Spicy Mezcal Margaritas
Published 4/29/2022
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These spicy mezcal margaritas are made with high-quality mezcal, orange liquor, fresh lime juice, and a spicy agave simple syrup. Cheers!
Let’s Make Spicy Mezcal Margaritas
We love our skinny margarita and this spicy grapefruit margarita, and you can’t go wrong with a classic margarita on the rocks, but today we’re comin’ atcha with a spicy MEZCAL margarita. It’s perfectly smoky, lime-y and, of course, spicy!
Haven’t heard of mezcal? We found this article very helpful for background information on this delicious liquor.
Mezcal is a distilled liquor made from agave. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means “oven-cooked agave”.
Mezcal has a smoky and earthy taste.
With tequila, agave is steamed before being distilled in copper pots. Mezcal is cooked inside pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal and then is distilled in clay pots.
Ingredients for Spicy Mezcal Margaritas
LIME JUICE
Every good margarita begins with fresh, juicy limes. That’s right, none of that pre-packaged lime juice, people. Use real limes and squeeze them right before mixing!
mezcal
There is nothing worse than a bad tasting marg and that’s why what mezcal you buy matters! Spend a little extra dough on high-quality mezcal…your tastebuds will thank you later.
Favorite mezcal for margaritas:
Orange Liquor
You have a few options when it comes to orange liquor, and the two most popular options are Triple Sec and Cointreau. Cointreau is a step up from triple sec, but they will both work!
Spicy Simple Syrup
We’re making a spicy simple syrup from agave and jalapeños. We’re using agave because it is a traditional sweetener used in many margaritas and it dissolves much easier than other sweeteners like honey.
Make it extra spicy: If you would like an EXTRA spicy margarita, add a whole sliced jalapeño (with seeds) to a bottle of mezcal and let it sit overnight. Then, pour the mezcal through a fine sieve and use the mezcal in your margarita.
pro tip!
You will have leftover spicy agave syrup! Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, and enjoy in a cocktail or mocktail.
Tools You Need to Make a Mezcal Margarita
Here are all the tools you need to make the perfect mezcal margarita:
How to Make a Mezcal Margarita
- Prepare your cocktail glass: If you like a little salt on the rim of your glass for a margarita prepare the rim of your glass by wetting the rim of the glass with a lime and then dipping the rim in kosher salt or Himalayan salt. Add 1/2 cup of ice to the glass. Set aside.
- Add ice to the cocktail shaker: Be sure that you add 1/2 cup of ice to the cocktail shaker so all of your ingredients will be ice cold when you serve it.
- Pour all ingredients into the cocktail shaker: Add the mezcal, triple sec, simple syrup, and lime juice to the cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Serve over ice: Pour the mezcal margarita over the ice in your glass and enjoy!
make a pitcher of mezcal margaritas
Hoping to whip up a pitcher of mezcal margaritas? Here’s a quick recipe to serve 6:
- 12-oz. high-quality mezcal (1.5 cups)
- 6-oz. fresh lime juice (3/4 cup)
- 6-oz. orange liquor (3/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons spicy simple syrup (or more to taste)
Instructions:
Fill a pitcher halfway with ice. Add all of the ingredients for the margaritas to the pitcher and stir until combined with a wooden spoon.
Have you tried it?
Classic Margarita
Our favorite margarita recipe is made with classic ingredients: tequila, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, and agave.
Make a Blended Mezcal Margarita
You can absolutely make these mezcal margaritas as a blended margarita just like our favorite frozen margarita recipe.
Make it blended: Place 1 cup of ice into a high speed blender and then add margarita ingredients. Blend on high until blended and fluffy. ENJOY!
The Best Mezcal for Margaritas
We recommend using a higher quality mezcal when you are making margaritas to ensure the best taste! Here are a few of our favorite mezcal brands:
If you’re looking to make this a more traditional spicy margarita, use tequila instead of mezcal. It offers a less smoky finish!
What to Serve with Margaritas
Before we let you go we thought we’d give you some healthy Mexican recipe inspo to complete your fiesta!
Tacos: when in doubt make tacos! Here are some favs: ground beef tacos, IP lentil tacos, crockpot chicken tacos.
Appetizers: whip up our Mexican street corn salad, mango guacamole, black bean hummus, or loaded chicken nachos.
Sides: try our grilled Mexican street corn or Mexican quinoa salad!
Storage
These mezcal margaritas can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. Make sure to remove any ice before storing to prevent dilution!
Spicy Mezcal Margaritas
Ingredients
Spicy Simple Syrup (you will have left over syrup)
- 5 jalapeño rounds with seeds
- ¼ cup agave syrup
- ¼ cup water
- Pinch of salt
Margarita
- 2 oz. high-quality mezcal
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice, ~2 limes
- 1 oz. orange liquor, we used Triple Sec
- ½ tablespoon spicy agave simple syrup, or more to taste
- 1 jalapeño round
Instructions
- Make your spicy agave simple syrup. Add jalapeño, agave, water, and a pinch of salt to a sauce pan and whisk the two ingredients together. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and then let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker.
- Then, add mezcal, lime juice, orange liquor, agave simple syrup, and jalapeño round to the cocktail shaker and close. Shake the ice with the margarita to mix all ingredients together.
- Add a handful of ice to a glass and pour in the margarita. Garnish with fresh lime wedges and jalapeño rounds.
Tips & Notes
- If you would like an extra spicy margarita, add a whole sliced jalapeño (with seeds) to a bottle of mezcal and let it sit overnight. Then, pour the mezcal through a fine sieve and use the mezcal in your cocktail.
- The spice level of your cocktail is also determined by how spicy your jalapeño is. Jalapeños vary in spice level, so be careful.
- You will have left over spicy agave syrup. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
