Spicy and Sweet Jalapeño Margarita Cocktail Recipe

Name: Jalapeño Margarita
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Ingredients: 1 jalapeño pepper (seeds removed, sliced); 1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila; 1 ounce lime juice (fresh); 1/2 ounce orange liqueur; Dash orange bitters; Splash agave nectar; Jalapeño slice

Prep: 3 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 3 mins

Serving: 1 serving

Yield: 1 cocktail

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Spicy and sweet, the jalapeño margarita is for anyone who's up for an adventure! It's a fun take on the original margarita, muddling the hot chile pepper into the famous tequila cocktail.

The spiciness of this drink is actually quite subtle. Much of that is due to the oaky flavor of reposado tequila versus an unaged blanco—since the recipe comes from Tequila Don Julio, their reposado is recommended. The sweetness of the cognac-based Grand Marnier and agave nectar also help to quell the jalapeño's spiciness, making the drink very palatable and pleasing.

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and sliced
1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila
1/2 ounce brandy-based orange liqueur
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
1 dash orange bitters
Jalapeño slice, for garnish

Gather the ingredients.

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In a cocktail shaker, muddle the sliced jalapeño pepper.

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Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, agave nectar, and orange bitters. Fill the shaker with ice.

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Shake well.

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Strain into an old-fashioned glass over fresh ice or in a cocktail glass.

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Garnish with a jalapeño slice. Serve and enjoy.

The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Tips

It's best to remove the white membrane and seeds from the pepper beforehand. The white part holds most of the capsaicin, which is responsible for all the spice. The small seeds will make it through your strainer and end up floating in your margarita.
If a whole jalapeño is too spicy for your taste, use just a couple slices rather than an entire pepper. Depending on the pepper's size, one can be used to create at least two drinks.
When it comes to any drink that uses chile peppers, attempting a "How hot can I make this?" challenge is not advised. Drinking overly spicy things is much different than eating them! Save your taste buds so you can enjoy your cocktails.
If you like, rim the glass with salt or, for a little extra heat, a blend of salt and chili powder.

How Strong Is a Jalapeño Margarita?

As with most nonblended margaritas, this is going to be a pretty potent drink, which is why it's just over 3 ounces. When made with 80-proof tequila, the alcohol content will end up in the 22 percent ABV (44 proof) range. That means drinking two jalapeño margaritas will be equivalent to a straight shot of tequila.

Recipe Variations

The jalapeño margarita is not your only spicy tequila cocktail option. If you like a little heat in your drinks, give one of these recipes a try as well:

Offset the heat with tropical fruit and switch to a habanero hot sauce to mix up a very tasty and interesting pineapple chili margarita.
In the red pepper sangrita margarita, a spicy pepper mix similar to the tomato-based sangrita shot is used to kick up the heat.
Warm up in the middle of winter with a funky habanero blood orange margarita. This recipe uses a blood orange habanero puree and mole negro to put a very different spin on the margarita.
The habanero martini is a fun alternative to margaritas. It pairs reposado tequila with dry vermouth, then lets a whole habanero pepper steep its heat into the drink as you sip away.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
175	Calories
0g	Fat
12g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories	175
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 3mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 43mg	215%
Calcium 19mg	1%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 141mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.