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Mix up your Marg with pickles and spice and all things nice.
About the cocktail
Pickles in a cocktail, you say? Well, Matthew McConaughey loves it, we’re mad for our Pickletini, Dua Lipa is even adding pickle brine to her Diet Coke, and, quite frankly, we are here for all of it. Perfect for anyone with a love for bold flavours, the Spicy Pickle Margarita blends the essence of the traditional tequila-based cocktail with some amped-up flair. It’s the kind of creation you’d expect from a lively fiesta, which is just what we’re after right now. Why choose this over a standard Margarita? The answer is in the unique blend of flavours. Dill pickle brine adds a savoury tang, while the pickled jalapeños, should you choose to add them (and we highly recommend that you do), offer a spicy kick that dances across the tongue. This is the very definition of weird and (seriously) wonderful. To whip one up, it’s simplicity itself: add reposado tequila, dill pickle brine, agave syrup and fresh lime juice to a shaker with cubed ice. Give it an almighty shake and serve in a rocks glass rimmed with Tajin seasoning for that extra zing. Garnish with a lime wedge and a cheeky dill pickle, and Roberto’s your uncle.
Watch: How to make a Spicy Pickle Margarita
Ingredients
60mL reposado tequila 30mL dill pickle brine 10mL agave syrup 30mL fresh lime juice 2 pickled jalapeños, optional Glass: rocks Garnish: lime wedge and Tajin seasoning for the glass rim, plus extra lime wedge and dill pickle
Method
Prep your glass by running a lime wedge on the rim and dipping it in Tajin seasoning Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker Add cubed ice, and shake until the outside of the tin is frosty Strain into a glass over a large ice cube Finish with a lime wedge and pickle
Dan’s top tips
If you’ve read this far, you’re obviously a fan of pickles, which is where our top tip comes in. Pickles are an intensely personal choice. Some go for the classics, while others like pickles with a bit of sweetness and spice. Whatever floats your boat, use your fave style in the cocktail, but remember that whatever brine you choose will be a major player in the drink’s overall flavour profile, so this is no time to skimp on quality. You might even like to line up a few different jars – Polish, sweet and sour, cornichons, perhaps – and get your mates to sample a trial made with each one to crown the overall winner. This recipe also uses reposado tequila, which brings a richer, more complex flavour – a great base when the other flavours going on are so big. But if you have blanco tequila instead, that will also work well in this mix. The final result will just be a little lighter in flavour than your traditional resposado, so again, see how you like it best. Finally, we think all these salty, sweet and savoury flavours are crying out for snacks that hit the same notes. Think spicy crisps, salty popcorn, cured meats with cornichons and capers… Sounds like a party to us.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Raye Scerri (videography), Bridget Wald (styling), LSS (production)
