Red Lobster Lobsterita — The Big Gold-Tequila Margarita (Plus the Passion Fruit Version)

The core Lobsterita is gold tequila (Red Lobster names Sauza Gold) with triple sec and margarita mix, served on the rocks or frozen. For Lobsterfest 2023, Red Lobster added a Passion Fruit Lobsterita, which it described as Sauza Gold tequila, triple sec and Monin passion fruit purée, freshly shaken and poured over ice with a tangy lime rim, also available frozen. Reviewers have described it as the classic Lobsterita with passion fruit purée added.

Red Lobster’s menu has changed a lot over the past few years, and the drink lineup varies by location and promotion. We couldn’t confirm a current national price. Check the app for your local restaurant. Red Lobster doesn’t publish exact pours, so the spec below is a balanced home version.

The restaurant uses a commercial margarita mix, and most copycats copy that with a bottle of supermarket sour. Bottled mix is sweet and a little artificial. Fresh lime plus simple syrup does the same job and tastes much brighter. The ratio of 1¼ oz lime to ¾ oz syrup is slightly tart, which suits seafood.

The lime rim is the other thing people forget. Red Lobster describes a “tangy lime rim,” and the easiest way to get that at home is to rub fresh lime zest into coarse salt. It smells great and makes every sip taste fresher.

On the rocks: shake hard, strain over fresh ice. Clean and tart.

Frozen: blend the same ingredients with about 1½ cups of ice until smooth. Cold dulls sweetness, so add an extra quarter-ounce of syrup. If the blender stalls, add an ounce of water instead of more liquor.

Passion fruit is tart, floral and very aromatic, and it works well in a margarita. Add an ounce of purée to the shaker and reduce the simple syrup to half an ounce, since most purées are lightly sweetened. Shake extra hard; purée needs more agitation to blend in. Leave a few seeds in for looks, or strain them out for a smooth drink.

For eight drinks, stir together 12 oz (360 ml) gold tequila, 6 oz (180 ml) triple sec, 10 oz (300 ml) fresh lime juice, 6 oz (180 ml) simple syrup and 8 oz (240 ml) cold water. Chill well. Rim the glasses with lime salt ahead of time and let them dry, which helps the salt stick. For passion fruit, add 8 oz (240 ml) purée and cut the syrup to 4 oz (120 ml).

The passion fruit Lobsterita makes the best mocktail because the purée has so much flavor that you barely notice the tequila is missing. Use an NA agave spirit if you have one. If not, a splash of chilled green tea adds a similar grassy, slightly bitter note. Add lime, a little orange juice in place of the triple sec, and the same lime-salt rim.

Serve it with shrimp, crab legs, fried fish, and above all a basket of cheddar biscuits.

• Too sour? Add ¼ oz simple syrup or a splash of orange juice.
• Frozen version too icy? Use less ice and more liquid, and blend longer on high for a finer texture.
• Passion fruit version too thick? Strain the purée, or add ½ oz water to the shaker.

Enjoy responsibly — must be 21+.

See all Red Lobster copycat drinks →