Sweet, spicy and slightly tart; these mango chili margaritas are perfection on all accounts. Rimmed with a chili lime salt; each drink delivers the perfect mix of sweet, spicy and sour. Ideal for Cinco de Mayo or any Mexican themed meal. Pairs perfectly with chips, salsa and queso or your favorite tacos.
My family eats enough Mexican food, both at home and at our favorite local spots, that I believe we could easily classify it as it’s own food group. It’s not out of the norm for us to have it at least once on a weekly basis. Although sometimes we’re guilty of enjoying that delicious fare two to three times a week.
Crispy, lightly salted chips and absurd amounts of fresh, spicy salsa. Yes please. And I’m totally okay with that alone as a meal!
With every great bowl of chips and salsa, there needs to be an equally delicious cocktail to help wash it down. My “go to” margarita is a classic margarita, on the rocks, WITH salt. However, if we’re at a restaurant that has an amazing bar and phenomenal cocktails you can be I’ll be veering away from my norm.
I’d say one of my favorite margaritas to date has been a mango chili margarita. It’s sweet and tart with a hint of spice and a bit of salt. It’s refreshing, cold, frothy and full of bright mango flavor.
And can we just talk about the salt rim for a sec?
I can’t have a margarita without a rim coated in delicious goodness. Sometimes the drink requires a sweet, sugared rim, others a basic rim of coarse salt and sometimes a specialty salt is required.
While I believe this margarita would be delicious with a traditional salt rim, I took things a step further with a custom chili lime salt. It only takes another moment of preparation to make this truly delicious salt that is boasting with sour, smoky, spicy flavor.
This is an amazing addition to this mango chili margarita, but why stop there. Sprinkle on your nachos, over chips served along side your favorite salsa, or in taco meat. The options are endless.
These margaritas are a delicious twist on the classic. Bursting with sweet mango, tart lime, and a bit of heat; the combination is truly delicious. A utterly amazing margarita and just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
Mango Chili Margarita
Sweet, spicy and slightly tart; these mango chili margaritas are perfection on all accounts. Rimmed with a chili lime salt; each drink delivers the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, salty and sour.
Ingredients
Chili Lime Salt-
- 1/4 Cup Kosher or coarse sea salt
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- Zest of 1 lime
Margaritas
- 2 Cups cubed mango, fresh or frozen
- 3 Oz tequila
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 Tbsp simple syrup*
- 1/8-1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper*
- 1 Cup ice
- Lime slices, for garnish
Instructions
Chili Lime Salt-
- Combine salt, chili powder, smoked paprika and lime zest and stir to combine.*
- Place in a bowl or on a plate large enough to fit the rim of your glasses. Set aside.
Margaritas-
- Combine all the ingredients for the margaritas, except the lime slices, in a blender and blend until smooth.
To Assemble-
- Wipe a lime wedge around the rim of the glasses, dip in chili lime salt, then fill with margarita. Garnish with lime slice and serve.
Notes
*Zest the lime for the chili lime salt first, then juice the lime for the cocktail.
*I always have frozen fruit on hand and it's perfect for frozen margaritas! Fresh fruit works perfectly too, a bit more ice may need to be added to get a super slushy texture.
*Simple syrup is easy to make. Combine equal amounts of water and sugar, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.
*Sugar in the raw or agave nectar may be used in place of simple syrup.
*When mixing the margarita add as much or as little simple syrup and cayenne pepper to suite your taste. Start with a small amount and add more until desired taste is achieved.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 352Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 56822mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 7gSugar: 53gProtein: 3g
Nutrition is gathered and calculated based on the ingredients used by Nutritionix. Nutrition can vary for a recipe based on numerous factors such as precision of the measurements, brands of products, freshness of ingredients or the source of the nutritional data.
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