Spicy Margarita Recipe

Before you start

A spicy margarita is a Tommy's-style tequila sour with fresh chile added. The difficulty is not the recipe but the heat: two jalapeños from the same bag can differ wildly, and most of the burn sits in the white ribs and seeds. This page gives two routes. Muddling a few slices in the shaker is quick and fresh-tasting; a short tequila infusion gives steadier heat you can taste and adjust before anyone drinks it.

Keep the rest of the drink simple so the chile reads clearly. Blanco tequila, lime, a little orange liqueur and agave syrup are enough. Taste the chile before you start, decide how hot you want the drink, and remember cold numbs the palate, so the drink tastes hotter as it warms.

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 thin slices fresh jalapeño — ribs and seeds removed for mild heat
• 60 ml (2 oz) blanco tequila — 100% agave
• 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lime juice
• 15 ml (½ oz) orange liqueur — such as Cointreau
• 10 ml (2 tsp) agave syrup — agave nectar diluted 1:1 with water
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for shaking, plus fresh ice for serving
• 1 tbsp flaky salt or chile-lime salt — optional, for a half rim
• 1 lime wedge — for the rim

Method

1. Taste a tiny sliver of the jalapeño. If it is fiery, use 2 seeded slices; if it is mild, use 4 and leave a few seeds in.
2. Run a lime wedge around half the rim of the rocks glass and dip it in salt. A half rim lets the drinker choose each sip. Fill the glass with fresh ice.
3. Put the jalapeño slices and the orange liqueur in the shaker and press 4 or 5 times with the muddler, just enough to crack the flesh. Grinding them to paste releases bitter, grassy flavors.
4. Add the tequila, lime juice and agave syrup. Dip a straw in and taste; if the heat is already strong, strain out the chile now before shaking.
5. Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds.
6. Double-strain over the fresh ice so no seeds or chile fragments end up in the glass. Garnish with a thin jalapeño wheel if you like.

Tips for success

• Wear gloves or wash your hands well after cutting chiles, and keep your fingers away from your eyes.
• For a party, make infused tequila instead of muddling to order. Every drink then has the same heat.
• Agave syrup diluted 1:1 pours and mixes more evenly than straight nectar, which tends to sink to the bottom of the tin.

Substitutions

Jalapeño

Serrano is hotter and sharper, so use half as much. Fresno chile gives a fruitier heat and a red color.

Orange liqueur

Leave it out and raise the agave syrup to 15 ml for a cleaner, Tommy's-style drink.

Blanco tequila

Mezcal gives a smoky spicy margarita. Use 30 ml of each for balance.

Variations

Jalapeño-infused tequila

Slice 1 jalapeño into 375 ml of tequila. Taste every 15 minutes and strain when it is a little hotter than you want the finished drink. Use it in place of the muddled chile.

Spicy pineapple

Add 30 ml fresh pineapple juice and reduce the agave syrup to 5 ml.

Troubleshooting

It is far too hot

Stir in 15 ml more tequila, 7 ml lime and 5 ml syrup per drink. Next time seed the chile and strain it out sooner.

No heat comes through

The pepper is mild. Leave in some ribs, add a slice, or switch to serrano.

It tastes vegetal and bitter

The chile was crushed too hard. Muddle gently, just to bruise the flesh.

Storage

Serve immediately after shaking. Strained jalapeño tequila keeps in a sealed bottle in the fridge for about a month; the heat stays stable once the chile is removed. Squeeze lime the day you mix.

Safety notes

Contains 60 ml of 40% ABV tequila plus orange liqueur, about 1.7 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and do not drink and drive. Handle chiles with care and keep them away from your eyes.