Spicy-Spicy-Spicy Skinny Margarita
Why add sugar to a margarita when you don’t need to? Furthermore, why add more reasons to feel bad about drinking than are absolutely necessary??? Would rather skip and optimize my tequila experience. If we’re going to be hungover, we might as well avoid the sugar crash, subsequent cravings, and extra calories (not that there is anything inherently bad about calories alone, to be clear).
I’m certainly not suggesting an unSWEETENED margarita. When you ask a restaurant for skinny, you’re basically just asking them not to make it horrifyingly sweet. When I say skinny, I mean there is 0 added sugar, but in place of simple syrup/triple sec/agave, I use Lakanto Monkfruit Simple Syrup. It’s 1:1 for a classic simple syrup. You can also make your own if your local grocery store doesn’t carry this product, which I’ll explain below.
Below find my recipes for a single drink and a pitcher, which uses a whole bottle of tequila. Can be prepped ahead and is a big crowd pleaser.
When I order at a restaurant, I ask for a spicy spicy spicy skinny margarita. Annoying, but gets the message across. Hence what we’re calling this. Of course, restaurants don’t offer sugar-free sweeteners like monk fruit (yet), so it’s best to enjoy margaritas at home.
INGREDIENTS (1 drink):
2 oz blanco tequila or mezcal
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (bottled won’t be the same, even the nice stuff in the glass bottle)
1/2 - 3/4 oz Lakanto Simple Syrup, depending on your sweetness preference
1/4 jalapeño, sliced and mostly seeded (start small and add more if needed—can easily cross the line into too spicy when making a single drink)
Optional rim: tajin or jennifer fisher spicy salt, lime wedges
STEPS:
Prep glass by rubbing fresh lime wedge along the rim, the dipping glass in tajin or spicy salt. Add lots of ice (imo, nothing worse than a marg without enough ice).
Add ingredients to shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and for longer than you think for a frostier drink.
Pour into glass over ice and serve.
INGREDIENTS (batch, ~12 drinks):
1 bottle (750ml) blanco tequila or mezcal
12 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (soooo many limes… you will be returning to the grocery store I guarantee)
8-9 oz Lakanto Simple Syrup
1-2 jalapeños, sliced and mostly seeded
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STEPS:
Prep lime juice a day or two in advance, if possible, and store in a mason jar in the fridge.
Add all ingredients to a pitcher, excluding the jalapeño. Start with less simple syrup and add more to taste. Do NOT add ice. Chill the pitcher, minus jalapeño, in the fridge.
An hour-ish before serving, add sliced jalapeño and muddle in the pitcher with a wooden spoon, making sure to press it against the sizes to extract the spice. Test a few minutes later to ensure spice level is right.
Prep station before guests arrive by putting out glasses, two small flat dishes with tajin and spicy salt for dipping, and lime wedges. Rub lime on the rims just before people arrive.
ON ICE: I always take issue with mediocre ice situations, i.e. watery ice in bowls or sub-par ice buckets that require refilling when the freezer is 5 feet away. I appreciate the conundrum, but I require extremely dry and frosty ice, and I think it can make or break a margarita situation if this is not the case. But if you’re able to set up the drink station next to a freezer that doesn’t get in the way of anyone working in the kitchen and isn’t too far from where the group is gathered, do this!!!! If not, invest in a really truly amazing ice bucket or small Yeti.
FOR BEST RESULTS, PAIR WITH TACOS.
To Make Sugar-Free Simple Syrup:
Combine 1 cup water with 1 cup Lakanto Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener in a pot over the stove.
Bring the mixture to a slow boil and stir continuously until the monk fruit is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool completely. Store in the pantry, NOT the fridge, as crystallization can occur.
**Note: some people experience crystallization for whatever reason (I don’t). If this occurs, add a pinch of xanthan gum to the pot and it should fix the issue.
