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Keeping things festive and fun with this spicy, Naughty Nice Margarita. Homemade vanilla jalapeño honey syrup, mixed with tequila, orange liqueur (Cointreau), a squeeze of lime juice, and topped off with ginger beer. It’s a touch of sweet with a little bit of spice – the perfect “naughty nice” margarita. Rim your glass in ginger salt to create a Christmas cocktail that sparkles. Make it even more festive with sugared cranberries to really do it up this holiday season! It’s spicy, sweet, and festive – ideal for these cold winter nights. The punch and mocktail variations are both in the notes section.
December is here, and I have so many festive, yummy recipes to share. I’m looking forward to creating recipes that really get us into the holiday spirit this December. It’s going to be so fun!
Today, we’ve got another Christmas cocktail (with the mocktail variation too). It’s one I think we can all enjoy. A spicy, just slightly sweet, wintery margarita – and it is festive!
Here are the details
Step 1: start with the vanilla jalapeño honey syrup
Simply simmer honey with jalapeños, ginger, and star anise to infuse the honey with a ginger spiciness. Then add vanilla extract. It’s the perfect mix of warm holiday flavors.
Step 2: the salted rim
This next step is optional, but when I serve this margarita, I like to make a gingery salted rim for my margarita glasses. Mix flaky sea salt with a tiny amount of sugar and then a pinch of ginger.
The salty rim balances the tartness from the lime juice and makes your cocktails feel cute and sparkly too!
Step 3: mix your drink
Now, all that’s left is to shake up each margarita. I like to mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add the tequila, orange liquor (I use Cointreau), lime juice, and an extra dash of vanilla extract. If you think the vanilla sounds weird, you shouldn’t. It will make your drink just that much more delicious.
Then, rim each glass in salt and add some ice.
Pour the cocktail over the ice. Now, give your margarita some bubbles and an extra gingery kick by adding ginger beer.
If you want to add a little something extra, I also made sugared cranberries for a pop of red on top. This isn’t needed, but it is fun!
Make the punch version to serve this drink for a holiday party. It serves eight or so people but can easily be doubled or tripled. I’ll for sure be mixing this up as a punch when my family starts trickling in for Christmas come mid-December. This drink has all of their favorites together in one glass. I know they’ll love it!
Spicy Pomegranate Ginger Paloma
The Spicy Sweet Grinch Cocktail
Lastly, if you make this Naughty Nice Margarita, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Naughty Nice Margarita
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 389 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Vanilla Jalapeño Honey Syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1-2 jalapeños, sliced
- 6 slices fresh ginger
- 1 star anise
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Margarita
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) tequila
- 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) orange liquor (Cointreau)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons vanilla syrup
- ginger beer for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. To make the vanilla jalapeño honey syrup. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, jalapeños, ginger, and star anise to a gentle boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let cool, stir in the vanilla, then strain the syrup into a glass jar. This makes enough for 6-8 drinks. The longer you allow the jalapeños to sit, the spicier the syrup.2. If desired, rim your glass with salt, then fill with ice.3. Combine the tequila, orange liquor, lime juice, vanilla, and vanilla jalapeño honey syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake well to combine, then fill with ice and shake for 1 minute. Pour into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with sugared cranberries, if desired.4. To Make a Mocktail: omit the tequila and orange liquor. In their place, use 2 tablespoons of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Sugared Cranberries 1. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup honey and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add 2 cups fresh cranberries. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Strain the cranberries, then add them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.2. Toss the cranberries with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until all the cranberries are coated. Allow the cranberries to dry in a single layer for at least one hour.
Notes
Flaky Ginger Salt
1. On a shallow plate, mix 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt, 1 tablespoon coarse or granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Rim each glass as desired.
Naughty Nice Margarita Punch
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 389 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1-2 jalapeños sliced
- 6 slices fresh ginger
- 1 star anise
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 2 cups tequila
- 1/2 cup orange liqueur (Cointreau)
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ginger beers
- sugared cranberries, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the vanilla jalapeño honey syrup. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup water,the honey, jalapeños, ginger, and star anise to a gentle boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let cool, stir in the vanilla, then strain the syrup into a glass jar. This makes enough for 6-8 drinks. The longer you allow the jalapeños to sit, the spicier the syrup.2. If desired, rim your glass with salt, then fill with ice.3. In a punch bowl, combine the vanilla jalapeño honey syrup, tequila, orange liquor, lime juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine, chill until ready to serve. Before serving, add ice, then pour the ginger beer overtop. Serve with sugared cranberries (above), if desired.
My daughter made these for our Christmas Eve festivities and they were excellent! Spicy but not too…excellent flavor! Will def make again!
Hi Stacey! Thank you soooo much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Thanks so much, this is a great recipe. Made it for New Years, and everyone loved it!
Also, the tree glasses are so cute, where did you find them?
Thanks again?
Hello, I’d like to make this for NYE. In the punch recipe it says add 2 cups cranberry juice. Is this correct?
The vanilla was overpowering! Didn’t like this one
Tasty!! Used extra hot honey muddled with fresh ginger and then strained. I only used 1 Tablespoon of the honey and for me any more would have been overly sweet. I used an 1/8 of a teaspoon of vanilla (you an always add more but you can’t take it away). Not sure how I feel about the vanilla. Next time, and there will be a next time (maybe tonight?), I will try a sip before adding vanilla
Hi Holly! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
This was just perfect! I made the mocktail version and just loved it.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT