We’re always mad for margaritas but we especially love the Mexican summer sipper with a touch of heat. Follow our easy Spicy Margarita recipe and catch your own case of margarita madness.
Have you ever tried a margarita?
Considering that the margarita is one of the most popular drinks in the world and the drink of choice for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, the answer to this rhetorical question is obviously yes.
The better question is how do you drink your margarita.
Maybe you like your Mexican cocktail on the rocks or perhaps you prefer a slushier frozen version. You might doctor a classic margarita to make it sweet or spicy. Then there’s the decision of adding salt or going salt-free.
With just a handful of ingredients, the popular tequila cocktail manages to be bitter, salty, sour and sweet in every sip. Everybody has a favorite margartia version – even us.
When we make margaritas at home, we typically add a cayenne kick to take our margarita recipe one delicious step further.
Yes, we love to make our margaritas spicy.
Margarita History
With more possible margarita origin stories than margarita ingredients, the history of the margarita is murky at best. One thing we know for sure is that the popular tequila drink dates back to the first half of the 20th century.
Since the Spanish word margarita literally translates to daisy, we can justifiably assume that the margarita is a variation of the daisy cocktail using tequila instead of brandy. But questions of who, what, where and when it was invented are open to speculation.
Some cocktail historians credit Carlos Herrera for inventing the margarita in Tijuana while others recognize Margarita Sames for being the first to serve the tasty tequila tipple in Acapulco.
You can read more about the margarita’s history in Smithsonian Magazine and pick the origin story you like best.
Ingredients
A Spicy Margarita is a classic margarita with an added ingredient or two to ramp up the heat. But what’s in a classic margarita recipe?
Most classic margarita recipes feature quality tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice, kosher salt and ice. Some recipes add ingredients like agave and simple syrup but those ingredients are optional.
To make spicy margaritas in our home kitchen, we bought bottles of silver Tres Sombreros tequila and Cointreau triple sec at our local liquor store in Lisbon. Each bottle cost us approximately 15€.
Use the best available tequila available at your local store. Popular brands include Patrón, Don Julio and, of course, Cuervo.
Discover our favorite tequila cocktails as well as our favorite Cointreau cocktails.
The jalapeno pepper is the most common ingredient used to transform a classic margarita into a Spicy Margarita. Other recipes add habanero peppers to the mix. Our version includes neither of these North American chilis.
Instead, our recipe incorporates cayenne pepper powder which can be purchased at any local market around the world. We prefer the more rounded flavor which allows the margarita to retain its sweetness but with a pleasant kick.
Pro Tip
Taste your cayenne pepper to test its heat level before you add it to your margarita. We tend to go heavy with ours since the cayenne pepper in our kitchen is milder than the kind sold in the United States.
You can be more adventurous if you’re located in the Americas. Grind a combination of dry chilis like arbols, cascabels and chipotles into a fine powder for a more complex flavor.
How To Make A Spicy Margarita
Making a Spicy Margarita is easy to do at home and takes just five minutes in total. Necessary tools include a cocktail shaker, jigger and strainer. You’ll also need a knife to slice the lime in half. Follow our full recipe below for detailed instructions.
We like to drink our Spicy Margaritas in tapered lowball glasses. However, you could also use a traditional stemmed margarita glass or a coupe glass.
Pro Tip
You can call your Spicy Margarita a jalapeno margarita or a dirty margarita. It’s your drink – call it whatever you want.
Considering the margarita’s roots, you’ll want to pair your Spicy Margarita with Mexican food favorites. We like to drink ours with guacamole, fresh tomato salsa and chips to create the happiest hour of the day.
Variations
During our travels, we’ve tried some unique versions like Jose Andres’ foam-topped salt air margarita at China Poblano in Las Vegas and the iconic frozen avocado margarita at Curra’s Grill in Austin.
While we like crafting our margaritas with cayenne pepper and drinking them on the rocks, you may want to try one of the following variations:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Spicy Margarita is a tongue tingling margarita that’s spiced up with ingredients like cayenne pepper or jalapeño peppers.
Our Spicy Margarita recipe includes blanco tequila, triple sec, lime juice, coarse salt, cayenne pepper and ice cubes. Other Spicy Margarita recipes get heat from jalapeño pepper instead of cayenne pepper.
The Spicy Margarita is shaken, not stirred.
Did you craft this cocktail? If so, please rate the recipe below.
Spicy Margarita Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- coarse salt (to taste)
- cayenne pepper powder (to taste)
- ice cubes (several small cubes or one large cube)
Instructions
- Combine coarse salt and cayenne pepper and mix evenly on a small round plate.
- Rub lime around the rim of a low ball glass and then dip the glass into the salt / cayenne pepper mixture, twirling the glass until the rim is well coated. Set the glass aside.
- Combine tequila, Cointreau and lime juice in a shaker.
- Add several ice cubes and shake vigorously until liquids are chilled and mixed.
- Add ice to the coated low ball glass and then strain the shaken liquor into the glass.
- Sprinkle additional cayenne pepper on top to taste.
Pro Tips
- Adjust the spice level by adding more or less cayenne pepper.
- You can optionally serve this cocktail in a coupe glass without ice.
Estimated Nutrition
Thirsty For More Tequila Cocktails?
About the Authors
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Original Publication Date: June 20, 2020