Name: Picante de la Casa (Spicy Margarita)
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 1 slice red chili pepper; 3 sprig Coriander/cilantro; 60 ml Reposado tequila; 30 ml Lime juice; 20 ml Agave syrup

Picante de la Casa (Spicy Margarita)
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Picante de la Casa (Spicy Margarita) image

Glass:

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 slice	Red chili pepper (jalapeño/fresno chili 10,000 SHU) deseeded
3 sprig	Coriander/Cilantro leaves
2 oz	Patrón Reposado tequila
1 oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
²⁄₃ oz	Agave syrup

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
Prepare garnish of chilli pepper slices.

How to make:

MUDDLE chilli and coriander/cilantro in base of shaker.
Add other ingredients and SHAKE with ice.
FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with chilli pepper slices. (Depending on strength, perhaps warn drinker not to eat.)

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Picante de la Casa (Spicy Margarita) lifestyle image

Picante de la Casa (Spicy Margarita) lifestyle thumbnail

Review:

a Tommy's Margarita with coriander/cilantro and chilli spice. The "Spicy Margarita" that led the trend.

View readers' comments

Variant:

Spicy Margarita
Spicy Smoky Margarita
Amante Picante

History:

Created by Chris Ojeda at Soho House, West Hollywood, USA, this "House Tonic" is the best-selling cocktail across the Soho Houses worldwide and has also become a popular contemporary classic served in other bars.

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Contemporary classic cocktails
More Hall of Fame & must know/try cocktails
More Spicy (e.g. Spicy Fifty) cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Luca Sorriso Valvo

10th February at 11:06

On a further attempt to pimp this fantastic cocktail, I ran out of lime juice and replaced it with one fresh passion fruit, which added a bit of acidity but also a smooth sweetness and a touch of exotic fruit flavor.

Gillian Williams

4th January at 16:39

I muddled a small slice of scotch bonnet with the coriander and Silver tequila. It was a fabulously refreshing drink with a background of chilli heat. Fantastic

Luca Sorriso Valvo

28th December 2024 at 19:52

After making (and enjoying) this cocktail many a time, I dared exploring with a little twist. I have replaced the agave syrup with a mascobado sugar syrup infused with a mix of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, vanilla, tonka beans). It added a deep layer of complexity and warmth, which definitely worked very well. However, the freshness and perfect balance of the original version is unbeatable.

Avery Garnett

27th May 2024 at 19:07

This was a real sleeper hit for me - yes, a tommy's margarita is good. Yes, I could imagine the freshness of coriander goes well with agave...but this was outstandingly good. I don't tend to keep coriander around but I may do just to make these.

G. M. Genovese

24th February 2024 at 16:31

For the most part, I agree with all the comments here. Great, as it is, but the agave could definitely come down a notch (1/2 oz sounds perfect)... I had to deviate because of what was on hand... slice of green Serrano plus two shakes of Tajin... one of the better Margarita riffs. (24 Feb 2024, 11:31a)

Luca Sorriso Valvo

27th January 2024 at 18:56

Excellent, and it leaves space to a variety of spiciness. Perfect to cool down a hot summer night, but also paired with fish dishes or any Mexican food.

Luca Sorriso Valvo

3rd April 2024 at 19:50

I am making this cocktail often, and my favourite is when I substantially increase the amount of coriander, maybe 5-6 times the indicated quantity (and leaving the whole stems, not just the tips).
One of my favourites.

1 reply

Shirley Scott

6th January 2024 at 15:29

This is by far my favorite cocktail of all time-although I did decrease syrup to 1/2 oz. Unfortunately, it goes down way too easy and a double is a whopping 4 oz of tequila 😬

Linda Shaverin Hirsh

17th June 2023 at 11:11

A warm June evening in London … short ribs on the barbecue … family gathered on the patio. What could be better …? A round of Picante de la Casa cocktails - that’s what! We love all things spicy and the Picante was a perfect match for pre-dinner snacks/hors d’œuvres and if we hadn’t already opened a wonderful bottle of Amarone to accompany the main plate, I think another round of Picante cocktails would have been a great foil for the spicy, smokey meat as well. My new summer favourite.