A Lexi Bites culinary exploration of Mexican food and drink would be incomplete without an exploration of the ubiquitous margarita. Just three ingredients—tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur—comprise the easy drinking concoction. But don’t let the drink’s simplicity lead you astray. The simple trifecta of ingredients lends itself to wild exploration, as in today’s recipe for Strawberry, Honey and Jalapeño Margaritas.
The origins of the margarita are a little fuzzy. Some stories place its invention in 1940s Mexico, though others will claim it was invented in Texas. The margarita can be served up (shaken over ice), on the rocks or blended into an icy slush. My personal favorite way to drink a margarita is on the rocks, with salt on the rim.
The margarita’s star component, tequila, is a distilled liquor derived from the blue agave plant. First produced in Mexico in the 16th century, exports of tequila exceeded 170 million liters in 2013.
If your college experience ruined tequila for you, I urge you to give it another try. There’s a new wave of artisanal and small batch tequilas that are a far cry from the rail shots of your early 20s. There are five main types of tequilas produced:
- Blanco – Young and unaged, this white spirit is bottled immediately after production. It has a clean flavor with a slight mineral finish.
- Oro – This unaged tequila is rich with notes of oak or caramel.
- Reposado – This “rested” tequila is aged for a minimum of two months, but less than one year in oak barrels.
- Anejo – Vintage tequila that is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one year, but less than three years.
- Extra Anejo – Tequila which is aged in oak barrels for at least three years.
My favorite tequilas include Patron, Milagro and Corzo. As with most liquors, the older and more complex the flavor, the higher the price. For your favorite margarita, I recommend blanco, oro or reposado tequila. Save the more expensive anejo and extra anejo versions for sipping after a sublime Mexican meal.
Back to our drink at hand. The Strawberry, Honey and Jalapeño Margarita is the perfect sipper on a warm spring day. Strawberry imparts fresh berry notes and a vivid pink color to the tequila and lime, while the jalapeño adds a spicy bite on the finish. Fresh honey syrup cools everything down with a whisper of sweetness.
Best of all, this killer cocktail is so simple to make. Just muddle strawberries, honey syrup and jalapeño in a shaker, add your favorite tequila, fresh lime juice and orange liqueur and shake until chilled. Strain over ice into a salt-rimmed glass and drink immediately. Simply delicious and strikingly beautiful, this intoxicating concoction will be your go-to party drink all spring long.
- 4 strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 coin-sized sliced fresh jalapeno, plus more for garnish
- ½ ounce honey syrup (See note below.)
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- In a cocktail shaker, place strawberries, jalapeno and honey syrup. Muddle until strawberries and jalapeno are crushed and juicy. Add ice, tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Shake until chilled. Pour into a glass and garnish with fresh strawberry, lime and jalapeno. Serve immediately.
- Note: To make honey syrup, mix together 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon warm water.
Lexi loves to explore the wide culinary world and share her adventures with you. 
So I’m not a margarita fan but I think you just converted me. Oh my! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the addition of jalapeno’s that’s so clever. Alright, I think I may give margaritas one more try…thanks to you 😉
Here’s a little secret — you could always make it with rum or vodka if you don’t like tequila. 🙂 I know many people aren’t big fans, and it would taste just as delicious with one of those liquors. Thanks for visiting!
Absolutely gorgeous! I have yet to try a spicy margarita and might have to go with this one.
This one is awesome, and super easy! In fact, I think you could also try it with muddle pineapple or any other berry and it would also be delicious. If you check out out, let me know what you think.
This is pretty and delicious! I am a huge fan of spicy foods and it’s nice to see someone add it to a cocktail for once instead of the usual fruity drinks. I cannot wait to try this!
I stopped by from Motivation Monday.
Thanks for stopping by, Jessy! I definitely sometimes need a little (or a lot of) motivation on Mondays. I love spicy cocktails and hopefully will do a few more this summer!
I love the sound of this, and that it has a little kick – plus, anything strawberry is always my favorite! We’re hosting our monthly cocktail linkup on the blog today and would love for you to stop by and share this 🙂
Thanks so much! It’s delicious and has a nice kick. Plus it’s so easy to make. 🙂 Thanks for the invite! I added my link. 🙂
This combination sounds absolutely amazing…and perfectly refreshing for summer! Thank you for this awesome recipe 🙂
Yum! I love how you can so easily customize fun drinks like this. The jalapeno addition was a great idea! I can’t wait to try this 🙂
These sound super good, Lexi! I’ve pinned to try this summer.
Thank you for sharing this at Brag About It Link Party on VMG206.
~ Megin of VMG206
Oh. My. Goodness. This looks so freakin delicious!! I’ve seen margaritas with jalapeños before but adding the strawberry and honey???? Yes. Please. I would love it if you stopped by my blog and linked this up with my Thursty Thursday linkup! It’s perfect!! Cheers!! hopelesslyeverafter.blogspot.com
Pinned!! I would love it if you would link this up to Tipsy Tuesday at Grey is the New Black!
I would have never have thought that strawberry would pair with jalapeno but YUM! This looks so good.
This looks great! I love a sweet and spicy combo. So nice to find new bloggers and cocktails through the linkup!
The Lady Lawyer
I love everything about this! I love a little kick of spice and really love a margarita, so this is basically my perfect cocktail! And the pictures alone are so gorgeous – *almost* too pretty to drink! Thanks so much for linking up with us and sharing this! xoxo
I would never have thought of adding jalapeno in a margarita recipe. Thanks for sharing at Idea Box!
Thanks, Danielle! I love anything with spice, and cocktails are a natural pairing. A little jalapeno goes a long way, so use cautiously!
I would have to leave out the jalapeno but everything else looks good to me. Thank you for linking up this week at #HomeMattersParty. Looking forward to seeing what you link up next week.
Yes, yes and yes – 3 of my favorite things in one drink!! And I just love all the information on tequila! I’m one of those people that used to have just a college knowledge of tequila. I remember the first time I had good tequila – what a difference! I featured your post this week at #FoodieFriDIY – thank you so much for participating!
Good tequila makes a huge difference! I hope you have a chance to try this and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for featuring the cocktail on #FoodieFriDIY, Jenny!
I love the kick of spice you added to this margarita.
I love the addition of honey to this recipe. Spicy cocktails are my favorite. Great post.