Make Your Spicy Margaritas Truly Stand Out With One Simple Swap

For those who love their booze with a little heat, nothing beats the classic spicy margarita — the remixed version of everyone's favorite Mexican cocktail made for enjoying by the pitcher-full with friends. Spicy margaritas are usually made using jalapeño or habanero-infused tequila or by muddling jalapeño peppers directly into the drink. This lends a kick of heat to the tequila, simple syrup, and lime. But it turns out that there's an easier, quicker method requiring no handling of spicy peppers, no wait time, and using only a pantry staple you probably already have on hand: Bottled Tabasco sauce.

Most agree that the classic margarita as people know it today — consisting of tequila, mouth-puckering lime juice, triple sec or Grand Marnier, and salt on the rim — was invented in by a Mexican bartender who first concocted the refreshing libation in the '30s. Ever since, bartenders and home mixologists have been churning out reimagined takes on the classic, eventually creating the spicy rendition, which has only grown in popularity since it first went mainstream in the early 2000s. Instead of the standard jalapeño or habaneros, using Tabasco Green Jalapeño Sauce provides a dependable level of heat and an easy shortcut to big flavor.

A major reason to reach for Tabasco Green Jalapeño sauce instead of using grocery store jalapeños or fresh-from-the-garden peppers is the consistent heat level it provides, Toby Maloney, originator of this Tabasco-spiced margarita take and head mixologist at Chicago cocktail bar The Violet Hour, told Punch magazine. Pepper lovers know there's a wide range of heat levels from one pepper to the next — one can be mild and the next could be face-scorchingly hot.

You won't know how hot your pepper is until you've mixed your marg, at which point there's no coming back. On the other hand, when using bottled Tabasco, you can control exactly how much heat your drink has for greater consistency in each drink. All it takes is ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon worth of the sauce — unless you're feeling extra daring.

If you have other brands of bottled hot sauce in your pantry, feel free to play a game of experimental mixology, but it's Tabasco Green Jalapeño Sauce that provides the ideal taste and acidity balance to mix perfectly into a margarita, Maloney told Punch. The sauce is mild, and gets its bright flavor from fresh jalapeños. He explained to the magazine that of all the hot sauces out there, the green sauce's lack of vinegar flavor and peppery flavor makes it the standout choice.

While you're shaking up your innovative version of the classic marg, don't let the customizations stop with heat levels. There are all sorts of unconventional takes for making tasty if atypical versions of the drink, such as adding extra citrus juice, berries, mango, or other flavors, or adjusting the ratios of ingredients.

While the official Tabasco spicy margarita recipe and others skip any adding sugar, it's all about personal preference. If your taste buds need a little hit of sweetness (or a lot) in your drinks, or if all the spiciness leaves you craving a little sugary relief to balance it out, feel free. You can mix your spicy marg with anywhere from just a smidge to an ounce or so of your sweetener of choice — simple syrups or agave syrup both play well with the tequila and peppery flavor. Or, you can use a pre-mixed and bottled margarita mix along with your liquor and hot sauce for the ultimate easy, spicy treat.