5 Spicy Margarita Recipes from Boston Bartenders

By Eric Twardzik · 08/23/2020

What is it about spicy Margaritas that tempts us even when the temperature outside soars? There’s something about that combination of agave, fruit juice, and spice that’s nigh impossible to resist at the end of a sweltering day. If you’re looking to test your taste buds, here are a few recipes for Margaritas on the hot side from some of our favorite Boston restaurants and bars.

Diablo
The Diablo has been a house favorite since it first debuted at Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar close to a decade ago. And that’s for good reason: It amps up the spice factor by infusing blanco tequila with serrano peppers and dials up the fruit flavor by introducing strawberries, pineapples, and blood orange purée.

Falerno!
Any drink that combines smoky mezcal with rich velvet falernum and spicy Bittermens Hellfire bitters reserves the right to use an exclamation point in its name. Sycamore’s alt-Margarita fulfills all of those requirements, and even throws in a Tajín rim for good measure.

Little Devil
Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar’s Little Devil is devilishly simple. The drink earns its righteous spice by way of a jalapeño infusion, which it balances out with a touch of tart crème de cassis.

Playa Picante
Playa Picante—that’s Spanish for “spicy beach”—lives up to its playful moniker with a single drop of heavy-duty cayenne tincture, made by infusing vodka with powdered cayenne pepper. But thanks to lime juice, grapefruit juice, and grenadine, this drink from Deuxave is just as refreshing as it is spicy.

The Bad Boy
The source of this mezcal drink’s misbehavior is a Scotch bonnet pepper-and-pomegranate syrup that brings the heat and the sweet. Lime juice and a few dashes of West Indian Orange Bitters round out this classic from Somerville’s Casa B.

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