margaritas Archives - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

Spicy Raspberry Margarita Recipe

February 9, 2022 by Kate Ramos 3 Comments

Learn how to make a Raspberry Margarita Recipe with all natural ingredients like fresh raspberries, fresh lime juice, and a homemade spicy jalapeño-infused tequila to give a kick of heat. Ready to spice things up? Cause this is about to get real. {First posted on April 28, 2018. Last updated February 9, 2022}.

All I can say is, your wish is my command.

I took a very formal survey (ie asked you guys on Instagram), what is everyone’s favorite margarita and I heard loud and clear—Spicy! Spicy! Spicy!!

And this is such a delicious spicy margarita recipe with a homemade raspberry syrup made with the fresh berries, jalapeño-infused tequila, and lots of fresh-squeezed lime juice for balance. It is super refreshing when it’s terribly hot, can easily be sized up to make a pitcher, and is the prettiest color of pink I ever did see.

Why You Must Try This Raspberry Margarita Recipe

Two raspberry margaritas on a wood table in margarita glasses rimmed with Tajín and garnished with sliced limes.

Ditch the margarita mix. Once you learn this simple method for making homemade simple syrup you will never go back to using store-bought mix.

You make jam at the same time! The bi-product of making your own raspberry syrup is homemade raspberry jam. After you strain the raspberries from the syrup, save them in a jar. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Easily make a pitcher. To make a pitcher of margaritas instead of one, infuse 2 cups of tequila with 2 sliced jalapeños. Combine that with all the syrup and the juice of 6 limes. Stir and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

More Margarita Recipes
Cucumber Mezcal Margaritas
Sparkling Blood Orange Margaritas
The Original Cadillac Margarita

Ingredients

A raspberry margarita garnished with sliced limes and fresh raspberries on a wood table with white napkins underneath.

There’s no triple sec or orange liqueur in this recipe but you could certainly add it if you want that hint of orange. As for the tequila I like to use either blanco or reposado, just make sure it is made with 100% agave.

A raspberry margarita in a margarita glass garnished with fresh raspberries and sliced limes and ice on a wood table.

Reposado or blanco tequila
Jalapeños
Granulated sugar
Fresh raspberries. Or frozen raspberries if they aren’t in season.
Limes.
Tajín if you’d like a spicy rim or kosher salt for a non-spicy one.

How To Make It!

Two raspberry margaritas sitting on a wood table with sliced limes and garnished with fresh raspberries with Tajin on the rim.

This is the step-by-step for how to make a margarita on the rocks. If you are looking for a frozen raspberry margarita, check out Elizabeth’s version—it is out of this world! Plan ahead with this recipe, the tequila has to infuse for at least 3 hours before it is ready.

A white plate full of Tajin on a wood table.

Infuse the tequila. Since we are making a spicy jalapeño margarita the first step is to make the infused tequila. Add sliced jalapeños to the tequila and let sit at least 3 hours. The longer it sits, the spicier it will be.
Make the syrup. While you wait for the tequila, make the syrup! Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves then add the raspberries. Let simmer until the raspberries fall apart. Remove from heat and let cool with the raspberries in it. Once it cools completely, strain out the berries and chill in the refrigerator.
Make the margarita. Rim the margarita glass with Tajín and fill with ice. Combine tequila, raspberry syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 15 seconds. Strain into prepared glass and enjoy!

A cutting board with sliced jalapeños on it and fresh raspberries with a knife next to it on a wood table.

More Cocktail Recipes To Try!

It is the margarita that needs to be made right now!

I know you love a jalapeño margarita, why not get sweet and sour with this raspberry version? Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Spicy Raspberry Jalapeño Margarita

Yield: 1-6 drinks

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Learn how to make a Raspberry Margarita Recipe with all natural ingredients like fresh raspberries, fresh lime juice, and a homemade spicy jalapeño-infused tequila to give it kick of heat. Ready to spice things up? Cause this is about to get real.

Ingredients

For the Jalapeño-Infused Tequila:

1 cup Reposado Tequila
1 jalapeño, sliced

For the Raspberry Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 cups raspberries, preferably fresh but frozen work too

To Make 1 Margarita:

Lime wedges
Tajin seasoning or kosher salt
2 ounces jalapeño-infused tequila
2 ounces lime juice (about 2 limes, squeezed)
2 ounces Raspberry Syrup

Instructions

To Make the Jalapeño-Infused Tequila:

Infuse the tequila. Add sliced jalapeños to the tequila and let infuse at room temperature for at least 3 hours. The longer it sits the spicier it will be.

To Make the Syrup:

Dissolve the sugar. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Stir to dissolve. Add raspberries and place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Add the raspberries. Cook until raspberries are falling apart, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Strain and chill completely. You can save leftover raspberry pulp and eat like jam.

To Make the Margarita:

Prepare the glass. Rim a cocktail glass with lime wedge. Dip in Tajín and fill with ice.
Shake the cocktail. Fill a cocktail shaker with more ice. Add tequila, lime juice, and syrup. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass and serve with another lime wedge if you'd like. ¡Salúd!

Notes

This recipe makes enough syrup for 6-8 drinks. If you'd like to make a pitcher of margaritas instead of just 1, multiply all the ingredients by 8.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 47mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 0g

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

Honey Grapefruit Margarita

December 17, 2021 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

Juicy, pink ruby red grapefruit make a beautiful Honey Grapefruit Margarita sweetened with honey, a hefty splash of tequila, and rimmed in coarse salt. {Last updated December 17, 2021}

I know some people like to go on and on about how angelic and perfect their kids are but let’s be honest, they can be little a*%holes sometimes.

In their defense they probably needed a nap or had only eaten marshmallows and strawberries at lunch—I’m totally talking about my kids here.

If you are a parent you understand when I say I occasionally worry that my children might be sociopaths. The past few days however, have been just bliss.

A honey grapefruit margarita recipe garnished with a salt rim, two slices of lime, a grapefruit wedge, and an orange twist.

Yesterday morning Hiro was super upset and crying in a way that makes you feel guilty and grateful that he is going to the babysitter.

Normally Louisa just continues talking about her bad dream or the new game she invented like no one else is in the room but instead she turned to him and said “It’s okay, Hiro. You’ll have fun at Katy’s. I heard she’s going to take you to the museum!”

Which immediately cheered him up. She totally lied about the museum thing because she knew it would make him happy.

I would like to say this kind of thing happens everyday, but I’m here to tell you that normally Louisa takes some— okay, maybe a lot— of pleasure in pissing her brother off.

A Honey Grapefruit margarita sitting on a bed of flower petals garnished with a grapefruit wedge, a lime wedge, and an orange twist.

Let the record show, however, that on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, she took the highroad.

Louisa 1 : Sociopath diagnosis 0

Then this morning we were walking to school and Hiro turns to me and says, “Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I sad and cry a little.”

Which basically turned me into a mushy puddle, but I pulled it together and said, “Why do you get sad?” and he says in his buttercup voice, “I miss Mama and Weesa, and Papa and I get sad a little.”

Three margaritas sitting on a bed of flower petals with a bottle of tequila next to them.

I know I am his mother and might suffer from bias but that right there is evidence of a two-year-old in touch with his feelings.

I see the future of a bright, sensitive man who quite possibly will be able to function in a relationship without pleasurably spitting, cursing, or hitting the other person.

Hiro 1: Sociopath diagnosis 0

To celebrate this successful week of parenting I’m making myself a marrrgaarittaaaaaaaaa!

A honey grapefruit margarita sitting on a bed of flower petals with a salt and sugar rimmed glass, a couple slices of lime, and a wedge of grapefruit for garnish.

And not just any ‘ol margarita (though I love those too) but a Honey Grapefruit margarita.

The tart pink grapefruit makes a beautiful cocktail and is ultra-refreshing, add a generous squeeze of lime juice and a glug of Cointreau for some complexity and body, top it all off with a solid tequila and that is a drink worth drinking.

Three honey grapefruit margaritas with a bottle of Cazadores tequila sitting next to them. They are all sitting on a bed of flower petals.

I want you all to raise a glass with me this weekend and celebrate. You’ve got three solid days of lounging, the weather’s warm, and kids are behaving. Blessed be, life is good.

More Margarita Recipes To Try!

Celebrate Something

And make yourself one of these icy cold, refreshing Honey Grapefruit Margaritas! Let me know when you do by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Honey Grapefruit Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Juicy, pink ruby red grapefruit make a beautiful Honey Grapefruit Margarita sweetened with honey, a hefty splash of tequila, and rimmed in coarse salt.

Ingredients

1/2 ruby red grapefruit, juiced
1/2 lime, juiced
2 ounces reposado tequila
1 ounce Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons [kosher salt}, for rim
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for rim
lime slices, for garnish
grapefruit wedge, for garnish
orange twist, for garnish

Instructions

Shake margarita. Combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila, Cointreau, and honey in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
Rim glass. Combine salt and sugar on a small plate. Run a lime wedge around the outside of a glass and dip the glass in the salt-sugar mixture.
Strain and serve. Fill the glass with ice and strain the margarita into the glass. Add a lime, grapefruit wedge and orange twist for garnish.

Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe

February 22, 2020 by Kate Ramos 3 Comments

Fizzy and sweet with a rose hue to steal your heart. There is literally nothing you won’t love about this Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe. The best part is how absolutely effortless it is to make!

Not to mention, National Margarita Day is here and honestly what better way to celebrate than with a bubbly blood orange beauty that’s just as effervescent as you are!

A Blood Orange Margarita Recipe made with sparkling blood orange juice! Perfect for National Margarita Day or any day! #bloodorange #margarita #tequila #margaritarecipe {ad}

Make This Blood Orange Margarita Recipe For Yourself or For a Crowd

Seductive blood oranges make such striking margaritas, it’s hard to believe that I don’t already have a blood orange margarita recipe on the site. I mean, my love for margaritas is well documented. Thank goodness for National Margarita Day so I have an excuse to shake up yet another margarita!

Whether you’re hosting a celebration for one or a whole crowd, not to worry. This recipe includes easy instructions to make both a single cocktail or a pitcher. I’ve got the perfect tequila to go with it too (read on for that). Other than tequila here’s what you’ll need:

Blood Orange Sparkling Juice or Soda
Fresh lime juice
Orange liqueur
Spicy salt for the rim

National Margarita Day deserves a fizzy Blood Orange Margarita! Celebrate with Tequila Cazadores {ad} and this exceptional margarita. #mexicanrecipe #tequila #homemade #margarita #bloodorange

The Best Tequila For Margaritas

I’m a proud Tequila Cazadores Ambassador and have been mixing up cocktails with their 100% Blue Agave Tequila all year. In fact, our partnership began last National Margarita Day with Pitcher Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas.

Cazadores is an authentic Mexican tequila brand made from agave that has been harvested and distilled in Arandas, Mexico since 1922. I enjoy sipping all their tequilas but the Blanco Tequila is my favorite for margaritas. Here’s why:

Its intense agave flavor shines through even when mixed into a cocktail.
Strong citrus notes blend perfectly with margarita ingredients like lime juice and other citrus.
A super smooth finish means it combines beautifully with no harsh after taste.

If you love Tequila Cazadores Blanco then I highly suggest exploring their other tequilas as well.

Tequila Reposado This tequila is aged in wooden barrels up to a year creating the nuance of oak, but with still strong agave flavors shining through. I like to mix the Reposado in wintery cocktails like the Chimayo Cocktail with Reposado Tequila, apple cider, lemon, and Créme de Cassis.
Tequila Añejo Aged at least a year, Añejo tequila has a more mellow, smooth vanilla flavor and is excellent all on its own.
Tequila Extra Añejo is aged for three years and has a distinct sweetness of caramel apples with a peppery bite. This also is strictly for sipping.

Blood oranges make for one sexy margarita. Celebrate National Margarita Day with this Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe {ad}. #bloodorange #margarita #tequila #margaritarecipe #nationalmargaritaday

How To Make The Easiest Blood Orange Margarita For One

Fresh-squeezed blood orange juice makes delicious margaritas but it can be a bit sour, which requires also making simple syrup or having a bottle of agave syrup on hand. If this is your jam, then 100% go for it (keep scrolling for bonus recipe), but if relaxing with a bubbly beverage ASAP is on the agenda here’s what you do:

Shake tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Pour into a spicy salt-rimmed glass.
Top with sparkling blood orange juice.
Sip slowly while thinking about how much you love me…I mean margaritas.

How To Make It By The Pitcher

There’s so little work involved in this margarita recipe that making it by the pitcher for friends is a no brainer. The only real heavy lifting is squeezing some limes and lets all admit, that’s a burden we can bear. The only real differences between making a single margarita and a pitcher of them are:

Multiply the ingredients by six. This amount will fit in most standard pitchers (and make 6 drinks).
Stir all the ingredients together in the pitcher instead of shake in the cocktail shaker then add the sparkling blood orange juice.

The best tequila for margaritas is Tequila Cazadores Blanco {ad}. Click now for this easy Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita recipe and see for yourself! #margarita #tequila #cazadores #mexicanrecipe

Bonus Recipe!

If you have beautiful blood oranges at your disposal and would really like to make a blood orange margarita with those instead of the sparkling juice here’s how you do it.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice squeeze 1 blood orange, 1 1/2 limes, a generous squirt of agave syrup or simple syrup (about a tablespoon), 1/4 cup tequila, and a splash of orange liqueur.
Give that a good shake, taste to see if you need more lime juice or syrup.
Pour into a salt-rim glass with fresh ice.

Stunning and simple is how we describe this Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita made with Tequila Cazadores. #ad #margarita #bloodorangemargarita #bloodorange #margaritarecipe

Other Ways To Celebrate National Margarita Day

Don’t stop at one margarita! There are so many ways to celebrate this important national holiday. Here are my suggestions:

Cucumber Mezcal Margaritas
The Original Cadillac Margarita
Tangerine Thyme Margaritas
Or Check Out My Margarita Pinterest Board!
200+ More Margarita Recipes Here!!

I Didn’t Get My Invite

Don’t forget to invite me to the party! If you make this Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita for yourself or by the pitcher, snap a pic and tag @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno on Instagram so I can see, ‘kay?

Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink or 1 pitcher

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Celebrate National Margarita Day the best way we know how, with a Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe! Instructions for making one or a whole pitcher.

Ingredients

To Make 1 Cocktail:

Thinly sliced limes, blood oranges, and spicy salt for the rim
1/4 cup Tequila Cazadores Blanco
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
1/2 cup cold Blood Orange Sparkling Juice or Soda

To Make A Pitcher:

3 (12-ounce) cans Blood Orange Sparkling Juice or soda
1 1/2 cups Tequila Cazadores Blanco
4 limes, juiced
1/4 cup orange liqueur
Thinly sliced limes, blood oranges, and spicy salt for garnish

Instructions

To Make 1 Cocktail:

Rub one lime wheel around the edge of a margarita glass or cocktail glass. Dip in the spicy salt and fill glass with crushed ice.

Combine tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Shake vigorously and strain over prepared glass.

Add blood orange sparkling juice, stir and garnish with orange and lime wheels.

To Make A Pitcher:

Combine blood orange sparkling juice, tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur in a large pitcher filled with ice. Stir to combine.

Add lime and blood orange slices and serve immediately in salt-rimmed glasses.

This post was written in partnership with Tequila Cazadores. Thank you for supporting the brands that make ¡Hola! Jalapeño possible.

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month, such as this one here. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allow me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

Blood Orange Beergarita Recipe

January 7, 2020 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

It’s here: The frothier, maltier cousin of the margarita that’s made for cold weather. This Beergarita is made with fresh blood orange juice, ice cold beer, and tequila and is just the thing to go with all those cozy foods of winter.

Permission To Lighten Up

Depending on how you look at it (and what kind of beer you use) the beer margarita can be considered a lighter, or at least less alcoholic, version of the classic margarita. There is still tequila, but the majority of this refreshing sipper is light and frothy beer and when combined with fresh-squeezed blood orange juice it feels like a bubbly vacation from the more powerful all tequila drink.

How to make the most bomb beer cocktail: A Blood Orange Beergarita. Blood orange juice, tequila, beer, with a chili-salt rim. #holajalapeno #beergarita #superbowl

What is a Beergarita?

A Beergarita takes all the citrusy, tequila components of a typical margarita recipe and tops it all off with your favorite beer. Now depending on your tastes you can use a lighter, pale lager for your beergarita recipe but my favorite is the darker, craft brews like Bocanegra’s Dunkelweizen.

The more malty flavors of a darker beer match the flavor profile of the sweet blood orange juice and aged añejo tequila, in my opinion, perfectly.

Some Thoughts on what to Serve With a Beer Margarita

Much to my 8-year-old son’s disappointment, we don’t watch a lot of sports in this house. But the Super Bowl is our one exception and I can’t think of any better cocktail to sip during the game than this Beer Margarita Recipe. Here are a few things I think would go GREAT with it:

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Hot Dog with Tomatillo-Pineapple Pickle Relish
Chicken Milanesa Sandwiches
This Chiles en Nogada Mexican Tacos Recipe

How to make the BEST Beergarita: Blood orange juice, Cointreau, añejo tequila, and ice cold beer. Bottoms up! #holajalapeno #beergarita #beercocktail #beermargarita

How To Make It Fancy

Should a Beergarita Recipe be fancy? Why the heck not? We already spent a fortune on those sweet, ripe blood oranges so we might as well go all the way, right? To really feel classy with this beer cocktail you need to add a brûléed blood orange slice as a garnish. Here’s how:

Thickish blood orange slices
granulated sugar
mini kitchen blow torch

Lay the orange slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle one side generously with sugar, then caramelize the sugar by swiping the tip of the flame of the torch back and forth over each slice until they are bubbly and golden. Let cool and garnish away.

This Blood Orange Beergarita has everything you love about margaritas topped with bubbly beer. Perfect for the Super Bowl! #holajalapeno #superbowl #beergarita #beercocktails

Bottoms Up Beer Lovers

I want to see you lounging in your stretchy pants sipping on a fancy pants Blood Orange Beergarita so don’t forget to tag @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno on the Instagrams when you post your photo!

Blood Orange Beergarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Here it is the ultimate winter margarita you've been waiting for! This Beergarita is made with fresh blood orange juice, ice cold beer, and tequila—duh.

Ingredients

1 lime, halved
Chili salt, for rimming glass
Juice of 1 blood orange
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 ounces añejo tequila
1/2 ounce Cointreau, or other orange liqueur
1 bottle cold beer (dark craft brew or your favorite beer)
blood orange slices, for garnish

Instructions

Rim a pint glass by rubbing the lime half around the rim and dipping in chili salt. Fill glass with ice.

Combine blood orange juice, lime juice, tequila, and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously.

Strain into prepared glass, top with beer, stir and garnish with a blood orange slice (sugar-dipped and brûléed, if you fancy).

Blueberry Rose Margarita

March 28, 2019 by Kate Ramos 6 Comments

It’s easy enough to devour the season’s first blueberries by the handful but one of my favorite ways to indulge in their grassy-sweet flavor is an icy Blueberry Rose Margarita. It’s like you’re raising a glass, literally, to have made it to spring and the warm summer days ahead. Read on for exactly how I make it.

Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries

There are a 101 ways to enjoy blueberries but a Blueberry Rose Margarita has got to be my favorite. A splash of rose water adds the perfect floral touch. #margarita #blueberrymargarita #blueberries #margaritarecipe #rosewater

The idea here is to use those first, plump, sweet blueberries of the season that you find at the Farmer’s Market but if that’s not a possibility for you, and your supermarket berries leave a lot to be desired, you can absolutely substitute frozen blueberries—in fact, you should.

For this margarita recipe we are making a blueberry syrup so frozen blueberries will work great. You don’t even need to thaw them before combining them with some sugar and water and simmering into a fruity syrup. Plus, the sweetened strained berries can be used to top yogurt or spread onto toast like jam, so you’re really getting two recipes for one!

Use The Best Rose Water

The rose flavor in this drink comes from rose water. Rose water is a flavored water made from steeping rose petals in water until the flavor is infused in the liquid. Some rose waters however, add chemical enhancers which make it taste like you’re drinking perfume.

The best Rose water is Carlo Rose Water made in Glendale, California. It has a fresh rose aroma and a light floral taste. Second to Carlo brand is Cortas, which has a slightly stronger flavor but still delicate and sweet.

There’s lots of other ways to use a bottle of rose water. It’s amazing in desserts. You can add a teaspoon to homemade vanilla ice cream or swirl a few drops into Mexican Wedding Cookie dough before baking. Lots of people add it to thier beauty routine as a toner too, although I’ve never tried that. If you do, let me know how it turns out.

Blueberry Rose Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

There are a 101 ways to enjoy blueberries but a Blueberry Rose Margarita has got to be my favorite. A splash of rose water adds the perfect floral touch.

Ingredients

For the Blueberry Syrup

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

For the Margarita

2 ounces Reposado tequila
1 lime, juiced
1 ounce blueberry syrup ((recipe above))
1 ounce orange juice
splash rose water
salt, ice, orange wedges, and blueberries, (for garnish)

Instructions

For the Blueberry Syrup

Combine blueberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool, strain, and chill.
Save any leftover syrup in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. You can save strained blueberries and eat over yogurt or spread on toast.

For the Margarita

Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with a lime wedge and dip in coarse salt. Fill glass with ice.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add tequila, lime juice, blueberry syrup, orange juice, and rose water.
Shake super hard for longer than you want to and pour into prepared glass. Garnish with a few blueberries and orange slice. ¡Salúd!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 792Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 601mgCarbohydrates: 166gFiber: 12gSugar: 144gProtein: 3g

One last thing…

What do you think? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram! Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas

February 22, 2019 by Kate Ramos 8 Comments

This Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas recipe was created in partnership with Tequila Cazadores ®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When we moved into our new house back in December, the oversized orange tree in the backyard was on the top of the list of things I was excited about.

Blushing with juicy fruit, I imagined fresh-squeezed orange juice mornings for eternity. Come to find out, due to lack of heat or premature picking, those oranges are sour, providing juice that is more sucker punch than sunshine. But like a wise woman once said (that’d be me), if life gives you sour oranges—make margaritas!

Three ingredients is all you need to make these Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas. Making them the easiest, most refreshing margaritas fit for a crowd. #pitchermargaritas #margaritas #margaritarecipe #easymargaritas #margaritasforacrowd

Margaritas for a crowd

When Tequila Cazadores ® asked me to help them celebrate National Margarita Day I knew exactly what to do: march straight out to that orange tree and get to squeezing! Cazadores makes such spectacular tequilas and their Tequila Blanco is a perfect match for the tart citrus in these Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas.

In fact, the intense flavor of pure agave that shines through in the Blanco tequila means you really need nothing else, making these the easiest big-batch margarita ever!

Fresh-squeezed sour orange juice, Cazadores Tequila Blanco, and a little sugar is all you need to make an entire pitcher of margaritas, because honestly, who wants to celebrate National Margarita Day by themselves?

What if I don’t have sour oranges?

If you live in Southern California, or any other temperate climate, you may find yourself (like I do) with lots of sour oranges on your hands. If you don’t, you may be rolling your eyes. Either way, you can still make these delightfully tart margaritas.

Actual sour oranges, or Seville oranges, can be found in many Latin markets, but you can also make your own sour orange juice by combining fresh sweet orange juice with fresh lemon juice. Both options work beautifully in this margarita recipe.

To make your own sour orange juice, add 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice for every cup of sweet orange juice. So in this recipe, instead of the 2 1/4 cups of sour orange juice you would use: 1 3/4 cups sweet orange juice and 1/2 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Tips for making Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas

Aside from using stellar Cazadores Tequila Blanco and fresh-squeezed citrus juice, there’s a couple more tips that will help you make the best-ever margaritas.

First of all, I like to combine the ingredients for this margarita in my blender. It is the best way to dissolve the sugar into the juice-tequila mixture. If you want to whisk everything in a pitcher, that will work too, but you’ll have to give it another stir right before serving to mix up any sugar that has floated to the bottom.

You can mix the margaritas up to a day in advance and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

After chilling, give the margaritas a taste. Depending on the sourness of your juice (or if you are using a mixture of orange and lemon) you may need to add more sugar or a squeeze of lime.

As for serving, salting the rim is a must. For these margaritas I used sal de gusano which, yes, is a mixture of salt and dried worms but don’t be turned off, it has an irresistible earthiness that absolutely makes these margaritas. If not sal de gusano, than a spicy cocktail salt would be great or kosher salt is a good substitute too.

Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas

Yield: 6 drinks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Three ingredients is all you need to make these Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas. Making them the easiest, most refreshing margaritas fit for a crowd.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups fresh-squeezed sour orange juice ((about 4 pounds oranges))
1 cup Cazadores Blanco Tequila
1/2 cup granulated sugar
lime slices, for garnish
sal de gusano, for the rim ((optional))

Instructions

Combine orange juice, tequila, and sugar in a blender. Blend on high until sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a pitcher and chill until ready to serve.
Rub a lime slice around the rim of 6 cocktail glasses. Dip each glass in Sal de Gusano, your favorite cocktail salt, or kosher salt. Fill each glass with ice and pour margaritas over. Add a lime slice and serve.

Notes

Sour Orange Juice Substitute: Add 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice for every cup of sweet orange juice. So for this recipe you would use 1 3/4 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice.

One last thing…

What do you think? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram! Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Tangerine Thyme Margaritas

February 22, 2018 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

Happy National Margarita Day!!! Let’s celebrate with Tangerine Thyme Margaritas!

Who knows why February 22 is the day to celebrate America’s favorite cocktail? Which president declared it to be so? Andrew Johnson? He seems like a real drinker. Calvin Coolidge? No one knows anything about that guy so maybe he was trying to make a lasting mark?

My Tangerine Thyme Margarita takes fresh-squeezed tangerine and lime juices and shakes it all around with herbal thyme syrup and tequila. A wintery margarita to celebrate the season's citrus AND National Margarita Day! #margarita #margaritarecipe #tangerinemargarita

My belief is it falls in the middle of the dreariest part of winter because it is the perfect cocktail to lift your spirits—Tequila! Sour AF! Full of vitamin C! And it hits right at the heart of citrus season when the limes (and in our case) tangerines are plentiful and sweet.

How to Make Tangerine Thyme Margaritas

I think my love for margaritas is well known, and the reason I adore them so (besides the whole tequila thing) is the way you can so easily manipulate the flavors by adding a homemade syrup.

This thyme syrup adds a lovely herbal note to an otherwise sweet and tangy drink. It smooths out the edges and brings a warm winter feel. To make this syrup (and any flavored syrup) is really simple. You combine equal parts sugar and water (in this case, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water) and bring it to a simmer in a saucepan with the flavoring ingredient (in this case, a big handful of fresh thyme sprigs). Let it cook a couple minutes, then cover and let it cool to room temperature, allowing the thyme flavor to steep into the syrup.

The second component is the summery sunshine of tangerine juice. Ideally you can find fresh tangerines and juice them for the drink but if not, a jug of tangerine juice will also work. The difference is in the intensity. Store-bought tangerine juice is thicker and heavier making the thyme syrup have to work really hard to come through. Fresh-squeezed is lighter and brighter with a punch of flavor but one that mellows to allow the other components of the drink some room.

We are going to keep the party going tomorrow too when I take over The Latin Kitchen Instagram Feed! So come check me out on Friday, February 23. I’ll be making this cocktail recipe, talking about how to blend the perfect margarita, and what you should serve with it. See you there!

Tangerine Thyme Margaritas

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

My Tangerine Thyme Margarita takes fresh-squeezed tangerine and lime juices and shakes it all around with herbal thyme syrup and tequila. A wintery margarita to celebrate the season's citrus AND National Margarita Day!

Ingredients

For the Thyme Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
4 ounces (1/2 cup) fresh thyme sprigs

For the Margaritas:

lime wedges, for the rim
kosher salt, for the rim
crushed ice
2 ounces silver tequila
2 ounce tangerine juice (ideally fresh-pressed)
1 ounce thyme syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice
thyme sprigs, for garnish

Instructions

To Make the Syrup:

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk to dissolve the sugar then add thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook, 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour. Strain and chill. Syrup will keep covered in the refrigerator for 1 month.

To Make the Margaritas:

Rub the lime wedge around the rim of a cocktail glass. Dip glass in salt to coat the edges. Fill glass with crushed ice.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add tequila, tangerine juice, syrup, and lime juice and shake vigorously. Strain drink into prepared glass and garnish with a thyme sprig. ¡Salúd!

One More Thing

Did you love this post? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram. Tag @holajalapeno and use the #holajalapeno hashtag so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me. If you run into trouble shoot me a message on Instagram and I’ll walk you through it.

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Skinny Cherry & Lime Leaf Margaritas

May 22, 2017 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

Hello! Hello! Who’s interested in kicking off a Monday with a margarita? Heeyyyy!

This skinny cherry margarita made with fresh sweet cherries and fragrant lime leaves is a cocktail you can sip on all summer and not feel an ounce of guilt.

I’m partnering up, once again, with my pals at Powell and Mahoney to create a summer cocktail that tastes amazing and will keep you looking good in that bikini, you little beach vixens. Meet the Skinny Cherry and Lime Leaf Margarita.

WHAT IS A SKINNY MARGARITA ANYWAY?

Amongst Powell and Mahoney’s many delicious cocktail mixers is their Skinny Margarita Mix and it is the key ingredient to having your margarita and drinking it too. Their Skinny Margarita Mix is a low-cal mixer made with lemon and key lime juice then sweetened with agave syrup and a little pear juice to cut down on the sugar and keep it refreshing.

I wanted to use fresh fruit to accent all the fruit flavors in the mix and settled on big, juice-packed sweet cherries because they are just coming into season and, more importantly, require basically no work other than plucking out the stems and tossing them in the shaker—it’s important to keep the work level low when making a cocktail, amiright?

The lime leaves are an addition that if you don’t have a lime tree might seem a tad obnoxious but let me explain. I adore cooking with kaffir lime leaves. Also known as Thai lime leaves they are the very distinctive flowery-sour flavor in Thai curries and noodle dishes. They can be found in most Asian grocery stores or easily ordered from Amazon, so substitute them in this margarita if you don’t have a lime tree in your backyard.

However, if you happen to have a lime tree or know someone who does, did you know you can use the leaves to cook with? Snap one off a stem and break it in half, stick it up to your nose and be prepared to inhale a most sublime fragrance. That is what you add to your food (or in this case, cocktail) when you use the leaves.

HOW TO MAKE A SKINNY CHERRY MARGARITA

To make the margarita combine the cherries and leaves in a cocktail shaker and crush them with all your might until the cherries are mostly pulp and the leaves are bent and smashed into submission. Add the margarita mix, a good handful of ice (I like crushed), and the tequila. Then shake-a-shake-a lots of times.

At this point you can strain the drink over fresh ice in a salt-rimmed glass (salt not optional). It will be sharp with cherry flavor and bright shots of lime. You can also just pour the whole shebang into the glass; bits of cherry, lime leaf, and all. A warning on this method though; the pits will still be in there which doesn’t really bother me and I like the added flavor from having the fruit in my drink but if it bothers you, you can either pick out the pits (which is rather cumbersome) or just go with the straining method, up to you.

Skinny Cherry & Lime Leaf Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This skinny cherry margarita made with fresh sweet cherries and fragrant lime leaves is a cocktail you can sip on all summer and not feel an ounce of guilt.

Ingredients

12 sweet cherries, stems removed
4 lime leaves (or kaffir lime leaves)
crushed ice
2 ounces Powell & Mahoney's Skinny Margarita mix
2 ounces silver tequila

Instructions

Rim a large glass with salt and fill with ice.
Combine cherries and lime leaves in a cocktail shaker and crush with a muddler until cherries are smashed and have released their juice.
Add remaining ingredients and shake until cocktail shaker is beaded with sweat. Strain margarita into prepared glass and drink up!

One More Thing

Did you love this post? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram. Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me. If you run into trouble shoot me a message on Instagram and I’ll walk you through it.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

This cocktail post is sponsored by Powell & Mahoney, all opinions are my own.

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Pineapple Hibiscus Margarita

May 5, 2017 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

I hope it is warm where you are, you’ve got the hot sun on your face, and an icy margarita in your hand.

I am blown—seriously blown—by the generosity and creative spirits of all my fellow food bloggers who have participated in this year’s Margarita Week. Really my cup, literally and figuratively, runneth over with margaritas and gratitude and inspiration of all the gorgeous, gorgeous work that went into creating this year’s recipes and posts. It is all in good fun—a week dedicated to tequila and margaritas couldn’t be anything but—that being said, I know the time and effort it takes to pull off such jaw-dropping work and for that I want to thank each and every one of you for contributing your talents.

My contribution is a fruity concoction I created with my friends and sponsors of Margarita Week, Azuñia Tequila. Their Organic Blanco Tequila is so smooth and gentle. It is the tequila you want to be drinking if you think you don’t like tequila or have had too many bad experiences with the crap tequila of all of our college days.

Whenever I open the bottle and take in the aroma, pineapple is always the first thing that comes to mind, so it’s a no-brainer that I choose to make a pineapple margarita—I really had no other choice.

Because Azuñia prides itself on being an organic tequila I like to keep my cocktail that way too and use only organic ingredients in the drink. Ripe, buttery organic pineapple, organic limes from my own tree, and even organic granulated sugar in the syrup. It may seem a little nitpicky but I think it makes a difference in the final drink.

The finishing touch is the hibiscus salt on the rim which comes from The Spanish Tin. It has just a hint of smoke from smoked paprika with all the tart tang of ground hibiscus flowers and the perfect amount of flaky sea salt. I highly recommend looking them up, they have a seasoning for just about any occasion.

And because we all need something to snack on while we’re sipping our margaritas in the sun, I’ve got a quick little salsa for you that is one of my favorites from Baja. I don’t think it originated there (I’ve read recipes of peanut salsa hailing from Chiapas to the Yucatán) but the first time I had it was in Valle de Guadalupe so it always makes me think of Baja California.

It’s a spicy, creamy salsa made from arbol chiles and ground peanuts. You can find the full recipe here!

Have a fun and festive Cinco de Mayo my loves! For lots more Margarita inspiration we’ve got everything from cupcakes to cocktails over on the Margarita Week page and follow along on social with the #MargaritaWeek hashtag!

If you’re looking for Azuñia Tequila, check the map to see where you can find a bottle in your area!

Pineapple Hibiscus Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This Pineapple Hibiscus Margarita is made with fresh pineapple puree, organic blanco tequila, and hibiscus syrup. Perfect to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

Ingredients

For the Hibiscus Syrup:

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers, rinsed

For the Margarita

Hibiscus Salt or kosher salt
2 ounces Organic Blanco Tequila (Azuñia is my favorite)
2 ounces pineapple puree *See Note
2 limes, juiced, plus more for garnish
1/2 ounce pineapple gum syrup
1/2 ounce hibiscus syrup
pineapple wedges, for garnish

Instructions

To Make the Syrup:

Combine water, sugar, and flowers in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Let simmer 15 minutes.
Cover, remove from heat, and let cool. Strain and chill completely.

To Make Margarita:

Rub a lime around the rim of a rocks glass. Dip the outside of the rim in the hibiscus salt to coat. Fill glass with ice.
Combine tequila, pineapple puree, lime juice, and pineapple gum syrup with a scoop of ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until combined and outside of the shaker is beaded with ice. Strain into the prepared glass. Pour hibiscus syrup over the top, garnish with a lime slice and pineapple wedge, if desired.

Notes

To make the pineapple puree; remove the peel and core from a ripe pineapple and cut into chunks. Add chunks to a blender and blend until smooth. Will make enough for 10-12 drinks. Save any leftover for smoothies.

The hibiscus syrup recipe will make enough for 10-12 drinks.

One More Thing

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

This post and Margarita Week was sponsored by Azuñia Tequila, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

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Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita

April 29, 2017 by Kate Ramos 8 Comments

Making a strawberry margarita is not half as difficult as you might think, and this one is made even easier with the help of Powell & Mahoney’s margarita mix.

Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita Recipe

Are you still with me? I did say the “M” word (mixer). I know, I know, I thought the same thing too; why would I replace my fragrant, fresh-squeezed lime juice with a high fructose corn syrup gut bomb?

Slow your roll, this stuff is not, I repeat, not the margarita mix of your college days. The Powell & Mahoney Margarita Mix is handcrafted with all natural ingredients and cane sugar, and is the perfect sweet to sour ratio that I’ll admit, I like to drink with the added fizz of a little Topo Chico on any given afternoon when tequila wouldn’t exactly be appropriate.

I came up with the idea for this Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita when the kids and I were out on a hike a few weeks back and came upon a peppercorn tree hanging heavy with just ripening pink peppercorns. I’m not a huge forager (let’s just say, I’m not always right) but the fragrance of peppercorns is undeniable and these were especially well…peppery. I picked a green one off the tree, cut into it with my thumbnail and held it up to my nose. A flood of black spice filled the air and I quickly filled my pockets with as many as they would hold.

For those of you not wanting to wander around in the semi-arid desert mountains looking for a peppercorn tree, store-bought pink peppercorns will work just as well and you can use them for all kinds of other cooking adventures too—a grilled steak perhaps?

I love a crushed strawberry margarita so much this time of year when the strawberries are flushed red all the way through and bursting at the seams with juice. All you need to do is pull the stems from a few and crush them in the bottom of your mixer with a muddler or back of a wooden spoon. In this case you’d add the peppercorns too, then shake it all up with tequila and the mixer. Simple as that!

Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

A strawberry pink peppercorn margarita hits all the notes of a perfect cocktail, a little sweet, a little sour, a tad bit spicy, and full of tequila!

Ingredients

Kosher Salt - for glass
6 Whole Pink Peppercorns
3 Strawberries, stemmed, plus more for garnish
2 ounces Blanco Tequila
2 ounces Powell & Mahoney Classic Margarita Mix

Instructions

Cover a small plate with kosher salt. Wet the rim of a margarita or rocks glass and dip it in the salt.
Place peppercorns and 2 strawberries in a cocktail shaker and crush together with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon until the strawberries are almost a puree and the peppercorns are broken into small pieces.
Add crushed ice, P&M Classic Margarita, and tequila to the shaker. Cover and shake vigorously until the outside is beaded in sweat.
Pour into the prepared glass, garnish with a strawberry half and enjoy!

Notes

*Note: To make a pitcher: Combine 15 peppercorns and a pint of strawberries in a blender and pulse until well broken up but not smooth. Pour into a pitcher, add 2 cups margarita mix, 2 cups of tequila, and stir well to combine. Fill with ice and serve.

One More Thing

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Cranberry Ginger Margarita Recipe

December 20, 2016 by Kate Ramos 3 Comments

Merry Christmas!

Since this is the last recipe I’ll post before Christmas arrives I want to wish you all the happiest of holidays. It means the world to me that you are here, showing your love and cooking the recipes and being just downright lovely, lovely people. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I mean it. Can I toast you with a Cranberry Ginger Margarita?

Cranberry Ginger Margarita Recipe @holajalapeno

I hope over the next week you will gather together with people you love to celebrate another year, the beauty that is life, and just having a moment of joy in this often crazed existence we all live. And for that, I wanted to leave you with a cocktail, and a beautiful one at that.

I was halfway through developing a straight-up ginger margarita when my eye caught the last of the cranberry agua fresca sitting in the fridge and well, history was made in the form of the most gorgeous-hued cranberry ginger margarita I ever did create.

Now, of course I’d be overjoyed if you made the cranberry agua fresca and then turned it into this margarita but you certainly don’t have to. I also tried it with store-bought cranberry juice and it tasted just as festive.

I love the little bits of fresh grated ginger

Make sure you use a microplane, you want it really fine but if the thought of ginger strands stuck between your teeth grosses you out you can strain the drink over fresh ice in each glass before serving.

The final holiday pizzazz comes in the form of a lime and salt rim around each glass which is made by grating a little zest from a lime (use the microplane remember), mixing with some coarse salt and sticking it to the rim of each glass—fancy!

The recipe makes either 1 enormous drink or 2 regular-sized drinks so you can either share with a friend or have a very merry Christmas by yourself! Cheers!!

Cranberry Ginger Margarita

Yield: 2 Drinks

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

The most beautiful cranberry margarita to celebrate the holiday. The color alone is reason to make it but then add fresh grated ginger and a lime-salt rim and Happy Holidays indeed!

Ingredients

2 limes
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup cranberry juice or Cranberry Agua Fresca
1/4 cup silver tequila
2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
A few slices candied ginger for serving, optional

Instructions

Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from one lime and place it on a small plate. Add salt and rub the two together with your fingers to incorporate. Cut a wedge out of the lime and rub it around the rim of two cocktail glasses. Dip the rims in the salt mixture and set aside.
Squeeze the juice from the other lime into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add cranberry juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and grated ginger.
Cover and shake vigorously until sweat starts to bead on the outside of the shaker. Divide the drink evenly between the two prepared glasses and garnish with a lime wedge and a few strips of candied ginger.

Marigold Mezcal Margarita

October 7, 2016 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

A Marigold Mezcal Margarita is a cocktail to celebrate the symbolic Day of the Dead flower with marigold syrup, mezcal, and fresh squeezed lime.

I’ve always thought of the marigold as a humble flower. More of a workhorse, a plain jane, not exactly the crown jewel of the garden.

Marigolds are the symbolic flower of Dia de los Muertos

That was until I was introduced to the African marigold, Flor de Muerte in Spanish or cempaxuchil. These tall-stemmed queens are strewn into wreaths, and constructed into brilliant arcs surrounding altars in Oaxaca and all over Mexico for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. They’re blossoms can be as big as 6-inches and grow wild in the Oaxacan countryside through October leading up to Dia de los Muertos celebrations on November 1 and 2. They’re fragrant scent and bright orange color are said to awaken the senses of the dead and bring joy to the living.

They’re symbolism make them perfect for a Day of the Dead cocktail which we made for our Dia de los Muertos Fiesta which you can read all about here. Dried marigolds make a beautiful syrup and their floral, slightly bitter flavor go smashingly with smoky mezcal.

My New Favorite Mezcal

One of my newest mezcal discoveries is Mezcal Yuu Baal. It has undertones of smoke, but not in your face like some. It also is lightly fruity, like maybe kiwi? Whatever it is, it goes lovely with this cocktail; gentle enough to let the marigold essence come through. A fun marigold salt rim makes this cocktail extra special.

How To Make a Marigold Mezcal Margarita

Fresh squeezed lime juice is essential for a good margarita.

Give everything a good shake.

And party time!

All photos courtesy of This Mess Is Ours

Marigold Mezcal Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Marigolds are a symbol of Dia de los Muertos. Dried marigolds are said to cure any number of skin irritations and digestive issues. They are a bit bitter on their own but make a delicious golden syrup. They also can be steeped with water and drank as tea. You can buy them here.

Ingredients

For the Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup dried marigold flowers

For the Margarita:

sea salt
3-4 dried marigold flowers
2 limes
2 ounces (1/4 cup) mezcal
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) marigold syrup

Instructions

For the syrup:

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Once boiling, remove from heat, stir in flowers, cover and let steep at least 15 minutes but up to 2 hours.

For the drink:

Pour about 1/4 cup of salt on a shallow dish. Crumble 2 marigold flowers into salt and then rub the salt and flowers together.
Cut lime in half. Take one lime half and cut into thick slices. Rub one lime slice around the edge of a rocks glass. Dip the rim of the glass into the marigold salt and fill the glass with ice.
Fill a shaker with ice. Squeeze the remaining 3 lime wedges into the shaker, add mezcal and syrup. Cover and shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glass and garnish with crumbled marigold flower and a lime wedge.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1034Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 646mgCarbohydrates: 272gFiber: 4gSugar: 237gProtein: 1g

How To Make The Original Cadillac Margarita

August 1, 2016 by Kate Ramos 14 Comments

How to make the Original Cadillac Margarita—a simple, 4-ingredient classic. This version leans a bit on the sweet side with Grand Marnier and agave syrup but is well balanced with lots of fresh-squeezed lime juice for (in my humble opinion) the perfect margarita. Video included!

I was well into my twenties before I stopped making margaritas with a store-bought mix and started making this Cadillac Margarita recipe.

Not that I consumed large quantities of margaritas back then. I was more of a Absolut Citron and Tonic kinda gal in college. A drink that made me feel simultaneously cosmopolitan and not nauseous.

Glass with ice and a margarita in it and a lime wedge floating on top.

It wasn’t until a few years post college when I was working as a chef at Mustard’s Grill in Napa Valley that I realized margaritas were little more than fresh-squeezed lime juice, great tequila, and a splash of orange liqueur.

Alas, a love was born.

A black table with limes, rose petals, a margarita, and a dish of salt on it.

It wasn’t, however, until last week when my sister was visiting and we were sipping on this here drink, that I realized amongst aaaalllllllllllllll the margarita recipes I have on this site, not one of them are for the one I actually make most often.

The one I fell in love with oh so many years ago: this Cadillac Margarita recipe.

what makes a margarita a cadillac margarita?

There’s no definitive record of who poured the first “Cadillac” Margarita, but what makes it special is that it is always made with premium ingredients.

A Cadillac is a luxury vehicle, hence a Cadillac Margarita is the top of its class as well.

There are only 4 ingredients in this cocktail, so all of them need to be the best your money can buy to make it a true Cadillac Margarita.

Here’s what you’ll need:

The best tequila you can afford (more on this below).
Fresh-squeezed lime juice (none of that bottled stuff please). Plus a fat lime wedge for garnish.
A good quality triple sec. In my opinion, a Cadillac Margarita is always made with Grand Marnier.
Agave syrup (this is optional) but I like my margaritas a bit sweet.

what type of tequila to use?

You can use a blanco or a reposado tequila but whatever you use make sure it is made from 100% Blue Weber agave.

I prefer a blanco tequila because I love its bright, grassy flavor. It is bold and stands up to the fresh lime juice and orange liqueur.

Others however insist that a more mellow reposado tequila is best. Reposado tequila has spent time aging in oak barrels which gives it more of a woody, rounder flavor.

It really depends on your preference. Either way here are some of my favorite labels:

how to make a cadillac margarita

Ingredients are important but I also believe technique has something to do with the overall success of the drink. How you layer the alcohol and juice in the shaker makes a difference, and not just in a margarita but all cocktails.

Here’s how to do it:

Add the ice to the cocktail shaker first.
Then the main alcohol (in this case tequila)
Then the secondary alcohol (Grand Marnier)
Then the syrup
Finally the juice on top.
And really shake it until the outside of the shaker is frosty and beading with sweat (10-15 seconds).

A glass with ice and a margarita in it with a lime wedge on top sitting on a colorful napkin.

Now before you get you leave me a nasty comment, I fully realize that a classic Cadillac margarita does not have added sweetener.

That the Grand Marnier IS the sweetener.

But this is the way I like it and I urge you to try it. I like to use more lime juice than is typically called for and the sweetness of the agave balances it out just perfectly.

If you still feel it is too sweet, just leave it out.

how to serve

Rim the glass. I like to drink my margaritas out of a rocks glass, but a margarita glass is nice too. Whichever you use rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass.

Coat with salt. Fill a small dish with fine sea salt. Turn the glass upside down and dip the rim in the salt until an even layer of salt covers the rim of the glass.

Strain the margarita. Take the salt rimmed glass and fill with ice. Strain the shaken margarita over the fresh ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

A dark wood table with liquor bottles, a shot glass, a plate of limes, and a margarita.

Once you’ve got this one mastered it is pretty simple to venture forth into other margarita flavors.

The easiest variations simply substitute the agave syrup for a fruit-flavored syrup. Try these recipes below or hop over to the Margarita Week page for inspiration from my favorite food bloggers!

more margarita recipes to try!

try this original cadillac margarita for cinco de mayo

There’s no better time to break out that cocktail shaker than on Cinco de Mayo! Looking for more fun ideas? Check out our Cinco de Mayo Party Guide for lots of DIY decor and recipe inspiration. If you do shake one (or two) up take a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !

The Original Cadillac Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This one's it. The only margarita recipe you will ever need. Use it to make flavored margaritas too, just substitute the agave syrup for you favorite flavored syrup.

Ingredients

fine sea salt (for the glass)
1 lime, cut in wedges
ice
1 1/2 shots (3 ounces) tequila
1/2 shot (1 ounce) Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
1/2 shot (1 ounce) agave syrup
2 limes, juiced

Instructions

Rim the glass. Pour about 1/4 cup of salt on to a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass. Dip glass in salt until rim is coated with salt. Fill glass with crushed ice.
Shake the margarita. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour tequila on the bottom, then Grand Marnier, agave syrup, and lime juice on top. Cover and shake vigorously until outside of the shaker is beaded with sweat.
Cheers! Pour into prepared glass, garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 6gSugar: 14gProtein: 1g

Blackberry Limonada Margarita

May 4, 2016 by Kate Ramos 14 Comments

Holy Mother of God, what a week!!

Seriously, when I conjured up this whole Margarita Week thing in my head I thought maybe a few of my friends would throw up some recipes because they love me and know I love tequila but I never thought so many über-talented food bloggers (many of whom I only know in the virtual sense of the term) really went BIG! I mean just take a moment to peruse through this list. It breaks my margarita-loving heart then seals it back up again with a salted rim. All I want to say to those of you who participated is, Thank You. You guys make me very thirsty.

After reading Nicole’s post on what Cinco de Mayo is really about I wanted to make up some brutal blood-colored margarita and call it “The Machete” or a corn-flavored one and call it “The Campesino” but those ideas still need to be fleshed out. (I have copyright on all that business so don’t get any big ideas :).

Instead I went with something loosely based on a cocktail I had in Miami at Yardbird, (a most delicious fried chicken place that you should obviously visit). It was a bourbon drink but also had blackberries and lemon and I knew tequila would fit in there somewhere.

This margarita is excellent if you’re entertaining tonight because not only can you make the syrup ahead of time but you can mix up a big pitcher of the entire drink, without ice of course, cover it and refrigerate until party time.

If you want to be fancy you can also make blackberry ice by popping fresh blackberries into an ice cube tray and filling with water then freeze! Add those to each glass and everyone will think you’re the shit….which you are.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Blackberry Limonada Margarita: A Pitcher Cocktail Recipe

Yield: 8 drinks

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ice cubes and syrup can be made up to a week in advance. Margarita can be mixed and refrigerated in the pitcher up to a day in advance.

Ingredients

For the Ice Cubes:

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
water

For the Blackberry Syrup:

2 cups (about 10 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries), plus more for garnish
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

For the Margarita:

4 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced
2 cups silver tequila
1 recipe blackberry syrup
1 cup Grand Mariner or other orange liqueur
Lemon slices, for garnish
salt for rim

Instructions

To make the blackberry ice cubes; place blackberries in an ice cube tray and fill the tray with water. Freeze until solid.
To make the blackberry syrup; combine blackberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until blackberries start to break down, about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer to a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and mash berries through the sieve to collect all the juice. Discard seeds. Let syrup cool.
To make the margarita; combine syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, tequila, and Grand Mariner in a pitcher. Stir to combine. Cover and chill until cold.
Rub a lemon slice around the edge of each glass and dip the rim in salt. Fill each glass with blackberry ice cubes and pour margarita into each glass. Garnish with lemon slices and extra blackberries and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 26gProtein: 1g

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Morning Margarita

March 16, 2016 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

I’ve been doing this TV bit for a few months now.

Every few weeks I appear at 9:30am on local, live, Fargo, North Dakota TV and make something fun or educational or slightly alcoholic. I never planned on this being a regular thing but they keep asking me back and people get so excited about it. One of my friends even took a picture of her TV while I was on it and posted it to Facebook–so, so sweet!

The last time I was on I made Bloody Marias (basically Bloody Marys but with tequila instead of vodka) and I got so many comments about how there should be more drinking tequila at 9am on TV. So next week I’ll be making this here Morning Margarita because I give the people what they want.

I also think this would be the perfect thing to make for Easter brunch. The recipe makes only one cocktail but you could easily scale it up to make a pitcher. Fresh-squeezed orange juice make it totally appropriate for morning drinking and a splash of black currant-flavored creme de cassis gives it a layered fruity note that would go perfectly with buttery French toast and bacon.

If you’re not local I’ll post the segment here next week after it’s live. In the meantime, try the drink out this weekend and let me know what you think!

Looking for more tequila in the morning? Check out my MARGARITA board on Pinterest!

Morning Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Fresh squeezed orange juice and a splash of creme de cassis lighten the classic margarita making it perfect for sipping any time of day.

Ingredients

1 orange
kosher salt
2 limes
1 ounce silver tequila
splash creme de cassis

Instructions

Cut orange in half. Squeeze one half into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cut the other half into wedges. Take one wedge and run it along the rim of a glass. Dip the glass in salt and set aside.
Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into the cocktail shaker. Cut the other lime in wedges for garnish.
Add tequila to cocktail shaker, seal, and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is beaded with sweat.
Pour drink into prepared glass. Garnish with orange and lime wedges add a splash of creme de cassis over the top and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 7gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g

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Apple Lime Margarita

February 22, 2016 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

Hi Friends! I bring you this off-schedule post because it’s National Margarita Day (!!!) and how could I possibly miss that?!

I have no idea why February 22 holds such high honors as to be the representative of tequila, lime juice, and salt but it does and today is the day so let’s not ask too many questions. I will chime in to say that it probably has something to do with tequila companies not wanting margarita consumption to wane in the winter. As if?!

Margaritas hold such a dear, sweet place in my heart. They lie somewhere below my children and somewhere above guacamole, it’s real and true. Remember all the margaritas we’ve made in the past? There was the mango one with the spicy chile rim, the crushed strawberry margarita from Cinco de Mayo 2015, oh, oh, and the honey grapefruit margarita from waaaaayyyy back (don’t look too closely at that photo, it’s not my best work).

A few weeks ago I had some fresh-pressed apple cider hanging out in my fridge and no one was drinking it so I had this brilliant idea to reduce it into a thick, über-appely syrup that could a) last longer and b) be mixed into cocktails. Which tells you two things about me a) I won’t throw food away to save my poor family’s soul and b) I’m constantly thinking about cocktails.

Lucky us the cocktail idea was really stellar. The syrup is like an apple bomb in liquid form and adds sweetness, floral apple flavor, and a little tang all at once, making the need for other ingredients fairly unnecessary. Aside from your requisite tequila and lime juice the apple syrup has got it all locked in. You can salt the rim if you’d like but I think a little sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top adds just enough.

Apple Lime Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Tequila, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and pressed apple cider syrup is a cold-weather twist on this classic summer cocktail. Cider syrup will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to a month. Use any extra over pancakes, oatmeal, or ice cream.

Ingredients

For the Cider Syrup:

2 cups fresh-pressed apple cider (not hard cider)

For the Margarita:

2 limes
2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce cider syrup
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

For the Cider Syrup:

Pour cider into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until syrup is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

For the Margarita:

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add tequila and syrup and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is beaded with sweat.
Strain into an ice filled glass and garnish with a lime wedge. Sprinkle salt over the top if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 631Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 656mgCarbohydrates: 131gFiber: 5gSugar: 88gProtein: 1g

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Crushed Strawberry Margarita

May 5, 2015 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

If there ever was a time to break out those upside down sombreros, also known as margarita glasses, today is the day.

But, but, but for some reason in my plethora of glassware you won’t find nary a one. I suppose that has something to do with most of my “props” being hand-me-downs from my grandmother and she was more of a gin-and-tonic-sorta gal than a margarita one. In the summers especially she’d make herself a tall gin and tonic and carry it around neatly wrapped in a colorful paper cocktail napkin suited for the occasion.

Most of them were emblazoned with floral arrangements or wine grapes with lots of trailing vines. When she died I found four drawers full of cocktail napkins. My favorite had a nun drinking out of the aforementioned inverted hat and read ‘Sister Mary Margarita’. I guess she did enjoy a good ‘ol Mexican cocktail every once in a while.

Anyhoo, it’s Cinco de Mayo and while I can’t offer up a slurpee-esque strawberry marg in a glass the size of my three-year-old’s head I can offer a very tasty alternative. This drink tastes more like real strawberries and less like bubble gum. It allows you to drink a fruit-flavored cocktail and maintain your dignity. Also muddling the strawberries and lime wedges together smells intoxicating all by itself, just imagine what happens when you add the tequila.

Happy Cinco de Mayo party people!! Viva Mexico!

SaveSave

Crushed Strawberry Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Follow the link for my favorite (and super easy) orange syrup recipe or substitute Cointreau or Grand Mariner for a slightly more boozy drink.

Ingredients

3 strawberries, quartered
4 lime wedges
1 ounce silver tequila
1/2 ounce Orange Syrup or Cointreau
ice
coarse salt, for rim

Instructions

Crush strawberries and three lime wedges in a cocktail shaker with a muddler or handle of a wooden spoon.
Add tequila, orange syrup, and ice and shake vigorously until outside of the shaker is frosted.
Rub remaining lime wedge around the rim of a cocktail glass and dip the glass in a shallow dish of coarse salt. Pour margarita into the glass and serve.

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Super Easy Spicy Mango Margarita

May 1, 2015 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

This being the weekend before Cinco de Mayo I think it’s only right that I bring you a margarita recipe. Who can think of anything but tequila, lime juice, and salt in a moment like this?

There is no better cocktail (in my humble opinion) than the margarita. Sure, there are more interesting drinks out there. Prettier ones requiring more exotic liquor, and herbs that need to be slapped just so but I will always return to a well-made margarita if given the choice. It probably has something to do with tequila, I have a borderline obsessive affinity for it, especially it’s scent. When I was pregnant with Louisa I used to take the bottle down from the shelf and waft it under my nose for a good few minutes, slumping against the wall in pure bliss. If anyone out there wants to make a tequila-scented perfume I will happily buy it.

Running a close second to the tequila part is the salted rim part. Getting that salty tinge mixed with the all-at-once sweet and sour drink is pure heaven. Which is why a mango margarita with a chipotle chili, sugar, and salt rim is pure heaven x 10.

This drink is super simple to pull off, only requiring a handful of ingredients and a cocktail shaker. I used mango nectar instead of fresh mango to make a drink that is big on mango flavor but small on effort, which comes in handy when you’ve had more than one margarita.

If you are excited about Cinco de Mayo as I am, follow my Cinco de Mayo board on Pinterest for tons of fun party ideas.

Spicy Mango Margarita Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the Rim:

2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
lime wedges

For the Drink:

1 ounce silver tequila
Juice of 1/2 a lime
4 ounces mango nectar
ice

Instructions

Combine the sugar, salt, and chile powder in a shallow dish. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a glass then dip the top of the glass in the sugar mixture.
Combine tequila, lime juice, and mango nectar in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Pour into the prepared glass and serve.

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Fizzy Mezcal Margarita

January 30, 2015 by Kate Ramos 10 Comments

Somehow in all my Katy Perry Super Bowl fanaticism I’ve up and done forgot to talk about what we will be drinking—and when I say ‘we’ I mean the big, fat universal we, as in all of us, the whole entire world, or at least anyone who will be watching Katy Perry win the Super Bowl on Sunday.

We, of course will be drinking margaritas (honestly, when are we not?) but hows about a special bubbly version made with orange soda, mezcal (tequila’s smoky cousin), and orange bitters? Here’s the plan: how bout you and me hang out in the kitchen and play bartender on Sunday? I am more than happy to mix drinks all evening as long as I get an occasional peak at the commercials whilst delivering drinks to thirsty spectators.

For those of you who are actually interested in watching the game then you need to find someone to do this for you, but for those of you who could really give two shits? I’m talking to you. These margs take a tad bit of work, like squeezing limes and some vigorous shaking, there is even some orange zesting involved, but it will keep you occupied and no one will notice that you don’t know one iota about football. Just remember to get someone to take over during halftime.

A couple other margs to ponder:

Fizzy Mezcal Margarita

Yield: 1 drink

Pellegrino makes an orange soda that is clear and not too sweet which makes it perfect for cocktails. If you can't find it try substituting an all natural soda such as Izze or Hansen's

Ingredients

1 ounce mezcal
Juice of 1 lime
3 or 4 thin strips orange zest
a few dashes orange bitters
Pellegrino orange soda
lime wedges
granulated sugar, for the rim

Instructions

Combine mezcal, lime juice, orange zest, and orange bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the shaker is well chilled.
Run a lime wedge around the rim of a tall glass. Gently dip the glass in sugar and fill glass with ice. Strain drink over ice and fill with orange soda.

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This mezcal margarita is the perfect balance of smoky mezcal, and bright orange flavor from fresh orange zest and the bubbly effervescence of orange soda. #mezcal #mezcalmargaritas #margarita

La Bruja Tamarind Margarita {A Halloween Cocktail}

October 31, 2014 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

Okay, spill the beans…..what are your plans for tonight?

Are you dressing up in the sexiest costume possible? (You little vixen, you).

Are you going to going to a haunted house?

Carving pumpkins?

Going to turn out your porch light, sit on the couch with a glass of wine and watch a scary movie?

We will be taking a creepy bride and either Spiderman, Superman, or Batman (I have a very indecisive two-year-old) out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood then head over to a friend’s house for a little Halloween fiesta. I’m in charge of ghoulish cocktails and I think you’re going to like this one.

Here goes…..first off, you make this perfectly sweet and sour tamarind simple syrup. “How the heck do I do that?” You ask. Good question.

You buy yourself a bag of tamarind pods from the Mexican market or order them here.

Remove the papery outer skin.

Place the pods with water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook them until they are really soft. Let it cool a little bit. Pour the whole she-bang in the blender and blend until liquified. Warning: there are seeds inside the pods which will produce a very loud noise while blending. Its okay, it won’t break your blender. Strain out the seeds and voilá, tamarind simple syrup.

For a kid friendly drink you can serve the simple syrup with some sparkling water over ice like a fizzy tamarind agua fresca. But for you and me, who need something a little more potent after freezing our butts off walking around in the dark all night, this is what you do: combine the simple syrup with lime juice and dark anejo tequila serve it in a glass rimmed with chipotle chile powder and salt and you have a witches brew no broom-flying being could resist.

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!!

La Bruja {A Halloween Cocktail}

Yield: 1 drink

La Bruja is a tamarind margarita that is sweet and sour and perfect for Halloween. Dark añejo tequila, homemade tamarind simple syrup, and lots of lime.

Ingredients

For the Tamarind Syrup:

5 ounces tamarind pods (about 6 pods)
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar

For the Cocktail:

4 ounces dark anejo tequila
2 ounces tamarind simple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
lime wedges, salt, chipotle chili powder for rimming the glass

Instructions

To make the syrup, remove the outer husk and stem from the tamarind pods. Combine pods, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil. Boil gently until pods are soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Pour tamarind mixture into the blender and blend until liquified. Strain out the seeds and discard. Syrup can be made up to a week in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the cocktail, cut a slit in a lime wedge then rub it around the outer rim of your glass. Pour salt and chili powder into separate small plates then dip the glass in salt and then chili powder to coat (you can use as much as you'd like to make it spicy for your tastes).
Combine tequila, simple syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Pour into the prepared glass and serve.

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