We just got back from the cruise and we are so relaxed and so stuffed full of food! We visited Grand Cayman and Cozumel and went scuba diving in both locations. I had an amazing time and saw so many amazing things.

While we were in Cozumel we hit up the tax and duty free liquor store and picked up a lot of tequila and other spirits to stock my bar cart. I am obsessed with spicy drinks and was on the lookout for anything with some heat. I picked up a flavored Patron, only available in Mexico, with chocolate and chili flavors that burned on the way down. It was so good! Unfortunately I could not find any jalapeño infused tequila, which is my favorite, so I decided to take one of the 3 liters of tequila that I bought and infuse it myself!

To infuse the tequila I cut up 2 large jalapeños and let it set in the tequila for 24 hours. Afterwards I drained it through a collander in order to remove the jalapeño pieces. The jalapeños give the tequila a slight green tinge.  If you don’t want to infuse your own tequila you might be able to find Tanteo at your local Total Wine. It is expensive and I don’t think it tastes as good as making it on your own. (Disclaimer: the spiciness of your tequila depends on the spiciness of the jalapeño itself. Also the hottest part of the jalapeño is the “placenta” which is the middle part that is usually removed with the seeds, so make sure some of this is in the tequila to make it spicy!)

So now that I have this infused spicy jalapeño tequila I want to make one of my favorite margaritas. It is called the Mexicali Margarita and I had it when I was at the Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite in California. This was the first and the best spicy margarita I have ever had and I will never forget it. It is made with jalapeño infused tequila, mezcal, fresh lime juice, agave nectar and watermelon juice.

If you want to make this like a professional pick up a cocktail shaker, margarita or cocktail glass, jigger, and a muddler to make this the best it can be! I am really sad I didn’t pick up one of the hand painted margarita glasses they had in Cozumel, because I thought I would be able to find them on the internet for cheaper, but they are only in Mexico!! Darn now I have to go back!