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Spicy Hatch Chile Margaritas

hatch chile margarita in a glass with a lime slice, surrounded by lime and spices.
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Spicy Hatch chile margaritas made with fresh lime juice, muddled fresh chile, and a smoky Hatch chile infused simple syrup is the perfectly balanced spicy margarita you're craving this August! 

Ingredients

Scale

For the hatch chile simple syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar (I used raw sugar)
  • 1 ½ cups of water
  • 3 star anise pods
  • 10 whole green cardamom pods
  • 1 3” cinnamon stick
  • 25 whole back peppercorns
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 15 whole coriander seeds
  • 1 hatch chile, halved (leave the seeds and pith for added heat!)

For the margaritas:

  • 3-4 small (about 1 inch) pieces raw hatch chile
  • 4 oz quality tequila (silver or reposado)
  • 4 oz freshly squeezed and strained lime juice
  • 4 oz hatch chile simple syrup
  • ice

Instructions

For the hatch chile symple syrup:

  1. Place all of the ingredients for the simple syrup in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a quick boil. Remove from heat and allow the ingredients to steep for an hour or so. Strain the cooled syrup through a fine strainer to a glass container.

For the Margaritas:

  1. Optional: wet the rims of 2 glasses and dip in ground cinnamon and/or smoked salt.
  2. Muddle the fresh hatch chili in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
  3. Add ice to the shaker and 2 ounces each of simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and tequila.
  4. Shake vigorously and strain into the rimmed glasses filled with ice.

Notes

  • Store simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator, up to 5 days.
  • Not Hatch chile season? Use anaheim peppers or jalapeños instead.
  • This margarita has a dark color due to the raw sugar in the simple syrup and tequila reposado. If you want a more traditional (clear/pale green) look, use white sugar in the simple syrup and tequila blanco.
  • Fresh-squeezed lime juice is always key! You can squeeze it a few hours in advance, but no more than a day as lime juice will lose flavor as it sits.
  • Quality tequila is important for flavor and for avoiding a headache! I like reposado in this recipe, but a good silver tequila (tequila blanco) works too.

Keywords: hatch chile margaritas, spicy margaritas with hatch chile, spicy skinny margarita

Find it online: https://livelytable.com/hatch-chile-margaritas/