The Italian Liqueur You Should Be Adding To Texas Roadhouse Margaritas

Texas Roadhouse is most known for its variety of steak dishes and that deep-fried onion that rivals the blooming onion from another major steakhouse chain. If you've ever had the delight of ordering a meal at the chain, you might also be aware of its large, boozy margaritas that you can wash down your ribeye with. There's a lot you might want to know about Texas Roadhouse, but one fun fact is that the restaurant has a unique ingredient suggestion that amps up the next margarita whether you order it at a nearby location or make one at home: Aperol.

That's right, the Italian liqueur can be used for far more than an Aperol Spritz on a sunny day. Texas Roadhouse sells its margarita mix on its website, and it's also available on other online retailers like Amazon. On its product page, the restaurant offers a cocktail recipe called Longitude and Gratitude, which uses 3 ounces of its margarita mix, 1.5 ounces of tequila, and an ounce of Aperol. The liqueur has an essence of orange and is slightly sweet with mild notes of vanilla. Many margarita recipes use triple sec, and the use of Aperol is an elevated take to give the orange flavor to a margarita that's not quite as sweet. It also has 11% alcohol so it will make the drink more boozy.

A look at Texas Roadhouse's margarita menu doesn't reveal one of the cocktails with a shot of Aperol, but that doesn't mean you can't try to order one at the steakhouse. Order its House Rocks Margarita, or another flavor if you please, and ask the waiter or bartender to add a shot of Aperol. Of course, if you secure the brand's margarita mix, you can also make it at home. Shake the ingredients well in a mixer with lots of ice to make it refreshing, then pour over ice. Lean into the Aperol with an orange slice, make it spicy with a garnish of sliced jalapeños, or keep it classic with a lime wedge.

Here at Tasting Table, we have original margarita recipes that can certainly benefit from Texas Roadhouse's tip for using Aperol. Lean into the citrus with our orange-centric golden margarita recipe and replace the Cointreau with Aperol. For anyone who appreciates a frozen version of the cocktail, make our classic frozen margarita recipe and swap the Cointreau with Aperol. And if you happen to try it at the eatery itself, here are some of Texas Roadhouse's most popular menu items to soak up the booze responsibly.