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These margaritas add the perfect burst of freshness and sweetness from the watermelon, and then an unexpected kick of spicy from the jalapenos!
I am very much not a tequila person (thank you very much, that one time in university and now I can't even smell it), but my husband, and like, 99% of the world's population is, so I've learned how to make a few cocktails with it. This one is a proven winner, and even if you don't like tequila, this is super drinkable. You barely notice it's alcoholic.
Anytime I try to make a spicy drink, the challenge is always how to get the spice flavour in there without having it overwhelm everything else. Enter the jalapeno simple syrup. This stuff is so so good. Sweet, but hella spicy with a great kick of jalapeno flavour to add to these watermelon margaritas. The issue became, that when you add the watermelon juice, it diluted the spice a ton. So there was a lot of experimenting that when on with this recipe. I ended up having to add an ounce and a half of the syrup to the margarita before I got it to a spice level I liked - but this was pretty hot. Feel free to ton it back to your own taste!
Next up: fresh watermelon juice. This stuff is the bomb. I had never made it before, so just sort of figured out how to do it, and luckily, it worked. It's also very simple: cut up a fresh, seedless watermelon in to chunks. Throw it in you blender. Blend. Pour into a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let it drain for 10-15 minutes, and voila! Fresh watermelon juice. It also makes quite a bit - I've been doing a quarter watermelon at a time, and it makes about two cups of juice. I'm now keeping this in stock in my fridge for the rest of the summer. It's just too great for mocktails and cocktails. (Speaking of which, this makes a fantastic mocktail. Just leave out the tequila).
Regardless of your tequila preferences, I hope you give this a try! It's definitely different, and a great entry into the world of spicy cocktails. If you really can't stomach the tequila, then this would be completely delicious with rum or vodka as well. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Watermelon Jalapeño Margarita
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Jigger
- Blender
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
Watermelon Juice
- ¼ seedless watermelon
Jalapeno Syrup
- 1 C water
- 1 C sugar
- 2 jalapeño peppers sliced in half lengthwise
Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita
- 3 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1.5 oz jalapeño syrup see recipe
- 2 oz watermelon juice see recipe
- 2 oz tequila
- ½ juice of one lime
- 1 C ice
- fresh jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Start by making your watermelon juice. Cut the watermelon in chunks, and add to blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sieve lined with cheese cloth, and let it drain for 10-15 minutes. Pour into a container or a mason jar for storage.
- Make the simple syrup: add jalapeño, sugar and water to a saucepan over medium high heat. Let the ingredients simmer until the jalapeño starts to soften, about 10-15 minutes. Strain and pour into a mason jar to keep in the fridge.
- Make the cocktail: Rim your glass with jalapeño syrup and salt. Add the ice to a cocktail shaker, and add the watermelon juice, jalapeño syrup, tequila, lime and fresh jalapeño slices. Shake for 30 seconds, and then pour into you glass. garnish with more fresh jalapeño.
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Hi, I'm Cara! I'm a food writer, journalist, and recipe developer. I'm obsessed good food, good wine, good cocktails and entertaining. I've picked up a few tips over the years, and love sharing them with others.
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