If you've ever been by our market booth when Nate is working, you've probably heard this line. Hyperbole is his favorite way to sell things, and dang if it doesn't work! Beware when approaching our booth if you don't have money to spend.

You might also know that he gives credit for our marriage to the spicy marg! When we first met, Nate had never had a cocktail before, and I wasn't a big drinker either (things have changed some since then...for business...). He was in my backyard raking leaves to impress me, and I was in the kitchen whipping up a cocktail to impress him. Both worked, and now we're married.

How NOT to Make a Spicy Margarita

There are lots of ways to do this. Many restaurants and bars will simply serve their house margarita recipe with fresh jalapenos muddled in. We actually hate this - you get more burn than flavor from the jalapeno, it's all on the tip of your tongue, and it's just not satisfying. 

Two Ways to Make a Spicy Margarita

Another way is to use tequila infused with peppers - we support this method! We even made a Spicy Pineapple Margarita Infusion Kit for this purpose. When you infuse your spirits, you get a much more full-bodied flavor and a really nice burn. The pineapple is a nice sweet complement to the spice of the jalapenos.

Our favorite way of all is to use our Jalapeno Lime Simple Syrup. We throw sliced jalapenos - seeds and all - into the pot to simmer with lime juice, organic cane sugar, and pink peppercorns (our "secret" ingredient) to make a syrup that's perfectly balanced for margaritas. You get the mouth feel. You get the full flavor of the jalapenos. You get a really nice kick in the back of the throat that - importantly! - doesn't linger. This means that the spice slows you down (you really can't chug this spicy marg), but doesn't overwhelm your palate the way fresh jalapenos tend to do.

Recipe for the Best Spicy Margarita Known to Man

This is it:

1.5oz tequila
0.5oz orange liqueur (we love dry curacao because it's less syrupy)
0.5oz lime juice
0.5oz Jalapeno Lime Simple Syrup

Shake everything together in a tin with ice and strain into prepared glass either up or over fresh ice.

If you like things really spicy, definitely try this recipe with infused spirits! That will knock your socks off!

Just be careful who you make this for - you could end up married.