Give Your Margaritas A Uniqely Spicy Upgrade With This Underrated Ingredient

Spicy margaritas tend to be a summer drink. They're usually made with some type of pepper, whether it's jalapeños for the ultimate spicy marg, Mexican chipotle peppers in a Spicy Grapefruit Mezcal Margarita, or even pepperoncini for a little added tang. And yet, there are tasty ways to give your drink a kick for fall, that don't involve peppers at all. To find out, we turned to Chris Cusack, who has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 27 years. The Level 1 Sommelier and Level 1 Cicerone is currently the owner of Betelgeuse Betelgeuse, a highly celebrated cocktail bar with two locations in Houston, Texas.

According to Cusack, adding ginger is the perfect way to give your margarita a spicy upgrade for fall. "Tequila, lime juice, and either a ginger liqueur or a housemade ginger syrup (blend a 1:1 simple syrup with fresh ginger and let sit overnight) will bring a nice fresh pop to your margarita," he told Tasting Table. These cocktails are generally on the fruity, refreshing side, but ginger will warm up the flavors a bit without weighing them down. It won't make your drink as spicy as if you added a jalapeño, but it will provide a pungent, peppery kick.

If you don't want to wait for your ginger syrup ingredients to sit overnight, you can also whip up a simple version on the stove. You'll want to peel and slice or chop a ginger root — but don't grate it, since it could slip through a strainer later on. Then dissolve twice as much water and sugar in a pot on the stove, toss in your ginger, and bring everything to a boil. After up to an hour of simmering, strain everything and let it cool down. To whip up a spicy, earthy margarita, add 1 ounce of your syrup into the shaker instead of another sweetener. If you want to go with a ginger liqueur, however, use 2 ounces for every 2 ounces of tequila.

If you want to jazz up another tequila-based drink, Cusack advises upgrading an El Diablo. "You could top it with your favorite liqueur, like creme de cassis or another berry liqueur," he said. This cocktail already has plenty of ginger flavor, thanks to the ginger beer involved, but the creme de cassis (which is flavored with blackcurrants) gives it a tart, fruity touch. If you're looking for an alternative, try a black raspberry or blueberry liqueur.