How to Spice Up Your Margaritas

The Margarita is already an ideal cocktail, however including somewhat warmth to the equation takes its taste in a brand new route. In our July/August 2023 problem, we share three artistic methods bartenders are spicing up their Margaritas, and for those who’re searching for much more choices, listed below are another methods to show up the warmth.

Chili Paste

Including scorching sauce to the shaker is among the easiest method to boost a marg, however for a extra concentrated warmth, bartenders typically use in chili paste. Not like scorching sauce, the paste shouldn’t be diluted by vinegar or water, making it spicier and extra pepper-forward. Toby Maloney of Chicago’s The Violet Hour and James Beard award-winning e book The Bartender’s Manifesto favors Huy Fong sambal oelek chili paste. He says a teaspoon within the shaker offers his Margarita, Mango Margarita, and Paloma simply the correct amount of fireside. “Sambal Oelek is nice for including spice to cocktails, as a result of not like Sriracha it’s simply straight chilis — no garlic, no sugar. It has all of the punchy chili taste you need, with none competing noise,” he explains.

Infusions

Whereas infusing spirits is usually one of the simplest ways to include a brand new layer of taste, it doesn’t work as nicely when coping with spice. As an alternative, some bartenders infuse juices or create pepper-infused easy syrup. Not solely is it extra economical, however it’s simpler to manage, holding the quantity of warmth and spirit added to the drink mutually unique. Adam Fournier, bar director of Spago Beverly Hills and Imbibe 75er, prefers making a spicy agave syrup “to provide the stability of warmth a richness,” he says. “Too usually a spicy drink turns into simply warmth, however for those who consider it like a scorching wing, you want a very good, wealthy stability to essentially carry it.”

Tinctures

Making a spicy tincture by steeping chilis in a high-proof spirit, equivalent to everclear, will deliver a lot of warmth with simply a few drops. However for individuals who aren’t DIYers, there are many spicy tinctures obtainable to buy. Laurent Lebec of Chicago’s Massive Star Mexican restaurant favors Scrappy’s Firewater Habanero Tincture. “We’ve tried all of them, and these are the very best: spicy, advanced, constant and simple to manage,” he says.

Liqueurs

Ancho Reyes has been the go-to chile liqueur for spicy Margaritas, changing orange liqueur in the usual Margarita recipe. The Mexican-made liqueur is available in two flavors: Ancho Reyes Unique, which is nice and smoky and higher matched with brown spirits, and Ancho Reyes Verde, its herbaceous sister that works nicely with tequila, gin, and vodka. However Maxwell Reis, beverage director of Mirate in Los Angeles, has another choice. “If I need a softer dry warmth, I’ll use chile liqueurs equivalent to Alma Tepec,” he says. Handcrafted utilizing smoke-dried pasilla combine chiles from Oaxaca, the Mexican ancestral chile liqueur lends a smoky and deep, lingering warmth. Add simply half an oz. to a Margarita earlier than shaking it. “It’s nice in a stirred cocktail, shaken right into a citrus cocktail, or wherever you need spice that doesn’t flatten a cocktail,” Reis says.

Garnishes

Though Reis has quite a lot of methods to spice issues up at Mirate, his favourite methodology is to dip a cocktail glass rim in chile salt. “I discover spicy cocktails is usually a little boring as a creator as a result of they’ll develop into mono-tonal,” he says. “So a mix of chiles, salt, acid (dehydrated citrus or citric/malic), and typically sugar offers me the choice to create an fascinating base with the choice of added warmth.” Lebec prefers utilizing tajin. “For us, spice is about extra than simply warmth,” he explains. “This useful and easy-to-find mix of spices provides a floral, smoky aspect.”