Rule number 1 in spicy marg making: make sure your jalapeños are spicy!

Otherwise you end up with a regular margarita. Which truly isn’t a total disaster, however, we want it to be spicy. And the combination of sweet, salty and-spicy is certainly memorable.

I had my first spicy marg down in Austin, Texas back in 2013 when I flew down for a blogging retreat. A group of us stopped at a little cantina type restaurant for cocktails, chips and salsa. It was the dependable mix of warm weather, spicy cocktail and vacation.

I dare you to name a better combination.

To cook this Spicy Jalapeño Margarita Gather:

fresh jalapeños
lime juice and lime wedges
tequila blanco
cointreau
vanilla simple syrup
sugar and salt, for rim

Add margarita salt and coarse sugar to a plate.

Wet the lip of 2 glasses with a wedge of lime and dip into the sugar and salt. Fill each glass to the top with ice and set off to the side.

Throw jalapeno slices into a cocktail shaker. The more slices the spicer the marg. I add around 1/2 a medium jalapeño (sliced).

Get in there and muddle those jalapeños. If you don’t have a muddler, use the blunt end of a wooden spoon.

Next pour in 1/2 cup (or 4 ounces) both fresh squeezed lime juice and tequila blanco. For a 1/2 cup of lime juice, I use about 4 juicy limes.

Then pour in 2 ounces vanilla syrup and 1 ounce cointreau. In my opinion, I don’t taste vanilla in these as their is so many other competing flavors. I only always have this on hand. Feel free to use agave or make a simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water.

Add in a few handfuls of ice. Put the strainer with cap onto the shaker.

And shake, shake, shake.

Remove the small cap to the shaker and strain/pour the margarita among the two glasses.

Garnish with a lime wedge and jalapeño half or a few slices.

A regular here the salty sweet rim with the back-of-the-throat heat of the spicy jalapeño margaritas! All you need now is a bowl of chips and salsa, maybe a little warm weather (or a vacation?) too.