This mango chili margarita is sweet, spicy, and easy to make at home. Ripe mango, fresh lime, tequila blanco, and a couple of muddled slices of green chili.
The mango softens the tequila and the chili keeps it from being too sweet. That’s the balance that makes this one work. I finish it with a chili salt rim, which pulls the flavors together on the first sip. It’s a fun variation on a classic margarita without straying too far from the original.
About this recipe
This mango chili margarita is based on classic margarita, so tequila blanco, lime juice, and triple sec, and adds two things: fresh mango puree and muddled green chili. The mango brings a soft, tropical sweetness and the chili gives it a fresh heat that hits the back of the throat right at the end of the sip.
I don’t add any extra simple syrup because the mango puree brings enough sweetness on its own and I think a mango chili margarita should taste bright and balanced. If you want it sweeter, a splash of simple syrup at the end fixes that (see the notes for amounts).
Muddling the chili with the lime juice first is important. It releases the heat without pulling any bitterness out of the flesh. Just a quick press with the back of a spoon or the end of a muddler is enough.
The rim is chili salt, either homemade with flaky salt and dried chili flakes, or a chili lime seasoning like Tajín.
If you love a spicy margarita, you’ll also love the frozen peach margarita, which uses a similar chili lime rim over a sweeter, blended base.
A peek at some of the key ingredients
You’ll find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here’s what to pay attention to when you’re pulling everything together.
- Tequila blanco. Also called silver or white tequila.
- Fresh lime juice. Always fresh, never bottled.
- Green chili. I use two thin slices of serrano but you could use jalapeno too. The seeds and inner white ribs are where most of the heat lives, so keep them in for a hotter drink or scrape them out for a milder one.
- Mango puree. Fresh mango pureed in a blender, or a good-quality unsweetened mango puree from a can or pouch. Mango nectar (the sweetened kind from the juice aisle) also works, but it’s much sweeter than puree, so you may find you don’t need any extra sweetness at all when using nectar.
- Triple sec. The orange liqueur that goes into any classic margarita. Cointreau is nicer if you have it, but any triple sec works.
- Chili salt for the rim. Either mix your own with flaky salt and a pinch of chili flakes or paprika, or use a chili lime seasoning like Tajín.
Method
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass, then dip the rim in chili salt to coat.
- Add the lime juice and green chili slices to a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently, just enough to release the chili’s heat.
- Add the tequila, mango puree, and triple sec to the shaker. Fill with ice. Shake hard for about 15 seconds, until the shaker is frosty on the outside.
- Fill your rimmed rocks glass with fresh ice. Strain the margarita over the ice. Garnish with a mango slice and a fresh chili slice, and serve immediately.
Tips
More margaritas to try
If you liked this one, you might also enjoy some of my other margarita recipes:
- Frozen Peach Margarita – a blended, tropical margarita with a chili lime rim
- Strawberry Margarita On The Rocks – a fresh strawberry version that uses a homemade strawberry syrup
- Cardamom Margarita – a warmly spiced margarita with homemade cardamom simple syrup
- White Christmas Margarita – a festive coconut margarita for the holidays
Mango Chili Margarita
Ingredients
For the rim
- Tajín or chili lime salt for rimming
- lime wedge to moisten the rim
For the drink
- 2 oz tequila blanco
- 1 oz lime juice fresh
- 2 thin slices green chili jalapeño or serrano
- 1 oz mango puree unsweetened
- 0.5 oz triple sec
- ice
- simple syrup optional, if you want it sweeter
To garnish
- mango slice
- fresh green chili slice
Instructions
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass, then dip the rim in chili lime salt to coat.
- Add the lime juice and green chili slices to a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently to release the chili’s heat without pulling out any bitterness.
- Add the tequila, mango puree, and triple sec. Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake hard for 15 seconds, until the shaker is frosty on the outside.
- Taste. If you’d like it sweeter, add 1/4 to 1/2 oz (7 to 15ml) simple syrup and shake briefly to combine.
- Fill the rimmed rocks glass with fresh ice. Strain the margarita over the ice.
- Garnish with a mango slice and a fresh chili slice. Serve immediately.
