Can Margarita Make You Drunk? (What you need to know)


Can Margarita Make You Drunk

Are considering bringing margarita to the next party you’re attending? And wondering if it’s strong enough to make you drunk? Here is your answer.

Margaritas can make you drunk. The margarita is considered to be a strong cocktail because of its high alcoholic content. However, the amount of alcohol varies, depending on which type it is and also the ingredients that are used. A classic margarita can be as strong as 33% percent.

As you can see, the margarita really knows how to get the party started! If you want to know how many you need and how long it takes, read on.

How Many Margaritas to Get Drunk?

How many margaritas to get drunk

Alright! Now we know about how strong it can be, then how many do you need to get drunk?

The number of margaritas to make you drunk depends on your alcohol tolerance. Therefore, to know how many margaritas you’ll need in order to get drunk, you need to take into account your gender, weight, genetics, and the alcohol content of your margarita. Online BAC calculators can give you an indication.

So yeah, there is a bunch of factors that will influence how many you’ll need. Anyways, what I personally do to plan how much drink to get, is use the BAC calculator. I embedded a link there if you want to check it out. Those calculators only take into account gender and weight, so you can’t blindly trust them…

The next thing that is important to think about, is the amount of alcohol you burn per hour. The fancy word for this is detoxification and is primarily done by the liver. The average person reduces their BAC (blood alcohol content) by 0.015 per hour. This is however affected by medicine and liver damage, and also all the other factors discussed earlier.

Lastly, before we find out the number of margaritas average Joe needs in an example, there is one last thing. If you’re not familiar with a margarita, they are usually about 4 fl. oz. but the size may vary. But we’ll use that number in our example.

Now, to the fun part! How many margaritas does average Joe need to get drunk!!

0.08-0.1% blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk.

Average Joe is very lucky so the calculator works precisely on him.

He weighs 165 lbs and is a guy by birth. He wants to know how much one margarita will affect him. He’s drinking on an empty stomach and calculates all the alcohol to be in effect after one hour.

Drinking on an empty stomach causes this whole process to happen much faster. This intensifies the effects and makes them come on faster. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) peaks about 1 hour after you drink on an empty stomach.

Healthline, Adrienne Santos-Longhurst, medically reviwed by Elaine K. Luo, M.D.

The calculator says that his BAC peaks out at 0.057%. He is having way too much fun to stop drinking just yet tho… So he drinks one more!

Margarita number two peaks out one hour later, meaning he will also have burned 0.015%. The math will be like this: (0.057-0.015)+0.057=0.099% BAC.

And with that, average Joe is drunk! LET THE PARTY BEGIN!!

In conclusion: If you were average Joe, and the BAC calculator was designed perfectly for your conditions. Then two 4 fl. oz. margaritas with 33% ABV, drunk at 1 hours intervals would make you drunk.

How Long Does it Take to Get Drunk Off Margarita?

How long does it take to get drunk of margarita

If you’ve read the whole article this may be clear to you. Then you can go ahead and skip to the next headline! Anyways, now let’s find out how long it takes to get drunk off margarita!

In general, drinking margarita can make you drunk in about an hour, when drunk responsibly. This is true for all alcoholic beverages, as in general the full effect of alcohol is felt in about an hour. On an empty stomach, the effect will take place faster.

If you want a more detailed answer, I wrote about this matter a bit earlier in the article. Just scroll up to the “How Many Margaritas To Get Drunk” headline, or click here.

The short answer is simply:

It’s affected by gender, weight, genetics, alcohol percentage, and if you’re drinking on an empty stomach.

For average Joe, male weighting 165 lbs, according to alcohol.org’s BAC calculator, it will take him 2 hours. IF, he drunk two units of 4 fl. oz. margarita with 33% ABV at a 1-hour interval.

How Many Drinks In One Margrita

How many drinks in a margarita

If you’re comparing margarita to other drinks and cocktails, you’ll be amazed at how strong this one is. But is there multiple drinks in one margarita? (in terms of alcohol)

A classic margarita contains 1.6 drinks. In the US one drink is defined as 0.6 fl. oz. pure alcohol, which is the same as 1.5 fl. oz. 40% ABV. In a classic margarita following the official recipe by IBA, there is 70 ml. (2.37 fl. oz.) of 40% ABV.

How did I come to the number 1.6? By dividing 2.37 / 1.5=1.58≈1.6.

So by dividing the amount of 40% ABV on how much there is in one drink, 1.5 fl. oz.

Does this mean that every time you order one margarita, you get one-half extra for free? I wish. It seems like the bars and restaurants are aware of this matter as well. But what it does mean is that you don’t have to go get yourself a new drink all the time.

1.5 fl. oz. is the size of normal shotting glass, and while filled with 40% ABV, it’s the same as one drink. However, it’s also the same as one small box of beer (12 fl. oz. 5% beer) which is an awesome way of remembering the rule.

Can You Get Drunk off Margarita Mix?

Can you get drunk off margarita mix

A lot of people seem to worry if they can get drunk off their margarita mix. The short answer is:

It’s not possible to get drunk by consuming margarita mix. This is because it’s a non-alcoholic beverage that is supposed to be mixed with tequila. However, it’s often confused with what’s called a pre-made margarita, which does contain alcohol.

But if you can make it happen, you gotta email us at Drink Mastery, because that would be awesome!

Now, if you mix it with tequila this is a totally different matter. Then since most of these mixes are supposed to be mixed 50/50 with tequila, which usually is about 40% ABV, it would weigh in at 20% ABV. This means you have 2 liters of 20% margarita, which is enough to make your whole party drunk!

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Long Does It Take Margarita To Leave The System?

Margarita is an alcoholic beverage, which will make you intoxicated until it’s left your system. On average the body reduces the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by 0.015% per hour. How long it takes all of the alcohol to leave the system, depends on how much you’ve consumed.

References:

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, What Is A Standard Drink? from <https://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/alcohol/blood-alcohol-concentration/>

Student Well-being McDonald Center, Blood Alcohol Concentration <https://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/alcohol/blood-alcohol-concentration/>

Healthline, Adrienne Santos-Longhurst & Elaine K. Luo, M.D., How Long Does It Take for Alcohol to Kick In? <https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-for-alcohol-to-kick-in#:~:text=You%20might%20be%20surprised%20at,in%20within%20about%2010%20minutes.>

Bowling Green State University, Alcohol Metabolism <https://www.bgsu.edu/recwell/wellness-connection/alcohol-education/alcohol-metabolism.html>

American Addiction Centers, Editorial Staff, BAC Legal Limits in Different States, Counties, & Cities <https://www.alcohol.org/dui/bac-limits/>

Notre Dame College, Blood Alcohol Level, <https://www.notredamecollege.edu/sites/default/files/-Blood-Alcohol-Chart.pdf>

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, What Is A Standard Drink? <https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink>

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