Esta margarita es muy bueno — Our Epazote Margarita is herbaceous with a spicy simple syrup that gives a kick! The herb we use is a Mexican herb called epazote. The flavor is unique — a bit like basil and cilantro combined. If you’ve had an authentic albondigas soup before, you’ll recognize it! You can find epazote fresh in Mexican markets, and they’ll always have a dried version.
No Epazote? No Problem! Make your Spicy Margarita this way
This Margarita is made with a Spicy Simple Syrup: equal parts sugar and water, boiled with a hot pepper to give it a kick. You can use serrano, jalapeno, or even chili flakes to make a spicy simple syrup.
Option 1: Make a spicy simple syrup with no herbs
Option 2: Substitute for epazote with basil: A spicy Margarita with Basil, or even just a Basil Margarita is delicious and worth experimenting with. Add a handful of the leaves to infuse into the simple syrup, and it will impart its color and flavor beautifully.
Option 2: Substitue for epazote with cilantro. Follow the directions as above.
Dress it up!
A Spicy Epazote Margarita looks stunning with a purple salt rim. Blueberry salt is fun to make and complements this margarita very nicely. Use a U-shaped peeler to get a thin strip of an English or Persian cucumber for the garnish. You can roll it into a skewered twirl, as in the photo above, or line you glass with it, as in the photo below.
Ingredients
Epazote & Chile Simple Syrup
makes 2 cups
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dried epazote, or 8 leaves fresh (use basil or cilantro as a substitute)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, halved (you can use serrano or even chili flakes as well.)Spicy Epazote Margarita
makes 1 cocktail, or many!
1 part freshly squeezed lime juice (use about 1 ounce per cocktail)
3 parts agave tequila (use 3 ounces per cocktail)
1 part epazote & chile simple syrup (see recipe above)
peeled cucumber, for garnish
blueberry sea salt (see recipe how-to), for garnish or substitute regular saltInstructions
For the Chile Simple Syrup
Bring the ingredients to a rolling boil, then simmer for about 5-10 minutes until your kitchen smells great. Strain the simple syrup and allow to cool completely before using. Any extra keeps in your fridge for almost forever.For the Spicy Epazote Margarita
Prepare a rocks glass by running a lime around the rim and coating it with the blueberry salt. Or, paint a section of the glass with lime, and sprinkle with salt. (The salt will only adhere to where you have the lime.) Fill the glass with ice.Plop all the ingredients (minus the garnish) into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake, shake, shake your moneymaker. The more you shake, the yummier the drink. Using the strainer, pour the cocktail into the prepared glass. Garnish with a rolled cucumber peel for beauty points.
We celebrate Dia de Los Muertos at Hipcooks with our Mole class. We set up a festive altar, pour the Margaritas and make a delicious Mole. Check out our class schedule to see if we have any spots left at the nearest location to you www.hipcooks.com
