Spicy Margarita
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We’re taking the Classic Margarita and cranking up the heat for a foolproof Spicy Margarita that’s just as easy, tart, and refreshing as the original. My base recipe adds spice with muddled jalapeño slices, but there are so many unique ways to make a Spicy Margarita spicy, from spicy liqueurs and infused tequila to spicy rims and a variety of different peppers. This truly is a choose your own adventure cocktail recipe (if you want it to be)!
Watch Me Mix a Spicy Margarita
How to Make a Spicy Margarita
- To a cocktail shaker add in your agave, jalapeño slices, and lime juice.
- Muddle until fully combined and mushed together, don’t be scared to put some elbow grease into this, you know what i mean?
- Then add in cointreau and tequila.
- Add ice and shake.
- Double strain into a glass with a fresh cube. Or, do a “dirty dump” aka dumping your shaker tin right into the glass, shaken ice and all.
- Garnish with a jalapeño slice and lime wheel.
Ways to Make Spicy Margaritas Spicy
There are all kinds of Spicy Margarita recipes out there and they all add heat in a bunch of different ways. I like making my Classic Spicy Margarita spicy with muddled jalapeños, which is the most traditional way to make a spicy margarita. I also love a spicy Tajin rim. Here are some other ways to make it even more spicy or to crank up the heat in different ways:
- Dial up the Scoville units: Instead of using jalapeños, which are relatively mild peppers, you could use a spicier pepper like serranos or habaneros.
- Infuse your booze: It’s really easy to infuse your tequila with peppers like jalapeños or even spicier ones like I just listed (see below).
- Spicy rim: I always love a simple salted rim, but when I’m feeling extra spicy, I do a Tajin rim. You could also make your own jalapeño zest rim (see below).
- Chile Liqueur: I always have a bottle of Ancho Reyes Verde Chile Poblano Liqueur on hand that you could totally add to or substitute into your spicy margarita.
How to Make Spicy Infused Tequila
Making a spicy infused tequila sounds fancy, but it’s literally just steeping jalapeños (or another spicy pepper) in your tequila bottle for a few minutes. It’s seriously that easy!
What you’ll need
- 1 bottle blanco tequila
- 1–2 jalapeños
How to do it
- Slice jalapeños into rounds (remove seeds for less heat, keep for more)
- Add to tequila in a jar or directly into the bottle
- Let it sit 15–60 minutes. Taste every 10–15 min (this escalates fast)
- Strain when it hits your sweet spot
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Spicy Margarita Rim Ideas
Before mixing your spicy margarita, you’ll want to rim your glass. All you do is cut a wedge of lime and rub it along the rim of your margarita glass. Then, pour whatever rim ingredient you’re using into a shallow bowl or plate that is wide enough to dip your glass into. Roll the rim of the lime-juiced glass in your salt, Tajin, etc. I like to rim my glasses about an inch down the outside of the glass as well as on the edge of the rim, but you do you. Here are some rim ideas!
- Classic kosher salt: You really can’t go wrong here. The salted rim with every sip balances the tartness from the lime perfectly.
- Tajin: A mildly spicy blend of dehydrated chiles, lime zest, and salt. It’s the perfect Spicy Margarita rim.
- Homemade Tajin (Jalapeño + lime zest + salt): Freeze your jalapeños and use a microplane to zest them into your salt with fresh lime zest!
Spicy Margarita Ingredients
Tequila
Tequila blanco is the tequila I use the most in my cocktail recipes. It’s clear in color and super smooth and bright in texture and flavor. Blanco is ideal for margaritas and Palomas. For this Spicy Margarita, I used LALO Blanco Tequila.
Cointreau
Any classic margarita, including a spicy margarita, will probably have some kind of orange liqueur. Cointreau is one of the most popular and is my tried-and-true go-to for triple sec (a type of orange liqueur), so you really can’t go wrong.
Jalapeños
Jalapeños are definitely on the milder side of peppers, but you can sometimes get a really spicy one every once in a while, so consider tasting the jalapeño before adding it to the mixer. You could use any other spicier pepper you want, like serranos or habaneros (godspeed).
Lime Juice
If it’s not fresh… WE DON’T WANT IT!
Agave Syrup
Normally, I advise that you make your own simple syrup at home, but agave syrup is one of the few kinds of syrups that I recommend you just buy. It is really common in grocery stores so you should be able to find a good one to go with your tequila (which is made from agave!)
Tips for Making the Best Spicy Margarita
- Use really good ingredients. You’ll taste the difference of fresh lime juice vs. bottled or good tequila vs. cheap tequila.
- Start mild. Build up the spice level as you mix your margarita so it’s not so spicy that you can’t enjoy it. Start with fewer jalapeños and right down how much you use so you remember for next time.
- Seeds or no seeds? Remove the seeds from your peppers before adding for less heat, or keep the seeds for more heat. It’s up to you (I remove the seeds).
- Pepper spice levels vary. You might buy a really mild jalapeño one day and a super spicy one a few weeks later. Always taste and adjust instead of being stuck with one specific amount.
- Not all spicy is the same. Jalapeño spicy and Ancho Reyes Verde Chile Poblano Liqueur are not the same kind of spicy. Nor is jalapeño-infused tequila or a spicy salt rim. Find the balance you like best!
Why You’ll Love a Spicy Margarita
- Obviously, if you love classic margaritas, you’ll probably love a spicy margarita… unless you really don’t like spicy things. But you can add as much or as little spice as you want. Sometimes, I just want a tiny hint of a kick to switch up the classic everyday margarita and adding a few jalapeño slices does the trick.
- The perfect cocktail for Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo.
- It’s just as easy to make as a classic margarita and you can batch it in a pitcher the same way.
- Spicy margaritas are super customizable. Play around with adding spice in different ways until you find the one that you like the best. It can become your new signature cocktail and the secret ingredient is only shared with your most trusted friends and family 🙂
Spicy Margarita Variations
Once you have the base recipe down, you can add all kinds of fun ingredients and flavors!
- Batch it: I LOVE batching this recipe as a Spicy Freezer Door Margarita directly in the tequila bottle, which I store in (you guessed it…) the freezer door. On-demand spicy margs whenever I want them!
- Swap tequila for mezcal: Make it a Spicy Mezcal Margarita by swapping the tequila for its smokier cousin.
- Add tropical fruit: Amp up the island vibes with a Spicy Pineapple Margarita.
- Add seasonal fruit: Add certain locally grown fruit when they’re at their peak ripeness, like in this Spicy Watermelon Margarita and Spicy Peach Margarita.
- Add funky ingredients: Have you ever had a Spicy Avocado Margarita? What about a Spicy Pickle Margarita? Today might have to be the day. It’s a sign.
- Add different citrus juice: Lime is the default citrus juice for any margarita, but you could also add grapefruit juice for a bittersweet riff, like in this Spicy Grapefruit Margarita.
Spicy Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz. tequila blanco
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- 3/4 oz. Cointreau
- 1/2 oz. agave syrup
- 2-3 fresh jalapeño slices
Instructions
- To a cocktail shaker add in your agave, jalapeño slices, and lime juice.
- Muddle until fully combined and mushed together, don’t be scared to put some elbow grease into this, you know what I mean?
- Add in Cointreau and tequila, then add ice and shake.
- Double strain into a glass with a fresh cube. Or, do a dirty dump: aka dumping your shaker tin right into the glass, shaken ice and all.
- Garnish with a jalapeño slice and lime wheel.
Spicy Margarita FAQs
Why do you use more lime juice than in a classic margarita?
A standard margarita has 3/4 oz. of lime juice, but my Spicy Margarita has 1 oz. That’s because Spicy margaritas often lean sweeter. Agave is added to balance the spiciness of the jalapeños, so adding a touch more lime juice balances everything out so no single element dominates the cocktail.
How much should I muddle the jalapeños?
Unlike muddling delicate ingredients like herbs, you really want to muddle these jalapeños into submission. The agave syrup, jalapeño slices, and lime juice should be fully incorporated and mushed together, almost like a paste.
What tequila is best for spicy margaritas?
I’m almost always using tequila blanco for my margaritas. (Learn more about tequila in my Tequila Guide!). Here are some bottles to try:
Or, try a spicy tequila:
Do you put agave in spicy margaritas?
Yes! Because tequila is made from agave, we want to add agave syrup to our spicy margaritas. Adding a sweetener balances out the spiciness. That’s also why we add a little more lime juice. That being said, you can adjust the amount of agave syrup up or down until it tastes just right.
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