Name: Spicy Mezcal Margarita
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 oz Mezcal; 2 oz Lime Juice; 0.5 oz Orange Liqueuer; 4 drops Orange Bitters; 1 oz Simple Syrup; 4 slices Jalapeno; Kosher Salt (rim); Lime Wheel (garnish)

Is there anything better than sipping a Spicy Mezcal Margarita Cocktail on a hot day?

Our quick & easy margarita recipe swaps traditional tequila for smoky mezcal, then adds a delightful heat as sliced raw Jalapeño peppers are muddled into the cocktail glass.

We love serving this Spicy Mezcal Margarita recipe in the summer at a Mexican feast or backyard barbecue. On a hot day it’s a truly refreshing smokey and spicy beverage!

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What Is A Spicy Mezcal Margarita?

A classic margarita is a Mexican cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur like Cointreau or Triple Sec, and fresh lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice, blended with ice, or without ice.

According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, the margarita is related to a popular Mexican drink, the Daisy (margarita is Spanish for daisy), remade with tequila instead of brandy. Daisies are a family of cocktails that include a base spirit, liqueur, and citrus juice.

It became popular during Prohibition as American residents travelled to Mexico for alcohol. There is an account from 1936 of Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a cocktail in Tijuana, years before any of the other margarita creation myths.

Today, order a Spicy Mezcal Margarita at your favourite Mexican restaurant or cocktail bar and you’ll find bartenders substituting traditional tequila in the drink for smoky Mezcal. The boozy beverage often gets its subtle heat from raw sliced jalapeños, pickled jalapeños or candied jalapeños.

Traditional Spicy Mezcal Margarita cocktail ingredients.

Travel To Mexico to Taste A Spicy Mezcal Margarita

There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with the best Spicy Mezcal Margarita recipe then by planning a vacation to visit the best Mexican distilleries.

As cocktail enthusiasts we’ve traveled the world to visit the best tequila, gin, whiskey and rum distilleries.

We love traveling to Mexico. We’ve sipped tequila and Mezcal muddled cocktails in Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mexico City, Merida, Chichen Itza and Playa del Carmen.

The bar at Four Seasons Mexico City is ranked as one of the best cocktail bars in the country. The creative mixologists behind the Four Seasons bar make classic cocktails, eye-popping modern marvels and refreshing drinks like a Spicy Mezcal Margarita.

Serve a Spicy Mezcal Margarita with a salted rim, lime wheel and jalapeno pepper stem.

Best Mezcal For Margaritas

Wondering what the difference is between tequila and mezcal? Both spirits are produced exclusively in Mexico but have subtle differences worth noting.

Tequila can only be made from one kind of agave plant: Blue Weber Agave. Mezcal however can use any kind of agave plant. They’re all the same plant but they have different varieties. Mezcal is made from all 40 of them, and it can be made from wild and cultivated plants.

The taste of tequila and mezcal are also very different. Tequila is often described as having a spicy flavour, while mezcal has a smoky flavour. The reason Mezcal tastes smoky is because the piñas are roasted in an underground pit that’s covered with hot rocks for several days. The long roasting time gives mezcal its unique smoky flavour.

If you’re new to the Mezcal world here are our favourite bottles to shake or muddle into a spicy margarita:

Our easy Spicy Mezcal Margarita recipe features Cointreau, orange bitters and fresh lime juice.

Recipe Ingredients

Our homemade Spicy Mezcal Margarita cocktail is made with fresh and premium ingredients:

Mezcal: we suggest using Sombra, Casamigos or Doce Mezcal.
Orange Liqueur: use Triple Sec or Cointreau, which offers sweetness to the drink.
Orange Bitters: a few drops adds a hint of citrus to the cocktail.

Lime Juice: we always suggest juicing fresh limes as you’ll taste the difference. Do not use store bought lime juice!
Simple Syrup: you can easily make homemade simple syrup, which is prepared by heating equal parts water and white sugar.
Jalapeño: muddle the drink with raw sliced jalapeño, pickled jalapeño or candied jalapeño.
Salt: we suggest decorating the rim of your cocktail glass with kosher salt.
Garnish: decorate each rocks glass with a fresh lime wheel and jalapeño pepper stem.

Serve a freshly shaken margarita in a rocks glass with large cubes of ice.

Spicy Mezcal Margarita Cocktail Recipe Tips

This Mexican cocktail recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes.

We love serving our Spicy Mezcal Margarita recipe in the hot summer months. The refreshing smoky and spicy cocktail is a crowd pleaser at garden parties and family barbecues.

Our Spicy Mezcal Margarita recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.

Before guests arrive we suggest storing the Cointreau and Mezcal bottles in your freezer to keep cold.

We’ve made this drink with a salted rim but if you don’t like salty beverages you can skip this step.

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This margarita recipe substitutes tequila for smokey mezcal.

Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment

Before hosting a swanky Spicy Mezcal Margarita soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.

Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.

Spicy Mezcal Margarita Cocktail Photo Image.

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How To Make A Spicy Mezcal Margarita Cocktail Recipe

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