Recipe // Spicy Skinny Margarita

Is there a more pleasant way to spend a warm evening than outside, with a cool drink in your hand, maybe some pals, a diverting game, or just an excellent book & the pleasure of your own delightful company? I think not.

With that in mind, I present Larsen’s long-awaited recipe for Spicy Skinny Margaritas, which has been in development for some time. We initially thought infusing tequila with jalapeños was the move, but we found the results lacked the fresh, vegetal pepper flavor we were looking for. Muddling fresh peppers with tequila, by contrast, imparts heat & fresh pepper flavor. (And yes, these are really the sorts of conversations Larsen & I have. It’s a good thing we found each other.)

THE PERFECT SKINNY SPICY MARGARITA 🌶️
Serves 1

• 1 Serrano pepper

• 2 ozs blanco tequila

• 1 oz Cointreau

• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice

• Margarita salt (optional)

Dice half a Serrano pepper, including the seeds. Place the diced peppers in the bottom of a shaker along with 1 oz tequila. Muddle thoroughly, then strain to remove the solid pepper bits. Add the other 1 oz of tequila, the cointreau, the lime juice & some ice, and then give it all a good shake. Strain into a salted glass filled to the brim with ice. Garnish with a few fresh pepper slices, if desired.

*To note, not all peppers are created equal. Some are appropriately spicy & some are basically tiny green bell peppers, so if you’re looking for some heat in your marg, consider tasting your peppers before you use them.

**For regular margaritas, Larsen uses reposado tequila, but here he used blanco tequila which has a cleaner flavor profile & lets the pepper shine.