Spicy Grapefruit Margarita

ABOUT

Looking to spice up your margarita game? Made with tequila, a peppercorn simple syrup, and fresh grapefruit and lime juices, this spicy grapefruit margarita is the perfect drink to sip on all year long.

The base spirit for this drink is none other than tequila. Any style of tequila will do. I made this drink with both a blanco and a reposado and both versions were delicious.

While most margaritas are made with an orange liqueur — a base spirit, sugar, and orange flavoring — I opted not to include it to cut back on the amount of alcohol used. Plus, this drink already includes fresh grapefruit juice and in my opinion, the orange liqueur wouldn’t have added much outside of serving as an additional sweetener.

The star of this drink is a homemade peppercorn simple syrup. Made with sugar, water, mixed peppercorns, and a dash (or three) of ground cayenne pepper, this syrup has the right amount of heat that pairs perfectly with the tequila and grapefruit juice.

While margaritas typically are garnished with a salt or sugar rim, I’m not the biggest fan of either. This is mainly because they’re often messy. If you’d like, you can add a salt rim which helps to enhance sweetness and balance bitterness in the drink from the lime. Or you can go with a crushed peppercorn rim garnish.

This drink is served in a cooler or double old fashioned glass. A grapefruit slice, along with a salt/sugar/peppercorn rim are optional garnishes.

Recipe Type: Cocktails

Glassware: Cooler/Double Old Fashioned

Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 oz. blanco tequila

  • 1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

  • 3/4 oz. peppercorn simple syrup

  • 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare peppercorn simple syrup by adding 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup assorted peppercorns, and a few dashes of ground cayenne pepper to a small saucepan.

  2. Bring to a gentle boil and let mixture simmer on low heat for 5 minutes

  3. Remove from heat and let syrup cool completely before use. Allow ingredients to steep in syrup while cooling to intensify the syrup’s flavor

  4. Strain the syrup and store in a glass container for use

  5. Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker

  6. Add ice to shaker and shake for 15 seconds

  7. Double strain into a cooler or a double old fashioned glass filled with ice

  8. Garnish with a grapefruit slice

  9. Serve

CocktailsBartender Barrybartender barry, tequilaComment