These Spicy Grapefruit Margaritas are delicious and super refreshing. Made with fresh grapefruit juice, cayenne pepper and sweetened with agave nectar, this is the perfect drink to enjoy during the citrus season or all year round!
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Whip out the cocktail shaker, it's margarita time! This is the perfect cocktail to enjoy during the winter citrus season. It's perfectly sweet with just a little bit of spice and is easy to make any day of the week.
If you love margaritas as I do, you will love my Spicy Watermelon Margaritas and Spicy Skinny Margaritas.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Simple & quick. This recipe takes just 5 minutes to make and only uses 6 simple ingredients.
- Customizable. While this recipe only uses a few ingredients, you can easily customize it to your liking. Make it without the spice, triple sec or lime juice. It will still taste great!
- Can be made for a crowd. You can easily double or triple this recipe to make as many spicy margaritas as you need or add everything to a pitcher for the perfect party cocktail!
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tequila. You can use your favorite brand but I recommend a silver or Blanco tequila. I like G4 Tequila and Teremana brands.
- Triple sec. Also known as orange liqueur, I like adding it to my margarita recipes for more citrus notes. You can use any brand or substitute this with orange juice or a little more agave.
- Grapefruit juice. I recommend squeezing a fresh grapefruit to avoid added sugar as we are already sweetening it with agave.
- Cayenne pepper. Use just a little for a kick. You can also muddle a jalapeño slice or make these margaritas without spice.
- Lime juice. I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lime juice over bottled lime juice as most are full of other ingredients and additives.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Rub a lime wedge over the rim of the glasses or on one side and then dip the glass in salt or a mix of salt and cayenne pepper. Squeeze the grapefruit juice and lime juice into a cocktail shaker or large jar.
Step 2: Add ice, orange liqueur, cayenne pepper and agave to the shaker and shake to combine. Pour the margarita mix over ice in your glasses. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and serve immediately. Enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
A margarita contains tequila and fresh lime juice and is usually sweetened with orange liqueur. A Paloma is sweetened with grapefruit soda and is less sweet than a margarita.
It is up to you! Salt can enhance the flavor of a margarita so it is typically recommended.
I recommend flakey or coarse sea salt or kosher salt. You can also add cayenne, tajin, lime zest and more to your rim.
Triple sec adds a sweet and citrusy flavor to margaritas. It helps enhance the overall flavor of the cocktail and balances the tartness of the lime juice. It also helps balance the tartness of the lime juice.
👩🏻🍳Bartender Tips
- Always use freshly squeezed juice. I recommend using fresh grapefruit juice and lime juice over buying it prepackaged. The taste is better and contains no added sugar. I like to use a citrus squeezer or juicer to ensure I am getting every last drop.
- Adjust to taste! As with any cocktail recipe, I recommend using this recipe as a guide and adjusting the flavors and spices to suit your taste. Use more or less lime or eliminate the cayenne pepper, etc.
- Don't skimp on the garnishes, especially if you are hosting.
- If you make a large batch, store leftovers in the fridge without ice for 4-5 days. Just shake and pour over ice when ready to enjoy again.
Serving
This margarita can be enjoyed with anything from a simple snack like chips and salsa or Spicy Black Bean Dip. It is also great with BBQ Chicken Tacos or Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos.
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Spicy Grapefruit Margarita Recipe
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
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Ingredients
- Salt & lime wedge for rimming the glass, optional
- 4 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- 1 teaspoon agave
- 4 ounces grapefruit juice, (or half of a grapefruit squeezed)
- ½ ounce lime juice, (or half of a lime squeezed)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ice
Instructions
- Rub a lime wedge over the rim of two cocktail glasses or mason jars.
- Pour some sea salt or kosher salt onto a small plate. Dip the cup upside down onto the plate of salt and press down, ensuring the entire rim is covered with salt.
- To a cocktail shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients. Shake until combined.
- Fill glasses with ice and pour margarita mixture over the rocks.
- Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- Always use freshly squeezed juice. I recommend using fresh grapefruit juice and lime juice over buying it prepackaged. The taste is better and contains no added sugar. I like to use a citrus squeezer or juicer to ensure I am getting every last drop.
- Adjust to taste! As with any cocktail recipe, I recommend using this recipe as a guide and adjusting the flavors and spices to suit your taste. Use more or less lime or eliminate the cayenne pepper, etc.
- Don't skimp on the garnishes, especially if you are hosting.
- If you make a large batch, store leftovers in the fridge without ice for 4-5 days. Just shake and pour over ice when ready to enjoy again.
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