The Viral Chick-Fil-A Coconut Lemonade Margarita Proves That Sometimes, The Internet Gets It Right

Chick-fil-A is a fast food chain that constantly goes viral, whether it is for a menu hack — like the chicken sandwich with salsa dressing or the protein-rich chicken tenders on salad trend — or viral dance trends. Whatever the reason, Chick-fil-A finds itself in the news often, and its most recent strike of virality starts with a gallon of Chick-fil-A's lemonade.

This coconut lemonade margarita is made with an entire gallon of the chain's lemonade — which you can purchase at any store for around $13 — Grand Marnier orange liqueur, 1800 Coconut Tequila, and lime juice. Some foodies have even begun creating copycat recipes, and dozens of others have shared their experiences making and tasting this viral coconut lemonade margarita.

So naturally, I had to try it, too. I gathered the ingredients and prepared a big-batch margarita at home to determine whether this trend deserves its viral status or if the internet might be leading you astray.

My evaluation of the viral Chick-fil-A coconut lemonade margarita was based on the flavor and the ease of making it. I wanted the drink to taste exactly like a classic margarita would. The steps for making the margarita were fairly simple: You simply shake together a gallon of Chick-fil-A lemonade, an entire 750-milliliter bottle of 1800 Coconut Tequila, a bit of Grand Marnier, and some fresh-squeezed lime juice. Many people recommend chilling it in the fridge for at least 24 hours before drinking it.

All the gathering, the making, and the waiting beg the question: Is this drink worth the trouble of preparing on your own? Or should you just grab a bottle of pre-made margarita mix, which our taster tried and ranked, to pair with your tequila? Or, even better, should you just leave the drink-making to the bartenders? These are the questions I was considering as I prepared and taste-tested the viral Chick-fil-A coconut lemonade margarita.

The coconut lemonade margarita looks like any classic margarita you would get at a restaurant — it's a light mix of yellow and green in color, and you can see small pieces of pulp from the lemonade floating around in the glass. The 1800 tequila smells and tastes deliciously and accurately of coconut, a nice balance of sharp tequila and soft sweetness. The Grand Marnier is tart and potent with orange on the first few sips, reminiscent of a sweet almond-orange cake.

These sweet elements come together with the tangy and saccharine lemonade for a margarita that tastes better than it should, considering its base is a fast food lemonade. As you drink more, the Grand Marnier becomes a bit hidden, but the entire drink goes down smooth. The fact that there is an entire bottle of tequila in it hits you only on the back end; in that way, the tequila sneaks up on you. It's not too overpowering, but you know you aren't drinking a beverage from a lemonade stand.

As someone who does not like pulp in my juices, I applaud this viral trend for making it easy to overlook the pulp in Chick-fil-A's lemonade. This margarita is sweet in a balanced way, but it could be easily made more tart with the addition of more lime juice, or with a classic salt rim added to your glass, which I recommend. It is a delicious way to make a batch cocktail for a party — I served it to a few family members and the gallon was gone within a few hours. This viral drink is dangerous in the way that the best alcoholic beverages always are.

My vote is that this viral Chick-fil-A coconut lemonade margarita is worth making at home. It is tasty and easy to make — the only hard part was squeezing the limes, but if you have a juicer, that will be easy peasy! Gathering the ingredients is very simple, and mixing them together takes less than 30 minutes.

I waited about 12 hours before my first taste test, and then about 24 hours before tasting it again. The flavor difference is not drastic, so if you do not want to wait the 24 hours to drink it, you could certainly have a glass the same night. But there is a bit more maturity the longer you let the gallon rest; the syrupy, zesty, and citrusy flavors will meld together more deeply, and the margarita will just taste better.

Where I expected the margarita to be overly sweet, it proved itself balanced and well-flavored, and its versatility is important too — personally, I enjoy a salt rim on my margaritas, but some people enjoy sugar rims, and I think this margarita could be garnished with both. This drink is a crowd-pleaser and one worth making if you are hosting a big group that will help you finish the gallon.