Spicy Mango Margarita
It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, and that’s never truer than on National Margarita Day, which happens to be on February 22. I have several margarita recipes in my repertoire but this one is my absolute favorite! Sweetened with mango, spiced with jalapeños, tartness from the lime and orange, and of course extra boozy with tequila and triple sec. So get out a shaker and grab plenty of ice, we are serving this margarita on the rocks!
Fun Facts:
Margarita was created in Mexico and is widely considered the official drink of having fun.
One of the earliest stories is of the margarita being invented in 1938 by Carlos "Danny" Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, halfway between Tijuana and Baja California,
The world’s most expensive margarita cost $1200. The cocktail was made with some incredibly high-end ingredients—the tequila alone cost $1800 a bottle and the ice was made from $450 bottles of Lois Roederer Cristal Champagne.
Salt-rimmed glass is a must — the salt is actually present on the Margarita glass to bring out the sweet and sour flavors of the drink. Even just a pinch will help subdue the bitterness and enhance the important flavors. On top of this, salt intensifies the drinker’s perception of the drink’s aromas, making the flavors even more powerful.
Recipe | Serving Size: 1
Ingredients
Mango Juice (with pulp) or Mango Nectar — 4 oz
Orange Juice — 4 oz
Lime Juice — 1/2 oz
Tequila Reposado — 2 oz
Triple Sec — 1/4 oz
Hot Sauce — 1/4 tsp (2 dashes), I used a Mango Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce but you could use Tapatio or Cholula as well
Agave Simple Syrup — 1/2 tbsp (1 part water + 1 part agave)
Jalapeno Slices — 3-4 (thin)
Direction
Combine salt and tajine in a shallow dish. Wet the rim of the cocktail glass with a slice of lime, and gently rotate the rim into the salt-tajine mix to coat the edge of the glass evenly. Set the glass aside.
Add mango juice, orange juice, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, hot sauce, agave nectar and jalapeno slices to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well-chilled
Strain into a margarita glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with additional jalapeno slices and a lime wheel.
Enjoy!
For this recipe, we used Tequila Cabal, introduced to us by one of our friends. This reposado tequila is stored in charred American White Oak Bourbon Barrels for 8 months. Notes of oak, sweet vanilla, and subtle nuttiness, highlights the exquisite quality of this rested and well-rounded tequila.
Interestingly enough, the type of tequila you use can drastically change the taste of your margarita. This margarita has sweetness from the mango, heat from the jalapeño, and the oaky and nutty reposado adds another layer of flavor.
Our go to preference for tequila at home is usually reposado, although we try to keep a well maintained stock of both reposado and blanco at all times. We both love tequila and it’s just good to keep a variety, especially when friends are over. Whether you prefer blanco or reposado, it just depends what kind of finish you are looking for. Here, I will elaborate a little more.
Blanco vs Reposado vs Anejo
Blanco — Tequila in its purest form, bottled directly following the last distillation. There is no oak aging and the flavor you drink comes straight from the agave. It’s great for cocktails like Paloma and Margarita for the agave forward taste.
Reposado — This type of tequila sees a little bit of aging in oak barrels, generally from a few months to a year which gives it a beautiful subtle golden color. This slight aging process helps to temper the strong agave flavor without masking it. It’s great for complex tequila mixed drinks like a Mexican Mule and smokier margaritas with a kick.
Añejo — The premium sipping tequila. Aged in oak barrels the longest, generally from one to three years, it is known for its deep golden hue. Añejo showcases not only the flavor of agave, but takes the flavor profile to a whole new level. Añejo also functions very well as a whiskey substitute in cocktails like a tequila old fashioned or a tequila Manhattan.
Source: Paqui Tequila, Vinepair
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