I don’t know about you but I love a good margarita. And by that I mean a GOOD one. None of that pre-made, store bought, sugar bombed, marg mix nonsense. I’m talking quality tequila and freshly squeezed juice with just a touch of sweetness for a perfectly flavored and refreshing cocktail to sip in the sun. Yes, it’s a vibe. If you’re like me, and love vibey top-notch cocktails, then you’re going to adore this lovely lady.

Blood oranges have been calling my name lately. Their gorgeous coloring just screams “make me into a pretty cocktail!” So we popped on over to our local farmers market to pick up a few and did just that! A friend of mine had been requesting a spicy marg recipe as well so I figured that would be a great way to spice up this pretty drink (no pun intended).

Now onto the drink, with a few things to note:

If you can, use a quality tequila. With a drink like this that isn’t masked with loads of sugar or soda, you’re going to taste the tequila, which is a good thing! A quality tequila won’t be terribly harsh in a cocktail but rather add a delightful complexity of flavor. So, if your tequila isn’t pleasant to drink, this cocktail just won’t be as pleasant either. Thus, I highly recommend investing in a quality tequila if you can to take this drink up a notch.

Similarly, using freshly squeezed juice makes a world of a difference. Fresh juice will always brighten up your cocktail with more tang and sweetness. It’s particularly necessary in this drink to properly “cook” the egg white and achieve that delightfully smooth foam layer. If you’re vegan or uncomfortable consuming raw egg, you can substitute with aquafaba or omit it in this recipe.

The last important thing to note is what brings this drink it’s spice, jalapeños. Jalapeños generally aren’t extremely spicy however their spice levels can definitely vary. You can sometimes pick up one that has nearly no spice and tastes like bell pepper (speaking from experience here) but alternatively may pick up an absolutely rogue pepper that is wildly spicy and burn your lips straight off your face (may or may not be speaking from experience here as well…). So, I definitely recommend tasting your pepper prior to making your cocktail to see what spice level you’re working with and adjusting how many slices you use from there. The seeds also pack a much stronger punch, so if you want less spice, just go ahead and remove the seeds. Otherwise leave them in to kick up the heat!

No matter when or where you’re sipping it, this spiced up vibrant margarita is sure to bring you all the good vibes.