In my opinion you can never go wrong with a margarita and did you know that the most expensive margarita ever being sold cost $1200? Originating in the 1930s near a town called Juarez on the border of Mexico, margaritas are a perfect fusion of sweet, sour and salty. Known best for the salt rim, margaritas also happen to be one of the most famous cocktails around the world with numerus variations and adaptions over the years.
With Halloween fast approaching and a calendar full of parties, dinners or celebrations, I come to your aid with an autumn adaption of this classic. This adaption is the spicy kind but for those whose palates don’t welcome spice this recipe can also be made without. Perfect for a Halloween treat or something to wow your friends, this Devil’s Margarita will do the job! The only downside is that so far we can’t find a Sussex producer of tequila or Campari, so to give this a Sussex twist, the best thing to do is to shop for ingredients at an independent Sussex wine merchant.
Ingredients
Golden Tequila 25 ml
Cointreau/ Triple Sec 25 ml
Lime juice 25 ml
Pineapple juice 25 ml
Campari 12.5 ml
Chilli brine 12.5 ml
1 lime wedge
1 jalapeño and tajin
Method
Now we know a little bit about what we are making let’s begin. Grab your cocktail shaker, fill it with ice and start by adding your 25 ml of Tequila and Cointreau. Next, add your lime and pineapple juice. Finally, add your chilli brine (if you are making without spice add some lemon juice instead). Now secure the lid onto the shaker and shake intensely for 45 seconds. Now that your cocktail is almost ready it’s time to prep your glass. With regular margaritas it’s usually a salt rim but as we’re going Halloween, the Devil’s Margarita requires a rim of either chilli flakes or Tajin (or salt for no spice).
Grab your lime wedge and cut a small slit so that you can slide it around the rim of the glass. This gives the Tajin something to stick to. Once the rim is coated, add your ice to the glass and pour in your cocktail. At this stage, it will taste delicious but doesn’t look particularly devilish so to finish, slice the jalapeños to appear like devil’s horns and place on either side of the glass. Finally, to top it off grab a small teaspoon and face it downwards over the glass (this allows the Campari to settle at the top of the glass rather than throughout) and slowly pour 4 seconds worth of Campari into the glass. This should create a beautiful red glow to the top of your drink. All I have left to say is enjoy and Happy Halloween! Oh, and good luck, it’s quite spicy!
Contributed by Greta Pitts
If you’ve enjoyed this autumn cocktail, you may also like:
Sussex Cocktail: Raspberry Lemon Martini
Winter Cocktails
