The Ultimate Margarita Recipe: La Doña | Tasting Table
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
Servings:
1 cocktail
Ingredients
  • Árbol chile tincture
  • 20 árbol chiles
  • 1¾ cup grain alcohol (such as Everclear)
  • 1 cup water, at room temperature
  • ½ cup salt
  • ⅓ cup vodka
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup hot water
  • Ice
  • 1½ ounces tequila blanco, preferably Tapatio
  • ¾ ounce Key lime juice
  • ½ ounce Cointreau
  • Salt essence
  • Árbol chile tincture
Directions
  1. For the árbol chile tincture: In a small container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the chiles and the grain alcohol. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 2 weeks, shaking vigorously every day for 5 to 10 seconds. (The tincture will keep indefinitely.) 2. For the salt essence: In a small bowl, whisk together the water and salt until dissolved. Strain through a small sieve over a small bowl. Add the vodka and transfer to an atomizer; set aside.
  2. For the cocktail: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and hot water until dissolved. Set aside to let cool. (This yields about ½ cup honey syrup.) 4. Spray 3 spritzes of the salt essence into a chilled coupe glass. In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, Key lime juice, Cointreau and ¼ ounce of the honey syrup. Shake vigorously and strain the contents into the glass. Add 2 to 3 drops of the árbol chile tincture on top. Serve immediately.