Spicy Margarita Recipe

Spicy Margarita recipe — Your regular margarita's rebellious sibling who studied abroad and came back dangerous. Made with tequila. Originally from Mexico.

I'm the friend who convinces you to try street food in questionable neighborhoods and somehow you always have the best time. I bring the heat without being obnoxious about it, and I know exactly how to balance sweet talk with spicy truth. Warning: I make people text their exes.

Jalapeños were the first peppers to travel to space in 1982 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. NASA scientists wanted to test how astronauts' taste buds changed in zero gravity, and spicy foods became a crew favorite for combating the blandness that affects taste in space.

While the classic margarita has murky origins, the spicy version emerged in the 1990s when American bartenders started infusing jalapeños into tequila. Mexican cantinas had been adding chile to drinks for centuries, but the formal spicy margarita became popular when craft cocktail culture embraced heat as a flavor dimension.

Ingredients

• 2 oz blanco tequila (100% agave preferred)
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau or triple sec)
• 0.5 oz agave nectar
• 2-3 slices fresh jalapeño (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 pinch chili lime salt (for rim)
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

1. Rim glass with chili lime salt and set aside.
2. Muddle jalapeño slices in shaker to release oils.
3. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and agave nectar to shaker.
4. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
5. Double strain over fresh ice in prepared glass.
6. Garnish with lime wheel and jalapeño slice.

Category: cocktail | Difficulty: easy | Base spirit: tequila | ABV: 16.0-20.0%

Origin: Mexico