Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Spicy Serrano Pineapple Margarita is my favorite quick and easy, but oh-so refreshing margarita. Charred serrano chiles muddled together with sweet pineapple chunks, tequila, a splash of orange liquor, fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime. This summery margarita is a spicy, sweet take on the classic. The perfect cocktail to sip on with friends and family all summer long. Finish this cocktail off with a salty tajin rimmed glass and a pineapple wedge for the perfect drink.
I’ve been holding onto this recipe for the last couple of weeks. And even though we normally do cocktail Saturday, I’m throwing you guys a curveball. With Memorial Day on Monday, this week it’s Cocktail Friday!
Without a doubt, this might just be my favorite cocktail creation yet. It’s everything I really love most all muddled together in a cocktail glass. And geez, it’s good. A little smoky, spicy, and just a touch sweet.
But then I love anything with fresh pineapple and chile peppers.
The Story
So. We normally talk cocktails on Saturday, but in prep for this weekend I wanted to share this a day early. If you’re looking for a Memorial Day dessert, please please check out these cookies, these ice cream sandwiches, or this ice cream cake.
If you’re in need of a damn good cocktail…stay right here.
My family is heading to Cabo this July, and while we’re a little over a month away, I’m so excited. I’ve never been, and to be honest, I can’t wait for a vacation. It’s been forever and I need to feel the warmth on my skin…and enjoy some pineapple margaritas in the sun.
Everyone is feeling excited, and I kind of think that was the reason behind this drink. It feels very on-brand for both a Mexican vacation and summer fun!
The details.
The heart of this recipe lies with two ingredients, the serrano chile, and that sweet pineapple. For the chile, you can use a serrano or jalapeño, but I love the flavor of the serrano.
We’re going to charr the chile over a gas burner, or in a cast-iron skillet, to give it a nice smoky flavor and tame the heat a bit too. I love to get the chile pretty blackened for the best flavor.
Once the chile is charred let it cool, then cut it in half, and, if desired, remove the seeds. I leave the seeds in for a spicier drink.
Now the rest is easy
Rim your glass or glasses in Tajin salt, then make the drink. In a cocktail shaker, or even just a glass jar with a lid (use what you have), muddle together pineapple chunks, mint leaves, a splash – or two of tequila, a dash of orange liquor, a squeeze of fresh lime, and honey for sweetness. Add as little or as much of the chile as you’d like. I do at least half a pepper per drink. Muddle everything down until the pineapple chunks release their juice and are pretty well smashed. You could also use pineapple juice too.
Now add ice and shake to infuse the drink even more.
Then strain into your glass and top off with ginger beer or seltzer for even more spicy sweetness, and a nice touch of fizz.
It. Is. Delish.
Oh and lastly, if you’re serving up a crowd this weekend, make the pitcher version. It serves about four, but can easily be doubled…or tripled.
I’ll be making this tonight (some of the fam is in town) and I already can’t wait! Perfect for Memorial Day weekend. Fingers crossed for nice weather for us all!
Lastly, if you make these Spicy Serrano Pineapple Margarita, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Serrano Pineapple Margarita
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 391 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 serrano chile
- 1/3 cup very ripe pineapple chunks (or 1/4 cup pineapple juice)
- 4 fresh mint leaves
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- 1/2 ounce orange liquor
- juice from 1/2 lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey or sugar, to your taste
- ginger beer, or seltzer, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Place the serrano chiles over a gas flame, or in a dry skillet over high heat. Char the chile all over, turning a few times, until blackened. Remove and let cool, then halve the chile and de-seed, if desired. 2. To make the tajin salt. Combine all 3 ingredients on a shallow plate. Rim your glass. 3. In a cocktail shaker or glass jar, add the pineapple, mint, tequila, orange liquor, lime juice, and honey (or sugar). Add 1-2 quarters of the chile. Muddle together, squashing everything to release the juices. Fill with ice and shake until combined, about 1 minute, the longer you shake, the spicier it will be.4. Strain into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer, if desired. Garnish with mint and pineapple wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Orange Liquor: if you don't have orange liquor at home, either omit this (I often do) or use 2 teaspoons orange zest or a splash of orange juice.
Spicy Serrano Pineapple Margarita Pitcher
Servings: 4 drinkes
Calories Per Serving: 340 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 serrano chiles
- 1 1/4- 1/2 cups pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 8 ounces (1 cup) silver tequila
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) orange liquor
- juice from 2 limes (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons honey, or sugar...to your taste
- ginger beer, for topping (optional)
Tajin Salt
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 1 teaspoon tajin
- 1 small pinch granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1. Place the serrano chiles over a gas flame, or in a dry skillet over high heat. Char the chiles all over, turning a few times until blackened. Remove and let cool, then halve the chiles and de-seed, if desired.2. Combine the pineapple juice, mint, tequila, orange liquor, lime juice, and charred chiles in a large pitcher. Stir to combine and chill for 2 hours. The longer the chiles sit, the spicier the drink will be. Strain out the chiles and discard. Return the drink to the pitcher and chill until ready to serve.3. To make the tajin salt. Combine all 3 ingredients on a shallow plate. Rim your glasses.4. When ready to serve, fill the pitcher with ice. Pour into glasses and top off each glass with ginger beer (if using). Garnish with mint and pineapple wedges.
Any ideas for making this non-alcoholic?
Hey Darrell,
Sure, just use a splash of orange juice for the orange liquor and then ginger beer or seltzer for the tequila. I hope you love this recipe! Cheers! xT
AMAZING!! We made the pitcher for the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it, even those that don’t typically like spicy drinks. Thanks for making the pitcher recipe… that was perfect and so much easier for a big party!
Yay!! Thanks so much Mindy! Love to hear that everyone enjoyed this drink! xT
This is my absolute favorite margarita recipe! We have made it numerous times for guests and everyone raves how delicious it is. Make the pitcher of margarita. You will drink it all! Thanks, Tieghan!
Love to hear this! Thank you so so much! xT
Love the addition of a little sugar to the tajin and salt. My husband makes his own ginger syrup and I used that instead of honey and wow! This whole cocktail is a winner!
Hey Penny,
Happy Thursday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it:) Cheers! xx
I love making drinks from Half Baked Harvest (or anything for that matter) but this is hands down the BEST margarita I have ever had! You killed this recipe Tieghan! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. So yummy!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Friday!!🍀 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! Thanks so much for your kind message! xT
Yum!
Never saw mention of use of the whole Serrano, and glad I dididn’t!
Threw in a kumquat too, cuz I had one…
Didn’t know what spice is in tajin so send Chile powder, paprika and cayenne.
Super yummy, even with frozen pineapple
Hey Mary,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
We had to make a dispenser containing 32 drinks (two liters of tequila) We blistered the deseeded Serranos and muddled in just the tequila and let infuse for 10 mins. Removed. This was enough heat. Then muddled the mint and let sit another 10 mins. Removed. We 1.5 times the pineapple juice to make sure that flavor came through as 1 x wasn’t enough. Halved the honey as our honey had a strong wildflower taste. Enjoyed tweaking this recipe based on heat desired and flavor profile desired. Thanks!
Hey there,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great weekend:)
I’m super excited to try this recipe with the Ritual NA Tequila I just bought! I’m on a very low sodium diet due to health issues and usually revise your recipes accordingly but I also recently purchased a low sodium Tajin, so I am all set!
Hey Beth,
Perfect!! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out!! xxT
This is absolutely delicious! I’ve never had a spicy drink before but I will definitely be making more in the future. It’s got a great heat from the Serrano peppers that isn’t too overpowering and the pineapple and mint flavors come through really well! Perfect summer drink
Hey Courtney,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Just made this! Instead of Serrano I had some habanero simple syrup. Didn’t have any mint. Instead of tequila, I used some homemade pineapple rum that my son made at Christmas. Couldn’t find my Tajin. Still DELICIOUS!! Will make it again your way!!
Hey Tina,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan