The Mango Ghost Inferno Margarita

The Inferno mix does the heavy lifting, so the two things that decide it are the lime and the rim. Lime has to be squeezed, not poured from a bottle, or the whole drink goes flat and sweet. The rim goes on the outside of the glass only, so the salt never falls in and turns the second half briny.

Mango and lime land first. The ghost pepper builds slowly and arrives around the second sip, long after the fruit has made its case. If you want it properly hot, a bar spoon of Mango Ghost Pepper hot sauce in the shaker takes it somewhere else entirely.

Time 5 min · Serves 4 · Sauce Mango Ghost Pepper: Inferno Margarita · How it is used 1 1/2 oz of the margarita mix per drink, plus an optional bar spoon of the hot sauce

Ingredients

• 2 oz blanco tequila
• 1 1/2 oz Mango Ghost Pepper Inferno Margarita Mix
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz orange liqueur
• Chili salt for the rim
• Optional: 1 bar spoon Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
• A lime wheel and a slice of fresh mango
• Ice

Method

1. Run a lime wedge around the outer rim of a coupe, then roll just the outside edge through chili salt.
2. Fill a shaker with ice. Add the tequila, Inferno mix, lime juice and orange liqueur. Add the bar spoon of hot sauce here if you want real heat.
3. Shake hard for 12 seconds. The outside of the shaker should be uncomfortably cold to hold.
4. Double strain over fresh ice so no shards water it down.
5. Garnish with the lime wheel and the mango slice.

One more thing

For six: multiply everything by six, stir over ice in a pitcher rather than shaking, and rim each glass as you pour. Shaking a pitcher-sized batch overdilutes it.