Cucumber-Jalapeño Margarita

Make happy hour pop with this spicy cucumber-jalapeño margarita! Made with a fresh ginger simple syrup and cooling cucumber juice, this margarita comes with the perfect spice kick for one irresistible sipper. Grab a spot on the patio and sit back with this refreshing margarita for a relaxing evening.

Course Beverages

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings drink

Calories 302kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Blender
Muddler
Citrus juicer
Cocktail shaker

Ingredients

Fresh Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup fresh ginger cut into 1-inch cubes and peeled

Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita

A few fresh jalapeno slices
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime juiced
2 ounces tequila preferably reposado
2 ounces cucumber juice (see notes for juicing instructions)
1 ounce orange liqueur preferably Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 ounce fresh ginger simple syrup
Ice
Extra lime, cucumber and jalapeno slices optional, for garnish
Coarse sea salt optional, for garnish

Instructions

Fresh Ginger Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, add the water, sugar and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves, turn off heat and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Pour the contents of the saucepan into a blender and blender until smooth. Strain in a fine-mesh sieve to separate the solids from the liquid. The liquid is your syrup. Store the syrup an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. It should last several weeks.

Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita

In a cocktail shaker, add the jalapeno slices with the lime juice. Muddle to release the oils from the jalapeno.
Add the tequila, cucumber juice, orange liqueur, ginger simple syrup and a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker. Put on the top and shake vigorously, about 15-30 seconds.
If desired, run a lime slice along the rim of your serving glass. Spread sea salt on a small plate and swirl the moistened rim in the salt to coat. Add ice to the glass.
Strain the margarita into the ice-filled serving glass. If desired, garnish with additional lime, cucumber and jalapeno slices. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

To make the cucumber juice, toss a handful of peeled cucumber chunks in a blender with a splash of water. Blend until pureed. If you'd like to make extra cucumber juice, you can add more cucumbers once the puree gets going. Place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve and strain. The sieve will catch the solids, and the bowl will catch your cucumber juice.
Before juicing, roll the lime firmly under the palm of your hand a few times and use a handheld juicer to get as much lime juice as possible.
To make enough for a 12-serving pitcher, you'll want 3 cups tequila, 3 cups cucumber juice, 1 ½ cups orange liqueur, 1 ½ cups ginger simple syrup, 1 ½ cups lime juice (or 12 limes) and 1-2 jalapenos, depending on heat preference. The jalapenos will intensify as they sit, so I wouldn't make it more than an hour or two before serving. Another option is to pre-measure and then mix together right before serving for easy entertaining.
Need a different serving amount for your pitcher? The calculation is easy: Calculate the ounces by the number of servings, and then divide by eight. That will give you the cup equivalent.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition