Ojos Verdes Spicy Margarita

Name: Ojos Verdes Spicy Margarita
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Excerpt from the new book The Seasonal Cocktail – A Guide to Creative Drink Making by Jason Hedges, Beverage Director of Laurent Tourondel Hospitality and Co-Founder of Bar-IQ.com. @ 2023 by Jason Hedges. Published by Bar IQ LLC. All rights reserved.

Photo: Shannon Sturgis

May 19, 2023

A spicy marg made summer-fresh with cucumbers and jalapeños.

In the book The Seasonal Cocktails: A Guide to Creative Drink Making (available May 22), co-author and drink creator Jason Hedges spotlights each season through its ingredients. And what better way to celebrate the summer than with this bright, crisp rendition of the spicy margarita made with mezcal and fresh cucumber and jalapeño juice?

Ingredients

2 oz. mezcal (Hedges uses Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej)
3/4 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. fresh cucumber and jalapeño juice
1/4 oz. agave syrup

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:rocks
Garnish:salt and tajin rim

Preparation

Shake all of the ingredients and strain into a salt and tajin–rimmed rocks glass with a large ice cube.

Fresh Cucumber and Jalapeño JuicesSlice the ends off a few large cucumbers, roughly chop, and add to a juicer. Add 1 seeded and roughly chopped jalapeño to the juicer. Bottle and refrigerate.

Salt and Tajin RimCombine equal parts salt and tajin in a pint container or jar. Cover with a lid and shake to combine.