Jalapeño Margarita

Jalapeño Margarita

The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

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.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Jalapeño Margarita ingredients

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  2. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the sliced jalapeño pepper.

    muddle the sliced jalapeño pepper in the cocktail shaker

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

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

    Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, agave nectar, and orange bitters to the jalapeños in the shaker

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  4. Shake well.

    Jalapeño Margarita in a cocktail shaker

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

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

    strain the Jalapeño Margarita in to a glass

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  6. Garnish with a jalapeño slice. Serve and enjoy.

    Jalapeño Margarita in a glass

    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:

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
175 Calories
0g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
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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.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)