Thursday, March 21, 2024

How To Infuse Tequila With Jalapeno

Jalapeo Infused Tequila Recipe

How to make Hacienda’s Jalapeño infused tequila

Susannah Brinkley Henry | Feast + WestSeptember 6, 2018

This Jalapeno Infused Tequila recipe is the key to spicy margaritas and palomas. Its an easy homemade spirit you can infuse at home to elevate your cocktails!

Whenever I see spicy drinks on a cocktail menu, I have to order them. Cayenne on the rim, hot sauce, horseradish, jalapeno-infused tequila I want it all.

But this hasnt always been a trait of mine. Just the other day I was chatting with a friend about how I had to teach myself to like spicy foods.

My friends used to order the most amazing buffalo chicken wings at a bar we frequented, but they were too spicy for me at first. I forced myself to order it every time, until it became palatable.

And now? I can eat some spicy foods. Im not a 24-types-of-hot-sauce-in-my-fridge kind of person, but I do enjoy a little kick here and there.

Spicy cocktails dont have to be enjoyed only in restaurants and bars, though! You can make them at home by infusing spirits.

Just like we made homemade spiced rum and homemade Irish cream liqueur, you can make this homemade spicy jalapeno infused tequila recipe and have the spicy margaritas of your dreams.

All you need are some jalapeno peppers, tequila and a mason jar or bottle to make it happen.

To make it, thinly slice the jalapenos and discard the seeds if you desire a milder end product. Then soak them in tequila for about a day. They may lose their rich, green color this is a-okay.

What kind of tequila should I use?

How To Use Infused Liquors

There are really no rules when it comes to using your DIY infusions. Add them to any cocktail for more flavor. You may even find you can use less sugar than usual, especially if it’s a fruit-infused liquor.

Here are a few quick ideas using our infusions:

The possibilities are endless – we’d love to hear how you’re using your infusions in the comments below!

How To Make Infused Liquors

DIY Infused Liquors make for a fantastic holiday gift for a host/hostess, friend, family member or really any other adult in your life. In this post, we’ll teach you how to make a few different infused liquors. We’re also sharing some of our favorite flavor infusions for vodka, tequila, rum & more.

Over the last few years, we’ve gotten really into mixology and craft cocktails. We love experimenting with different liquors, simple syrups, fruits, bitters, etc.

If you know our family IRL, we pretty much always have company. My parents have hosted countless full-blown, 60+ person parties, smaller dinner parties, holidays, and hundreds of weekend get-togethers. After hosting so many events, we’ve gotten pretty good at throwing together cocktails with whatever we have on hand.

In more recent years, we’ve gotten extra ~fancy~ and started experimenting with infusing various liquors and simple syrups. For my wedding last year, we made huge batches of homemade infused vodka and tequila for my signature cocktails. They were a huge hit – some of my friends were even taking straight-up shots of the jalapeño infused tequila!

In addition to majorly improving just about any cocktail, homemade infused liquors also make for a great DIY holiday gift. Any host/hostess, family member, friend or coworker will surely appreciate the originality and effort!

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Sous Vide Jalapeno Infused Tequila

Published: by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links ·

I know how to make hot pepper infused tequila – why should I get all modernist and cook it sous vide?

Because, when I want spicy tequila, I want it as soon as possible. Regular infused tequila needs to steep overnight by adding gentle heat, I can have spicy tequila ready in under an hour.

And, its easier to vary the amount of heat. I found 45 minutes at 135°F to be the perfect amount of time – it transfers the jalapeno taste and the right amount of spicy heat. If you want the jalapeno flavor with just a bit of heat, infuse the tequila for 30 minutes if you want to blast your taste buds, infuse it for an hour, extracting all the heat from the peppers.

Most sous vide infusion recipes recommend pouring the alcohol into a gallon zip-top bag, but I found that unwieldy. And by unwieldy, I mean I spilled tequila everywhere when the bag slipped. A quart jar is much easier to deal with it is the right size for a standard 750ml bottle of liquor.

Oh, and one other thing – what type of tequila? You want 100% agave, sliver or blanco tequila. If the label doesnt say 100% agave, it can be up to 49% cheaper liquor – not good. Pay a few dollars extra for the 100% agave tequila. Dont get gold tequila – its silver tequila with food coloring added to give it an amber color.

Chili Pepper Infused Tequila

Easy Jalapeño Infused Tequila

Learn how to make spicy tequila, like jalapeno infused tequila, by steeping peppers in tequila. Great for making fun, spicy cocktails for your next fiesta.

In honor of National Tequila Day!

Tequila is wonderful for Margaritas and other drinks, but it is even better when infused with chili peppers. Chili pepper heat can be infused into alcoholic beverages easily, and tequila is one of the most popular candidates.

You can use any type of chili peppers for infusing tequila, like jalapeno infused tequila, habanero infused tequila, and even hotter peppers.

Lets talk about how we infuse tequila with spicy peppers, shall we?

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Spicy Jalapeo Tequila Recipe

All you need are some jalapeño peppers and tequila to soak together, and a mason jar or bottle to make it happen.

To make it, thinly slice the jalapeños and discard the seeds if you desire a milder end product.

Then soak them in tequila for about a day.

They are going to lose their rich, green color â this is a-okay and totally normal, though not as pretty.

Remove the peppers, and youâve got a spicy spirit worthy of the best cocktail bar in town.

Ingredients And Equipment Needed To Infuse Tequila

  • Tequila. Use anywhere from a whole bottle of tequila or even just an ounce or 2 for making a quick cocktail. Use your favorite brand. This will work with any tequila.
  • Chili Peppers. Youll need fewer peppers for smaller infusions, or many for larger infusions. If using superhot peppers, like scorpion peppers, 7 pot peppers or the Carolina Reaper, only a single pepper can add a lot of heat to a whole bottle.
  • Jars or Bottles. Use larger jars that you can cap, or use the bottle itself.
  • Strainer. Youll need a strainer to remove the peppers once your infusion is completed.

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Strain And Store Your Infused Liquor

To strain your infusion, pour the liquor through a fine mesh sieve into a wide-mouth jar, measuring cup or glass bowl. If the infusion contains fruit with seeds/pulp , line the sieve with a cheesecloth to remove as much sediment as possible.

Discard the fruit/infusion ingredients. Clean the glass jar you used for the infusion and return the infused liquor to the jar. Seal and store in a dark, cool place. It will last indefinitely, but we’re willing to bet you’ll get through it pretty quickly!

Heres How Cibolo Moon Infuses Its Tequila

Jalapeno infused tequila

Choose your Tequila and Flavors

Use a 100% Blue Agave silver or Blanco tequila. Blanco tequilas work best because they are un-aged, thus are the freshest and can take on the most flavor. Herbs, spices and fruits are most commonly used for infusions. For best results, use fresh ingredients only.

Prepare the Ingredients

Choose a clean, airtight jar: quart sized mason jars work well. Wash the ingredients, place them inside the jar and fill it with tequila. Shake a few times and cover tightly with a lid.

For strawberries and citrus fruit wash and slice thinly. For peppers, score them and leave them whole, or cut them in half. You can leave the seeds in for a spicy kick, or remove them for less spice.

Infusion Time

You will want to store your infusion in a cool, dark place and shake it a few times a day for the duration of the infusion. On average, the ingredients should stay in the tequila for 3-5 days. Some of the more intense flavors will only need 3 days, while less intense flavors should stay in the jar for a full week or more. You should do a taste test every few days to see if the flavors are sufficient.

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Spicy Jalapeo Infused Tequila

This homemade Spicy Jalapeño Infused Tequila recipe is a concoction with a kick. Made with fresh jalapeño peppers, this spirit â your choice of tequila or mezcal â will bring the heat to all your margaritas and palomas, and help you say goodbye to summer!

Whenever I see spicy drinks on a cocktail menu, I have to order them.

Cayenne on the rim, hot sauce, horseradish, jalapeño-infused tequila⦠I want it all.

But this hasnât always been a quirk of mine. Just the other day I was chatting with a friend about how I had to teach myself to like spicy foods.

My friends used to order the most amazing buffalo chicken wings at a bar we frequented, but they were too spicy for me â at first.

The first time I ordered them, I loved them, but it was too much all at once. So I forced myself to order it every time. At least, until the spice became palatable.

And now? I can eat some spicy foods. Iâm not a 24-types-of-hot-sauce-in-my-fridge kind of person, but I do enjoy a little kick here and there.

I can handle more spice than my husband, who likes things a step above mild, but I also wont be ordering anything with ghost pepper. And definitely not Carolina Reaper!

Spicy cocktails donât have to be enjoyed only in restaurants and bars, though!

You can buy already infused spicy spirits, or you can make them at home by infusing your favorite spirits with peppers.

Choose Your Liquor And Flavorings

The first and most obvious step is to choose your infusion. Most common liquors, like vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey and gin, are all great choices. More complex liquors, like mezcal, aren’t as easy to work with.

Vodka is my favorite option – it’s essentially a blank canvas that can take on any flavor combination. If you’re not a fan of vodka, tequila and rum are easy to start with, too.

When it comes to choosing flavors to infuse, think about your favorite cocktails involving that liquor. Rum, for example, is often used with tropical flavors like pineapple, mango, guava, etc. Whiskey, on the other hand, often calls for warmer flavors like cinnamon, anise, orange and vanilla.

You can infuse liquor with just about anything – fresh fruit, herbs, spices, dried fruit, and anything else your heart desires. It’s best to stick with just a few complementary flavors – don’t overdo it with too many ingredients. Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients we used in these infusions:

  • Vodka + Fresh strawberries + Vanilla Bean
  • Tequila + Jalapeño + Lime
  • Strawberry Vanilla Bean Vodka
  • Pineapple Rum

It doesn’t have to be complicated. The pineapple infused rum is actually my favorite – it’s SO good in tropical cocktails!

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Restaurant Worthy Cocktails At Home

Creating restaurant worthy cocktails at home is a lot of fun! And a whole lot more affordable! Plus, I cant be mad about all the cocktail tasting required to get them just right

And really, it doesnt take much prep or effort. Just a little forethought.

Sure, you can purchase all sorts of infused liquors at the store. But, when its this easy theres no reason to! Simply purchase a big bottle of your favorite spirit and mix up all sorts of home infused flavors! And trust me, the extra touch that the infused tequila adds to the final cocktail is so worth it.

When its this quick and easy to add flavor to your favorite spirits theres no reason not to mix up infused cocktails all the time!

Spicy Margarita Recipe Tips

Cilantro Jalapeno Infused Tequila
  • Taste and adjust. Whenever you make a cocktail at home, taste and adjust to find a balance of flavors you love. If you prefer a sweeter drink, add an extra splash of simple syrup or orange juice. For more tartness, squeeze in extra lime. If you want it spicier, add extra jalapeño slices and let it sit for a few more minutes. Mess with this recipe, and make it your own!
  • If its too strong, let the ice begin to melt. If your jalapeño margarita tastes too strong when you first try it, let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature. As the ice melts, it will dilute the drink. If its still stiffer than youd like it to be, top your glass with sparkling water or add extra orange juice.
  • Salt the rim. Honestly, this cocktail tastes great on its own, but if you want to take it to the next level, salt the rim of your glass. To do this, rub the rim of an empty margarita glass with a lime wedge, and dip it in a small plate of coarse sea salt or kosher salt. Mix up the cocktails in a pitcher, fill your glass with ice, and pour the drink into your prepared glass. Thats it!
  • Dont forget the chips! No jalapeño margarita night is complete without tortilla chips and dip! I love to pair mine with tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, or classic guac. If Im in the mood for something fruity, Ill make mango or pineapple salsa, too! This spicy margarita would also be fantastic with nachos, taquitos, or veggie tacos.

Bottoms up!

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The Pineapple Jalapeno Infused Tequila You Need Right Now

The Reasoning

I know I know, this doesnt necessarily soooound like a normal thing, but when youre still maintaining quarantine due to Covid-19, you try new things! Let me tell you, it worked and didnt at the same time lol.

Since my boyfriend missed drinking margaritas from one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and the fact that our dwindling liquor cabinet needed some love, we decided to come up with new drink ideas for funzies. Fast forward a few days to my bf and his best friend texting about infusing tequila plus my boyfriend remembering one of his favorite margaritasthe habanero pineapple marg from another of our favorite Mexican restaurants and the idea was born!

I know what youre thinking and yes, we do love Mexican food/restaurants! Really though, we just love new adventures and after making our first attempt at this recipe, we inspired his best friend to make a batch of Strawberry Pineapple Jalapeno infused tequila .

Anywholemme just break down how this little experiment went for yall.

The Experiment

Let me start off by saying that I like spicy food, but not super spicy food like my boyfriend. He and his previously mentioned best friend both LOVE spicy food and I mean the hotter the better for them! It honestly amazes me that they still have taste buds, but to each their own I guess.

Yeswe even buy Tequila from Costco! If you arent already aware of our Costco obsession, you will soon.

The Results
The Recipe

How Do You Make It Less Spicy

There are three ways you can make your jalapeño tequila less spicy from the get-go:

  • Use a milder pepper.
  • Use fewer peppers/slices.
  • Infuse for less time.
  • But if you still wind up with a too-spicy tequila, you can dilute it by mixing it with a little more regular, un-infused tequila.

    I hope you enjoy this jalapeño-infused tequila recipe!

    Comment below with what you use it in so I can try your spicy concoctions. // susannah

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    Spicy Cocktails With Jalapeo Tequila

    Now youâre ready to throw it in a drink like this mango margarita or this watermelon paloma, or even in cooking, like this .

    And here are 20 more of the best margarita recipes you can try it in! My favorite are these strawberry basil margaritas because the sweetness balances out the spice in a really lovely way.

    Its also delicious in a Bloody Mary. Well, when you use tequila, its called a Bloody Maria!

    However you choose to enjoy your spicy tequila, I say bring on the fire!

    Jalapeo Infused Tequila With Mango Juice And Muddled Raspberries

    STRAWBERRY JALAPENO MARGARITA || Infused tequila makes the perfect margarita recipe!

    First off, a happy New Years Eve to you all!! I wish you all the best in 2014 and hope your goodbye to 2013 is a splendid one. I had hoped to get this post up yesterday so it would be of more use as a New Years cocktail, but settling back into the groove of things after being a layabout back home for a week was a bit of a struggle. Nevertheless, I present to you this deliciously sweet, tangy, and spicy beverage . Ive been a longtime fan of slightly spicy cocktails. Bloody Marys are the most common kind , but theres a whole world of flavor aside from that tomatoey beverage, especially when it comes to hot pepper infused booze.

    This was my first time infusing liquor with pepper, and I decided to go with a jalapeño because Id had mango jalapeño salsa before and really loved the combination of the two in that dish. So I cut the jalapeño in half, scooped out the seeds and pulp, and let it sit in some tequila overnight. The next day I gave it a taste and could definitely taste the jalapeño, but it was pleasantly subtle. That was when I made the cocktail, but then I went up to Oregon for a week and forgot to take the jalapeño out of the bottle before I left, so when I returned I gave it another taste, and while the jalapeño flavor was definitely stronger, it didnt seem a whole lot spicier to me. So if you leave it overnight versus a week, the flavor of the actual pepper will intensify, but not the heat of the beverage.

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