Cointreau Is Offering a Trip to France to Winner of the 2023 International Margarita Challenge

The victor of the 2023 international margarita challenge will win a trip to France and a tour of the world’s best bars. This year’s cocktail theme? Old-timey. (Photo: Cointreau)

The Cointreau Margarita Challenge is returning for its third year, and bartenders of all calibers have until January 31st to send in their finest concoctions.

The conceit is simple; for this year’s challenge, contestants must create an awe-inspiring margarita inspired by the cocktail’s eponymous creator, Margaret “Margarita” Sames.

Cointreau says the that winning cocktail must be worthy of pleasing the “sophisticated palates” of Sames’ party guests on the night it was first invented in 1948.

“Using only equipment available during the era, contest participants must come up with a unique reimagining of the Original Margarita invented by Ms. Sames that fateful night, creating a drink based around two ingredients: Cointreau l’Unique and salt.”

Once judges sift through the variety of old-timey margaritas, ten finalists will be flown to France for a series of visits and mixology challenges culminating in a final showdown at the historic Angers Mansion.

The winner will receive an additional trip for two to France as well as a sponsored budget to take their cocktail on a tour of the world’s best bars.

According to the Cointreau website, the evaluation criteria for the margaritas will be 40% technique, 30% ingredients, 20% storytelling and 10% presentation.

Having recently watched Drink Master’s elaborately over-the-top margarita episode, we can only imagine what bartenders will have up their sleeves this year.

First produced in 1875, Cointreau has established itself as perhaps the most recognizable triple sec liquor for use in margaritas.

If you’re interested in submitting an appropriately old-school margarita yourself, you can find the submission for the 2023 margarita challenge on the Cointreau website.

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