Paul McCartney’s Best 5-Ingredient Recipe Is a Must-Have for Your Christmas Party

It’s his signature.

Paul McCartney is famous for many things: his unprecedented music career, his animal rights activism, and even his knighthood.

But in the McCartney family, according to his daughter Mary, he is also famous for his signature cocktail. And the time you’re most likely to catch him mixing it up for your family and friends? Around the holidays.

Paul McCartney’s favorite cocktail

We already knew McCartney loved margaritas: he admitted that “a margarita” was his favorite reward when he got off stage. But it turns out he’s developed his own version of the classic recipe.

Sir Paul’s Margarita, or “Maccarita”, is a delicious lemony twist on the classic tequila cocktail. It’s perfect for everything from summer parties to holiday happy hours, and best of all, it only requires five ingredients to make.

“But you don’t want to drink too many,” McCartney warns, calling them “more indulgent” because they taste “so good.”

What is a Maccarita?

The “Maccarita” is Paul McCartney’s favorite tequila drink to make for friends and family at home.

In a segment on her Discovery Plus show, “Mary McCartney Serves It Up,” the singer’s daughter shares that her father is famous for this clementine-flavored cocktail, to which he cheekily responds, “Am I?”

The mixed drink contains the basic components of a margarita. but use freshly squeezed clementine (or orange) juice for even more brightness and flavor. Instead of being served over ice, it’s shaken with ice before serving, “because it’s really good when it’s cold,” the singer shares.

“It has really nice fresh floral notes,” her daughter said, “and then that tequila gives it a kick, but it’s also pretty clean.”

The father-daughter duo is a joy to watch together in the kitchen and also provides a great margarita recipe.

How to make a Maccarita

The recipe begins by extracting the juice from the clementines with a traditional reamer, which Paul has difficulty using. “I’m used to electric cars,” he jokes. “I am a modern person.”

Then you combine your ingredients in a shaker. Paul has his own method of measurement: using full bottles. He admits that much of the recipe is just a “guess” (which is probably why McCartney is the Maccarita master in the first place). But we did our best to follow his vague instructions.

First, tequila – about 4 ounces (“Well, you know, it’s a party,” he adds). Then, equal parts Cointreau and triple sec, about an ounce and a half of each. Add the juice of an orange or two clementines and finally the juice of a lime.

Naturally, he needs to sing during the exciting cocktail movement. “You have to sing!” he said. “And you do this until your hand gets cold.”

Now for the toppings.

“If you want salt on the edge of your rim,” he explains, “you have to file it down, like this,” rubbing the center of the fruit along the glass. Then he spreads a thin line of salt on the counter and rolls the rim of the glass right over it.

The finished cocktail is elegant, simple and sophisticated, just like the musical hero himself. So, just when you thought Paul McCarney had run out of tricks, get ready for his signature Maccarita to be the hit of your holiday happy hour. Well done, Sir Paul.