Spicy pineapple margarita

Spicy pineapple margarita – icy-cold, with a spicy kick, fruity and refreshing, served with fragrant chili lime salt, this drink will give you just the right amount of heat and freshness.

This icy cold, hot-spiced margarita may be just the thing you need after a long week, especially on a hot afternoon, and especially when Cinco De Mayo falls on a Friday – you are pretty much doomed to have one!  And with this particular recipe, you will really take your margarita experience to the next level.  With its spicy kick, and refreshing fruity taste, this margarita is a must-try!

And speaking of next level, for an extra special touch, dip the rim of the glass in a toasted chili and lime zest flavored salt.  It’s worth the extra 5 minutes, and can be reused for more drinks if stored in the fridge.   Here’s how it goes: toast a few chilies, and grind to a powder, zest a few limes, and mix in with coarse salt.  It adds a nice toasty chili and fresh lime zest aroma, and additional spiciness to the whole experience.

I’ve been playing with infused alcohols lately, and this chili-flavored tequila is the simplest to make, and produces results in a matter of minutes.   You can use any hot peppers you have on hand, and you can control the amount of heat.   Depending on whether you like super hot or mild spiciness, you can start with mild jalapeno, or go to the other extreme and use the hottest jabanero.  Whatever you have on hand will work because you can always control the heat by adding more or less of the chilies, and vary the amount of time you let them sit in the alcohol.

For this recipe I chopped about 8 thin slices of serrano chili, poured about 5 oz of tequila reposado, and let it sit for 30 minutes.  At that point, you can taste, and remove the peppers if enough heat is seeped through, then store in a glass jar to use later.

The drink has no sugar added – just fresh sweet pineapple, fresh lime juice, a dash of Cointreau for finesse, and the spiced hot tequila.   You can always use a short cut and instead of infusing your tequila, just add a few chili slices to the drink, but by taking the extra step, you will have a nice, peppery tequila to use for many more drinks.  A little goes a long way here.

It wouldn’t be a complete Mexican fiesta without some sort of guacamole, and I strongly suggest you try this recipe for roasted vegetable guacamole!

Stay thirsty my friends!  ¡Salud!

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Spicy pineapple margarita

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Spicy pineapple margarita - icy-cold, with a spicy kick, fruity and refreshing, served with fragrant chili lime salt, this drink will give you just the right amount of heat and freshness.

Course: Drinks

Servings: 2

Calories: 75 kcal

Author: Isnpired by the Hartwood cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 oz tequila reposado
• 1 1/2 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, or 1/2 cup pineapple pure/juice
• 1 tsp chile-infused tequila (recipe follows)
• 1 cup crushed ice

For the chili lime salt:

• zest of 2 limes
• 5-6 dired arbol chilies
• 2 Tbs coarse salt

For the infused tequila:

• hot chilies of choice: jalapeno, serrano, jabanero
• premium tequila of choice

Instructions

Make the chili-infused tequila:

1. Thinly slice about half of 1 serrano chili, or jalapeno chili, and place in a glass container.  Pour over 5-6 oz tequila reposado.   Wait for half an hour, taste, and remove the chilies if you like the spiciness.  Let sit longer or add more chilies, if not spicy enough. Store in a dry place and use in other cocktails.

Make the chili lime salt:

1. In a dry pan, toast about 5-6 dried arbol chilies until fragrant ( 1-2 minutes), and pulse in a spice grinder, until finely ground.  Mix with the zest of 2 limes, and 2 Tbs of coarse salt.  Store in the fridge and use on drinks or dishes.

Make the margaritas:

1. Peel and cut your pineapple into pieces;  place about a cup of pineapple chunks in a blender.

2. Juice a few limes, and add 1 1/2 oz of fresh lime juice to the blender.

3. Add the tequila reposado,  1/2 tsp of the chili-infused tequila. the Cointreau, and the ice to the blender.  Process until smooth.  

4. Swipe a sliced lime piece around the edge of each glass, then dip in the chili lime salt mix.  Pour the margaritas in, and garnish with fresh pineapple, or lime slices.