Jalapeño Margaritas
One thing I miss about Texas is celebrating Cinco de Mayo. In the Midwest, it's not a "holiday" people get excited about quite like we do in Texas. While most people believe it to be Mexico's Independence Day, it is actually a celebration of Mexico's unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. In Texas, the day is associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. For me, it's a great excuse to indulge in my favorite Mexican food and beverages.
To celebrate this year, I wanted to share my favorite jalapeño margarita recipe. This recipe doesn't use margarita mix but instead uses real lime juice which in my opinion helps to avoid the sugary hangover.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup tequila
1 jalapeño, 1/2 for infusing and 1/2 for garnish
1/4 cup Cointreau
1/4 cup lime juice plus lime slices for garnish
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
ice
Instructions:
1. Pour equal parts water and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Once sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat.
2. Pour tequila into cocktail shaker. Add sliced jalapeño. Set to the side to infuse. Brian and I like our margaritas on the spicy side, so we let the jalapeño infuse the tequila for 20 minutes.
3. Add Cointreau, lime juice and 1/4 cup of simple syrup mix to cocktail shaker and strain into glasses.
4. Garnish with remaining jalapeño slices and lime slices.
5. Enjoy!
You can store the remainder of the simple syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks. Or you can make more margaritas for friends.
Cheers,
Linds