How to Make Spicy Margarita
This is my favourite recipe for a spicy margarita! It is refreshing and tangy, just like a traditional margarita, but with a burst of heat from the jalapeño peppers.
Making this spicy margarita is simple. It comes together quickly in a cocktail shaker and just requires six basic ingredients. Savour it at a summer get-together, Cinco de Mayo, or happy hour with tortilla chips, guacamole, and/or salsa. Let’s toast!
Ingredients to prepare Spicy Margarita
- Tequila: For this recipe, use any high-quality blanco tequila, sometimes known as silver tequila. Feel free to use your preferred brand of tequila, however we like Espolon!
- Fresh lime juice: Fresh citrus juice is far superior to bottled citrus juice. Do yourself a favour and take a few more minutes to juice some fresh limes; the taste will reward you richly.
- Fresh Jalapeños: You will use a jalapeño pepper as a garnish and put some to the cocktail shaker. Serrano peppers also work well here, but be aware that they are frequently hotter than jalapeños.
- Light Agave Nectar: Light agave nectar is a naturally occurring, largely unprocessed liquid sweetener that tastes significantly more neutral than honey or maple syrup. Additionally, I’ve discovered that the majority of real Mexican eateries utilise it in their slim margaritas! However, you can also use simple syrup if you don’t have any on hand.
- Ice: Both the shaker and the finished drink require ice. I’ve found that strange flavours in tap water can seriously ruin a decent cocktail, so it’s a good idea to use filtered water for your ice if at all possible.
Making a Spicy Margarita
- Get your glass’s rim ready first. Although you could construct a salt rim if you’d rather, I really enjoy a spicy margarita with a Tajín rim. Rub a lime wedge along the rim of a rocks glass and sprinkle Tajín or kosher salt on a tiny plate. Dip the glass’s top into the salt or Tajín. Pour ice into the glass.
- In the shaker with the jalapeños, add the agave, lime juice, orange liqueur, and tequila. Pour ice into the container, cover, and shake to cold.
- Get your cocktail glass ready. To apply lime juice to your glass, run a squeezed lime wedge around the outside rim. Shake Tajín over the rim of the glass while holding it horizontally and turning it slowly. As an alternative, you might dip the rim into a shallow bowl of Tajín or a salt rimmer. Fill your glass with ice.
- Pour through a strainer into the margarita glass. For a sweeter taste, add more agave; for a tarter one, add more lime; and so on.
How to Make the Ideal Spicy Margaritas
- Taste and make adjustments. Find a balance of flavours you enjoy by tasting and adjusting each cocktail you create at home. Add an additional drop of agave or simple syrup if you want your beverage sweeter. Squeeze in more lime for extra tartness. Add more slices of jalapeño and let it sit and absorb for a few minutes if you want it hotter.
- Allow the ice to melt if it’s too strong. Allow your jalapeño margarita to sit at room temperature for a few minutes if it initially tastes too intense. The liquid will become diluted as the ice melts. Add sparkling water to the top of your glass if it’s still too stiff.
Also try: Mexican Margarita