!! Homemade Makgeolli can have almost twice as much alcohol (as high as16%) as commercial ones. Read my How to make Makgeolli post for the recipe! Honestly, I love my homemade makgeolli so much better than commercial ones.
Also, here’s my first post on my Makgeolli project with Vino Vargas where I explore different ways of making Makgeolli at home using different yeasts, longer fermentation and more!
Read my Ultimate Guide to Makgeolli post including my info on the ingredients and tastes of different commercial Makgeollis. You may also find the NY Times article on how this drink is gaining new popularity with many micro brewers in Korea.
BEST Makgeolli to USE for this recipe Is…
My favorite Magkeolli is this one from Kooksoondang Draft Makgeolli 국순당 생 막걸리. It is slightly sweet but has a good balance of flavors and also is full of live active cultures. And it worked great for this Makgeolli Margarita.
FAQ
Sure, but I would try my original version of my Makgeolli Margarita recipe first because Makgeolli is quite a mild drink so the flavors can get lost if you add too much fruit. You can also try using flavored Makgeolli instead.
Cointreau can be substituted with Triple Sec or even Grand Marnier.
Of course!! Homemade Makgeolli will make a great margarita. Just know homemade Makgeolli is less sweet and strong in alcohol so you may need to adjust the recipe a bit by adding more syrup.
FROM JINJOO!
Tips for Makgeolli Margarita
- Gently shake your bottle of Makgeolli before opening so the sediments are all mixed well in as you pour it into your mixer. Just tilt it in either direction instead of really shaking.
- Adjust the amount of lime juice and syrup to your liking. It can certainly have less syrup or more.
- Use Maesil Cheong (Green Plum Syrup) instead of Agave for even more Korean flavors!
- Don’t overdo it with the salt. This Margarita is not as sweet as some other recipes so the salt may overpower the drink if you have too much salt coated on the rim.
How to make Frozen Makgeolli Margaritas
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 1 cup Tequila Blanco (I used Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 cup Cointreau (substitute Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)
- 1 cup Makgeolli
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 5 Tbsp Agave Syrup
- 6 cups ice cubes
- kosher salt (optional for the rim)
- lime slices for decoration
Step by Step Instructions
- If you want to coat the rim with salt, take a wedge of lime and run the edge of the glass with the lime to coat it with lime juice. Then dip the rim of the glass in kosher salt. Don’t coat too much salt because then it will overpower the flavor of the drink.
- When pouring and measuring Makgeolli, make sure you gently tilt the bottle side to side so the sediments will be evenly mixed in your pour. It should come out creamy and milky, not clear. Don’t shake the bottle though because it can explode if you do.
- In a blender, add 1 cup Tequila, 1/2 cup Cointreau, 1 cup Makgeolli, 1/4 cup lime juice, 5 Tbsp Agave syrup (or other sweet syrups) and 6 cups ice.
- Blend until smooth and slushy. Pour out onto 4 glasses and decorate with a slice of lime either twisted on top or on the edge.
- Serve your frozen Makgeolli Margarita immediately and enjoy!
How to make Makgeolli Margarita on the rocks
To make an individual serving of Makgeolli Margarita on the rocks, mix 1.5 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1.5 oz makgeolli, 3/4 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz agave syrup in a cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake and mix the drink. Serve immediately in a margarita glass with a slice of lime on the rim. Coat the rim with salt beforehand if you want to serve it that way.
Watch Video
Other Makgeolli Recipes to try
If you have leftover Makgeolli and want to try some other recipes, make some Makgeolli ice cream!
Makgeolli Ice Cream – No Ice Cream Machine Needed
Makgeolli Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tequila Blanco I used Trader Joe’s
- 1/2 cup Cointreau substitute Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
- 1 cup Makgeolli
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 5 Tbsp Agave Syrup
- 6 cups ice cubes
- kosher salt optional for the rim
- lime slices for decoration
Instructions
- If you want to coat the rim with salt, take a wedge of lime and run the edge of the glass with the lime to coat it with lime juice. Then dip the rim of the glass in kosher salt. Don’t coat too much salt because then it will overpower the flavor of the drink.
- In a blender, add Tequila, Cointreau, Makgeolli, lime juice, agave syrup (or other sweet syrups) and ice.
- Blend until smooth and slushy. Pour out onto glasses and decorate with a slice of lime either twisted on top or on the edge.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
- 1 blender for blending ice
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to add more syrup or try adding Maesil Cheong instead of agave syrup if you have it!
i actually tried Makgeolli for the first time this week….we had to get the liquor store to bring it in from another city ….it was fruit flavoured…..i loved it!!!!ill have to check out your instructions for making it .ive already got my husband hooked on radish and bulgogi sauce in my quest to try korean things…and someone gifted me an english korean dictionary too so my love of korea continues …thank you for sharing xxx
Thank you soo much!! Soo awesome that you tried Makgeolli – it’s really my favorite drink! I really hope you try to make it some day.
Looks yummy. I’ll give this a try this weekend. I noticed the pictures shows whole ice in the cocktail. Is it necessary to add ice to the blended drink? Can you make this drink over the rocks rather than blending it with the ice? Thank you.
The drink with ice IS margarita on the rocks and not blended so yes, you can totally make it without blending the ice and just adding ice after. Enjoy!