Why I love these jalapeño margaritas
Cinco de Mayo is upon us, and while I had big plans to do a whole margarita week complete with a new margarita recipe everyday, life got in the way. Between fielding comments from dairy free egg haters – see my latest are eggs dairy post for details – and packing for my week at Everything Food Conference, I just didn’t have enough time to taste test all the margarita recipes.
I did however, get the chance to mix up a few spicy jalapeño margaritas to go with the Instant Pot carnitas recipe we’ve been eating on a regular basis lately.
Beyond just the spicy kick of jalapeños, I’ve taken things up another notch by using my favorite add in of all time, St. Germain (because I’m so fancy). The herbaceous flavors in the elderflower liqueur pair so well with the heat of the jalapeños, while still providing the same sweetness level that a triple sec or agave add to the margarita.
If you don’t have, or don’t want to use, St. Germain, feel free to use classic triple sec or Cointreau (like I did in my red sangria recipe). Either way, this jalapeño margarita will be great.
How to make a spicy jalapeño margarita
Rim your glasses with salt and fill them with ice so they’re ready to go when your drinks are ready. If you want to prep this ahead of time, obviously hold off on the ice.
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, tequila, St. Germain (or triple sec), and lime juice. Add about 3 jalapeño slices (you can do more or less depending on your desired spice level).
Shake the margarita until the outside gets really, super cold. You want it to be so cold that it’s almost hard to hold.
Strain into cocktail glasses. You could also use classic margarita glasses if you have them, but I’m guessing you don’t because they are a little unnecessary for the average person, no matter how much you like margaritas. If you have them, use them.
More margarita recipes: cranberry margaritas / limoncello margaritas / pineapple mezcal margarita / prickly pear margaritas / strawberry margaritas on the rocks
Frequently asked questions
A good margarita is a homemade margarita! Making them from scratch allows for a little less sugar than a bottled mix. The fresh juices have more natural acidity to balance out the tequila making for a much smoother margarita.
Absolutely! Bottled lime juice is great to have on hand at home for all sorts of cocktails. I usually grab a few fresh limes when I go to the grocery store but always have a bottle of lime juice in the fridge.
As with all fresh citrus juices, some can be a little more acidic than others making your drink taste a little bitter. Add a pinch of salt or sugar to your cocktail to help level out the acidity.
This recipe would be great with:
Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas
Ingredients
- 4 ounces 1/2 cup tequila
- 4 ounces 1/2 cup lime juice
- 3 ounces elderflower liqueur
- 3 – 4 sliced jalapeños, plus more for garnish
- Fresh limes, for garnish
- Ice
Instructions
- Rim margarita glasses with salt and fill with ice.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add margarita ingredients. Shake until very cold.
- Strain into prepared glasses and garnish with jalapeños and fresh limes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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