This spicy chili lime margarita is a sweet and hot twist on a classic margarita. Fresh lime juice and a homemade jalapeno simple syrup give this cocktail a bright and unique flavor. It’s perfect to celebrate National Margarita Day or to serve on any given Taco Tuesday!
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Why not have a Tuesday night Margarita Party? Complete your menu with Homemade Queso and Salsa, a large bowl of The Best Guacamole, Spicy Shrimp Tacos with a heavenly sweet and crunchy slaw, and Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies for dessert. Trust me. Your family will love it!
Spicy Chili Lime Margarita
As you probably know, I am a huge fan of fruity margaritas – strawberry, guava, pineapple, pineapple, or citrus. They’re sweet and delicious, but sometimes I crave something with a little more spice. A bit of heat that’s offset with sweetness and just a touch of something smokey.
That’s where this margarita recipe comes in. It hits every one of those flavor profiles and is worth the extra effort to make the jalapeno simple syrup!
Ingredients Required
- Sugar – in a perfect world, I like using both granulated and turbinado sugar, but granulated sugar only is just fine.
- Jalapenos – I left the veins and seeds in for extra heat, but for a more mild syrup, remove them.
- Salt – I like using coarse salt. It looks pretty on the rim, but any salt that you have on hand works well.
- Chili powder
- Limes – I used four, medium limes.
- Silver tequila
- Orange liqueur – I used Triple Sec. Grand Marnier would also work well.
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Make the jalapeno simple syrup by boiling water and sugar together before adding sliced jalapenos to the mixture and cooking it until it’s a syrupy consistency.
- Mix together salt, sugar, and chili powder to use to rim the glasses. You can simplify this by using a teaspoon of chili lime seasoning mixed with the sugar. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning blend is wonderful!
- Moisten the edges of your glasses with lime juice and dip them into the salt-sugar-chili mixture.
- In a shaker, combine tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.
- Fill your glasses with ice and strain the liquid into them.
- Garnish with sliced jalapenos and a lime wedge.
Tips
- If you don’t enjoy really spicy or hot food, be sure to remove the seeds AND the veins from the jalapenos. This is where the majority of the heat resides.
- Strain the sliced jalapenos from the simple syrup before pouring the hot syrup into a mason jar. You can also allow the jalapenos to steep while the mixture cools and then strain them out before chilling the syrup. This will give you moderate heat. Keep the jalapenos in while chilling and beyond for a ‘kick-in-the-pants’, tongue-burning level of heat.
- Silver or white (Blanco) tequila is the most cost-effective and best for this recipe. It has a strong and pure flavor that compliments the freshness and tang of the lime. Save the reposados and gold tequilas for other cocktails or for sipping.
- Using a chili-lime seasoning blend for the rim is easy and delicious. The additional hit of lime that’s in the seasoning blend adds tons of tang and flavor. The chili powder that’s used adds a smokey hint to the rim. Look at the ingredients. Some have salt, but no sugar, some blends have both. Add either sugar or salt to the mixture before rimming your glasses.
Spicy Chili Lime Margarita
- Total Time: 17 minutes + chilling time
- Yield: Serves 2
Description
This spicy chili lime margarita is a sweet and hot twist on a classic margarita. Fresh lime juice and a homemade jalapeno simple syrup give this cocktail a bright and unique flavor. It’s perfect to celebrate National Margarita Day or to serve on any given Taco Tuesday!
Ingredients
For the jalapeno simple syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh, sliced jalapenos
For rimming the glass:
- ½ teaspoon salt (I used coarse sea salt)
- ½ teaspoon turbinado sugar (you can also use granulated sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 lime slices
For the margarita:
- ¾ cup silver tequila
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno simple syrup (more or less to taste)
For the garnish:
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- ½ lime, cut into 2 wedges
Instructions
Make the jalapeno simple syrup:
In a saucepan over high heat, pour in the water and sugar. Stir well and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Toss in the sliced jalapenos.
Lower the heat to a simmer and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture has thickened to a syrupy consistency.
Carefully pour the mixture into a mason jar and allow it to cool to room temperature. Place the jar into the refrigerator to chill.
Make the rimming mixture:
On a shallow, flat plate, mix together the salt, sugar, and chili powder until well combined. Set aside.
Make the margarita:
Rub the lime slices on the rim of 2 margarita or highball glasses. Dip the rims into the plate of the salt-sugar-chili mixture until well coated all the way around the glass. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.
Fill each glass halfway with crushed ice.
Strain the cocktail mixture into the glasses.
Float a few jalapeno slices on top of the cocktail.
Place a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.
Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Chilling time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Starters - Cocktails
- Method: Shake
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: spicy chili lime margarita, National Margarita Day, Taco Tuesday, margarita recipes, cocktail recipes, Cinco De Mayo, spicy cocktails
