No. 36Tequila & Mezcal
Spicy Pickle Margarita
Jalapeño, spicy brine, chili-lime rim. Hot jar energy.
A Spicy Pickle Margarita is a tequila margarita made hot with muddled jalapeño and spicy dill pickle brine. It uses agave instead of orange liqueur, so the heat, lime and garlicky brine stay front and center. A chili-lime rim adds one more kick to every sip.
21+Updated
Brine3/53 of 5
Heat3/53 of 5
StrengthHigh
- Glass
- rocks glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 drink
Ingredients
Make it for
Units
Amounts for 1, in ounces.
- 1 lime wedge (for the rim)
- 1 tbsp chili-lime seasoning (such as Tajín, for the rim)
- 3 slices jalapeño (plus 1 slice for garnish)
- ½ oz agave syrup
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- ¾ oz spicy dill pickle brine (or regular dill brine plus 2 dashes hot sauce)
- 1 dill pickle chip (for garnish)
- Glass
- rocks glass
- Rim
- chili-lime
- Garnish
- jalapeño and pickle chip
How to make it
- Run the lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass and dip it in chili-lime seasoning.
- Muddle the jalapeño slices with the agave syrup in a shaker.
- Add the tequila, lime juice, spicy brine and a scoop of ice.
- Shake hard for 12 seconds.
- Fill the rimmed glass with fresh ice.
- Double strain into the glass.
- Garnish with a jalapeño slice and a pickle chip.
Bar tips
- Most of the heat sits in the white ribs and the seeds touching them: scrape them out for a gentler burn, or leave them in to turn it up.
- Double strain through a fine sieve so no pepper bits or seeds end up in the glass.
- Spicy pickle brines vary a lot by brand, so taste a drop before you pour the full amount.
Make it your own
- Swap the jalapeño for 1 or 2 serrano slices for a sharper, hotter bite.
- Add 0.5 oz orange liqueur and drop the agave to 0.25 oz for a more classic margarita shape.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/spicy-pickle-margarita
