It was a few springs ago that I started to love margaritas. I’m not sure how it took me that long to come around, but up to that point I had only ever had your run of the mill frozen marg and I was not a fan. I went ahead and labeled my favorite drink a bloody mary and moved on with my life.
That was until my husband and I went to a little place called T&T Tacos and Tequila inside the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. Joe was there for a work conference and I got to tag along. This particular night we were just headed back to the room after an event and just wanted a quick bite. I ordered up some nachos and the waitress talked me into their pineapple chipotle margarita which she said was very popular. I was not exactly convinced that I’d like it, but hey, we were in Vegas so why not, right? She came back with my drink, I took one sip, and fell in LOVE. It was sweet, sour, refreshing, and had a little kick of spice right at the end which is totally my jam. Needless to say I went home from that trip wanting a spicy marg recipe that I could come back to over and over.
Starting out, I did a quick Google search for a classic margarita which landed me at Ali Martin’s blog “Gimmie Some Oven” (always a winner!). Since I had already used and trusted several of her recipes, I gave this one a spin and the recipe was exactly what I wanted. A few simple but fresh ingredients plus a recipe for a single serving or a pitcher which is mighty convenient! Click here or down below for Ali’s “The BEST Margarita Recipe!”
These are my go-to margaritas, and I haven’t even attempted to develop another classic margarita recipe because they are just perfect!
These are fantastic on their own, but I have a couple favorite methods I’ll share for making them spicy. (Ali lists her recommendation on making them spicy on her post as well as some more fun additions). Here’s the first: If you’re planning ahead, you could put a halved jalapeno in the tequila and let it sit at room temperature overnight. It’s kind of like a cold brew coffee method but with jalapenos and tequila (win)! The more jalapeno the spicier it’ll be, so I’d start with one small jalapeno halved if you’re making enough for a whole pitcher and maybe only one or two slices for a single serving.
The second and more common scenario for me is that I’m not thinking ahead (hello my 3 lovely children that take up a lot of brain space) or am short on time (also #kids, love them so much). In this case, I slice the jalapeno into a couple round slices (see pic), put everything into a mason jar (or any jar with a lid) , and shake it up for a minute.
This is actually my chosen method, and has the same effect of infusing your drink with some great jalapeno kick. You can strain out the seeds and slices if you want, but I personally don’t mind just leaving them in.
Jalapenos can be quite the gamble when it comes to how hot they are. Sometimes they are super mild and other times they are real burners! I have never been able to pick a hot or mild one based on appearance despite the wives tales of bigger vs smaller, etc. so I would really recommend tasting a teeny taste off the tip of the jalapeno before you decide how much to add to your pitcher and use the amounts stated above as a starting line. If you are a researcher like me and want a deeper dive into how to tell if a chili is more hot or mild, this article is helpful and will give you a better chance at picking the right jalapeno for you! Click the link below to get the full margarita recipe!
My Favorite Jalapeno Margaritas
Get Ali Martin’s The BEST Margarita Recipe HERE
Notes:
I love my margaritas in a Tajin rimmed glass. If you haven’t tried Tajin, it’s a versatile mexican spice made with chili powder, salt, and dehydrated lime! It’s delicious on tortilla chips, eggs, roasted vegetables, and sprinkled on watermelon and pineapple is bangarang! See what other ideas you can come up with!
I prefer Patron and Cointreau in these margaritas. I don’t make them often so investing in a bottle of each once a year or so can make an extra special treat to share with friends.
*T&T Tacos and Tequila in the Luxor Las Vegas is now unfortunately closed (so it looks like I’ll be perfecting my own pineapple chipotle margarita :)), and the space has re-opened as Diablo’s Cantina.
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