Mexican Martini

A Mexican Martini is a margarita on the rocks with a splash of olive juice, and this version is a copycat recipe of the famous cocktail from Trudy's in Austin!

Mexican Martini with text overlay.

 

Cinco de Mayo is just a few short weeks away and, I don't know about you, but I relish any holiday that can be celebrated by eating vast quantities of chips, queso, salsa, and guacamole...all washed down by a margarita (or three). So I do believe a new margarita recipe would be just the thing to commemorate this occasion -- specifically, a Mexican Martini!

Mexican Martini with a garnish of lime plus olives on decorative pick.

What is a Mexican Martini?

While Mexican Martinis carry the moniker of, well, martinis, they are actually margaritas on the rocks...in disguise. Made with your standard margarita ingredients, what sets these apart is the fact that they're spiked with olive juice -- à la dirty martini style -- and shaken in a cocktail shaker before being poured into a martini glass. The result is a chilly, refreshing cocktail that's a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and capable of adding a whole lotta olé to your fiesta!

Invented in Austin, you can find various versions of the Mexican Martini at bars and restaurants across town. But my favorite has always been the offering at a local Mexican restaurant chain called Trudy's. And today's recipe, friends, is a pretty darn good copycat of those Trudy's Mexican Martinis.

Aerial view of glasses and garnishes.

Ingredients

So let's break it down like a bartender, shall we?

  • Start with good tequila, because you're going to be able to detect it. I either prefer tequila plata (that would be "silver tequila," for those of you not lucky enough to have had four years of Señor Rust for high school Spanish), but gold tequila is good, too. Lately, I've been favoring a nice reposado or añejo. At any rate, use something you like the taste of!
  • Next comes your favorite type of orange liqueur. I usually keep Cointreau on hand, but Triple Sec works equally well.Side view of Mexican Martini in glass garnished with salt and a slice of lime.
  • A true margarita connoisseur already knows that the key to an excellent margarita is using fresh-squeezed fruit juices. Lime juice is obvious, but have you ever added fresh orange juice to a margarita? It mellows out the liquor and adds a touch of citrus-y sweetness. Perfecto!
  • Next, we're going to cheat just a bit...shhhhh! I typically use simple syrup to add sweetness to cocktails, but for this Mexican Martini recipe, lemon-lime soda (with its extra punch of citrus) is a nice stand-in...not to mention it's as easy as popping open a can. However, if you prefer to stick with simple syrup, that's fine, too.
  • Close-up of Mexican Martini in glass with olive pick. Finally, you'll need to add a splash of the most important Mexican Martini ingredient of all...olive juice! You are certainly welcome to get fancy and buy one of those bottles of olive juice from the liquor store, destined for dirty martinis. But alternatively, you can just buy a jar of green, pimiento-stuffed olives (manzanillas) and pour a bit of the liquid in which the olives are swimming into your drink. As far as how much olive juice to add, start with a splash and then add more (to taste) if you like your martinis extra-dirty.

Pewter bowl of pimento-stuffed olives, some on picks.

How to Make It

And then simply shakeshakeshake your margarita concoction with plenty o' ice in a shaker, pour it into a salt-rimmed martini glass, and garnish with a skewer of precisely three olives.

Okay, okay...I guess you can use as many olives as you want. But I have found three to be the perfect number required for finishing my cocktail.

Number of Servings

One shaker actually makes enough for about two drinks, so it's up to you if you're going to claim it all as your own or share.

As for the potency of this cocktail, please know that you are free to tweak it to your taste! I typically top mine with a bit more Sprite and a smidgeon more olive juice, but adjust any of the ingredients to your liking. Everyone has a different tolerance for how weak/strong/sweet/salty they prefer their spiked beverages, but I feel like this recipe is a pretty good baseline starting point.

Close-up of olives at edge of salt-rimmed Mexican Martini glass.

 

And that's it...you're all set for Cinco de Mayo! Although everyone will understand if you need to practice this Mexican Martini recipe a few times before May 5th to get it juuuuust right... 😉

More Refreshing Cocktails

More Cinco de Mayo Fare

Mexican Martini

A Mexican Martini is basically a margarita on the rocks with a splash of olive juice, and this version is a copycat recipe of the famous cocktail from Trudy's in Austin!
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 cocktails
Calories: 148kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces good-quality tequila
  • 1 to 2 ounces lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite or 7-Up
  • 1 ounce orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec
  • 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice
  • Splash of olive juice
  • Coarse salt, such as kosher salt, for rimming the glass
  • Pimiento-stuffed green olives, for garnish

Instructions

  • Measure tequila, soda, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice, and olive juice into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into salt-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a skewer of olives.

Notes

  • To rim glasses, spread a thin layer of coarse salt onto a plate. Use a slice of lime to wet the edge of the martini glass, then dip in the salt, turning until well-coated.
  • To add some spice, garnish with gourmet green olives that have been stuffed with jalapenos instead!

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 6mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

 

Originally published on April 21, 2015.

 

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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I've been missin Austin Mexi Ritas sooooo much. This was amazing for our little group of friends. Quadrupled it, made a big jar of the base and chilled the base and glasses. When it was time we added Hornitos and used a shaker and the garnish. Substituted peach for the orange. Just perfect.

    1. 5 stars
      I moved to New Mexico from Austin in 2005 and when I asked for a Mexican Martini they scratched their head and said HUH? Thank you for this recipe! YUM!

  2. Very easy ingredients to follow and gather. Tried this recipe twice and both times it came out great! Definitely a Friday night relaxation for ME time. Thanks!

  3. 5 stars
    Nicely done. As a longtime Austinite I can vouch that these are very close to the excellent ones at Trudy’s and (some say the real inventor) The Cedar Door. I’ll often sub a splash of Topo Chico with a little simple syrup for the Sprite. Or a grapefruit Jarritos.

  4. 5 stars
    We made them with Jarritos Lime instead of Sprite. They were delicious. Great reminder of our time in Austin.

  5. Oh you make me nostalgic for Austin! I spent many a nights at Trudy's having the two drink Mexican Martini limit!
    We learned the way around it!

    I just happened across your blog and I miss Austin just a little less!

    Thanks for the recipe, can't wait to try it this weekend.

    1. Hi there! I apologize for my delayed reply...I've been out of the country. Congrats on your new site...I hopped over and it looks great!

      Trudy's is such a fun place and Austin is such a great city...I'm glad that this post resonated with you. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the Mexican Martini recipe if you had a chance to try it and hope you have a great weekend!

  6. I just got new martini glasses & shaker and I love margaritas. AND Cinco de Mayo is on its way. I think
    we have a good match here. Pretty snazzy looking drink. And simple---thank the heavens.