The Margarita, arguably the world’s most beloved cocktail, offers an abundance of spins and variations. The combination of tequila, lime, and agave never fails to amaze me. The spicy Margarita was born from infusing tequila with hot peppers.
My Jalapeño-infused Margarita recipe is essentially a Classic Margarita made with simple syrup, fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, triple sec, and fresh Jalapeños. Because sometimes we just need to spice things up a little and nothing goes better with heat than citrus and tequila!
Ingredients
- Jalapeño or habanero-infused blanco tequila: it’s really easy to make your own following the steps below.
- Simple syrup or honey syrup: simple syrup is a 50-50 split of melted sugar in water. Honey syrup is the same concept and adds complexity to cocktails.
- Fresh lime juice: I always opt for fresh limes. If you must use pre-squeezed, look for ReaLime.
- Fresh lemon juice: adding fresh lemon juice to Margaritas adds a unique blend of fresh citrus.
- Cointreau or elderflower liqueur: can also be used as the sole sweetener in place of simple syrup for “skinny” Margaritas.
- Fresh Jalapeño or Habanero: if making your own spicy tequila.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
How to Make a Spicy Margarita
Step 1.
For the salted rim, take a lime wedge and coat the rim of a double old-fashioned glass. Dip in Margarita salt, rotating until coated.
Step 2.
Combine lime juice, spicy tequila, simple sugar, and triple sec in a cocktail shaker. Add a cup of ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. If making your own spicy tequila, see the instructions in the recipe card or in the notes below.
Step 3.
Pour over fresh ice and garnish with a lime wedge or jalapeño slices.
How to Make Jalapeño-Infused Tequila
There are a few approaches when it comes to making spicy Margaritas. The most obvious options are buying spicy tequila or making your own Jalapeño-infused tequila at home. When making your own infusions, it’s important to find Jalapeños (or any peppers) that are actually spicy.
There is always going to be variance among the same types of peppers. I’ve come across Jalapeños that are like bell peppers and others that are quite spicy.
I highly recommend you grab extra peppers and carefully taste them before soaking them in tequila. The key to success is quick oil extraction without any unwanted green vegetal flavors from extended contact.
If you’re feeling bold you can use hotter peppers such as Habaneros or Scotch Bonnets. Be sure to wear gloves when handling hot peppers and never touch your eyes as they’re very potent. As a quick tip, you can divide a 750ml bottle of tequila between two 12-ounce mason jars and experiment with Hababeros and Jalapeños in smaller batches (pictured above).
Here are three easy ways to spice up your next Margarita:
Tips & Tricks
- Jalapeño-infused tequila (1 day): make your own Jalapeño-infused tequila by soaking halved Jalapeños in your favorite blanco tequila. Soak 2-3 Jalapeños, seeds included, for 10-12 hours or overnight in tequila in a large mason jar or sealed container. Be sure to remove all the Jalapenos and strain out any remaining seeds before storing tequila longer term. Excess exposure will lead to green vegetal off-flavors. Start with 2-3 Jalapenos or 1-2 Habaneros per 750ml bottle. If you overshoot on heat, you can cut the batch with additional tequila.
- Quick shake infusion (instant): for a quick kick of heat in your cocktail, shake your Margarita along with a few slices of Jalapeño. This method works pretty well but is not as efficient and requires more Jalapeños per cocktail. Start with 2-3 slices per drink and add more as needed. I usually leave the jalapeños in the cocktail so it continues to warm the drink as you sip.
- Spicy bitters (instant): my favorite hack for quickly heating up cocktails is spicy bitters. Spicy bitters offer very clean heat with no vegetal off-flavors. It’s very easy to use and can easily be added to individual cocktails to taste. It’s a nice way to add varying degrees of heat to a batch of Margaritas. My favorite Habanero-infused bitters are Fire Tincture (Firewater) by Scrappy’s Bitters. 3-4 dashes are all you need for balanced heat.
Best Tequila for Margaritas
There is no need to use expensive tequila for Margaritas. I enjoy top-shelf tequila for sipping but skip it for Margaritas, especially when it comes to infusions. There are several mid-range tequilas that are really good without breaking the bank.
Here are some reliable and affordable options I recommend:
- Milagro
- Altos
- Cazadores
- Lunazul
- Espolòn
- Hornitos
- Corralejo
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want a very spicy Margarita, make your own Habanero-infused tequila. 3 halved Habaneros soaked for 24 hours in 750 ml of tequila will be very spicy!
A “skinny” Margarita omits any additional sugar and relies on the subtle sweetness of Cointreau or Triple Sec as the only sweetener. You can make this recipe “skinny” by leaving out the simple syrup.
Spicy Margaritas are made by infusing tequila with hot peppers.
More Tequila Cocktails
- Classic Margarita
- Pineapple Margarita
- Watermelon Margarita
- Spicy Mezcal cocktail
- Grapefruit Margarita
- Grand Marnier Margarita
- El Chipilo cocktail
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this cocktail, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Print
Spicy Margarita Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
A spicy spin on the classic Margarita made with Jalapeño-infused tequila.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces jalapeño-infused blanco tequila (see notes below on 3 infusion options)
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup or honey syrup
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau or elderflower liqeur
- fresh Jalapenos (for infusing)
Instructions
- For the salted rim, take a lime wedge and coat the rim of a double old-fashioned glass. Dip in margarita salt, rotating until coated.
- Combine lime juice, spicy tequila, simple sugar, and triple sec in a cocktail shaker. Add a cup of ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. If making your own spicy tequila, see the instructions in the recipe card or in the notes below.
- Pour over fresh ice and garnish with a lime wedge or jalapeño slices.
Notes
Jalapeño-infused tequila (1 day): Make your own Jalapeño-infused tequila by soaking halved Jalapeno in your favorite blanco tequila. Soak 2-3 Jalapeños, seeds included, for 10-12 hours or overnight in tequila in a large mason jar or sealed container. Be sure to remove all the Jalapenos and strain out any remaining seeds before storing tequila longer term. Excess exposure will lead to green vegetal off-flavors. Use 2-3 Jalapenos or 1-2 Habaneros per 750ml bottle.
Quick shake infusion (instant): For a quick kick of heat in your cocktail, shake your margarita along with a few slices of Jalapeño. This method works pretty well but is not as efficient and requires more Jalapeños per cocktail. Start with 2-3 slices per drink and add more as needed. I usually leave the jalapeños in the cocktail so it continues to warm the drink as you sip.
Spicy bitters (instant): My favorite method for heating up cocktails is spicy bitters. Spicy bitters offer very clean heat with no vegetal off-flavors. It’s very easy to use and can easily be added to individual cocktails to taste. It’s a nice way to add varying degrees of heat to a batch of margaritas. My favorite spicy bitters are Fire Tincture (Firewater) by Scrappy’s Bitters. 3-4 dashes are all you need for balanced heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 181
- Sugar: 0.6g
- Sodium: 11mg
- Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14.1g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 0.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: spicy margarita, jalapeno infused margarita
This recipe is THE BOMB!! Seriously my husband and I have been making this marg for a while now and haven’t found one better yet! Thank you so much for this yummy drink!
Thanks for sharing! Can I make any part of it ahead of time?
You could mix all ingredients a few days ahead in a pitcher and then add ice and shake them up as you serve.
Love it! Used patron silver with the elderflower and 2 jalapeño slices. So good !
Our local mexican restaurant adds a bit of cayenne mixed in with the salt on the rim. If you lick the salt/cayenne with your tongue you get some nice burn. If you let the salt/cayenne wash into your mouth and into the back of your throat, it adds a delicious heat to the drink.
Totally yummy, love the heat! Great change from the same old same old
★★★★★