With only 5 ingredients, this Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita is the perfect way to celebrate passion fruit while it's in season! It's a well-balanced, vibrant drink that's sweet, spicy, and tangy. Enjoy it relaxing by the pool during the summer!
Passion fruit is so deliciously lush and tangy, it makes for the perfect cocktail with a bit of agave sweetener and tequila! The color is a vibrant yellow-orange, which is borderline golden when the sun hits it the right way. It's my favorite passion fruit drink as summer transitions into fall.
I mean, there's a reason the Cheesecake Factory's Passion Fruit Margarita is one of it's most popular drinks.
In NYC, I saw a couple on a date order these bright, beautiful golden drinks at Gansevoort Rooftop in NYC and immediately asked them what it was! It was the Ari Gold, essentially a passion fruit margarita with tequila and a spicy rim. This recipe is a recreation of this delicious cocktail!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- It's a beautiful, golden color that screams summer in the tropics! It's great for a summer backyard party.
- I give you all the tips and tricks on using fresh passion fruit, frozen passion fruit, or a cocktail syrup. If you go with a cocktail syrup, this recipe seriously takes less than 5 minutes to put together by cutting down on the time or processing fresh or frozen puree.
- This traditional margarita recipe provides you with 3 touch points to make it a spicy margarita - a spicy rim, muddled jalapeños, or hot honey.
The Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
With only four main ingredients - this passion fruit margarita is incredibly simple and has a few substitutions to make it friendly for what's in your fridge or pantry.
- Passion fruit Syrup - If passion fruit isn't it season, it is very difficult to come by fresh fruit! Thankfully, there are several companies such as Goya that sell frozen maracuya puree online or in stores. I've also seen Whole Foods carries frozen cubes as well as juice! I opted for a passion fruit cocktail syrup where the only ingredients were passion fruit and sugar.
- Agave Syrup - This is classic to margaritas but you can also use a 1-to-1 ratio of water to sugar to create a simple syrup. Omit or reduce the amount of syrup if you use a passionfruit syrup or puree with added sugar.
- Tequila - But of course. Use your favorite tequila! I used Casamigos, as an ode to how popular it is in NYC!
- Lime Juice - Adds a bit of freshness and acidity. Use fresh lemon juice or orange juice instead.
For a spicy margarita, here are 3 options you can choose from:
- Chili Lime Salt - Adding a bit of spice to this margarita makes it so so good! I'm obsessed with a spicy rim. Use your favorite chili lime salt like Tajín or make your own at home - it's super easy!
- Jalapeños - I LOVE when the cocktail itself is lightly spicy! Adding a few slices of jalapeño and muddling makes this cocktail especially spicy even without the rim. Remove the seeds for less heat.
- Hot honey - Add a teaspoon of something like Mike's Hot Honey into the shaker in place of the agave for spicy and sweet.
How to Make a Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita
Making a passion fruit margarita truly could not be any easier!
If you're starting with fresh passion fruit while it's in season:
- Cut the passion fruit in half. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon into a blender.
- Blend the pulp from 2 passion fruits with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a bit of water just to get the blender going.
- Strain out the seeds.
- Store the puree in a sanitized mason jar
One passion fruit should provide at least one ounce of pulp to work with.
You can also defrost frozen passion fruit puree, which is much easier to come by or would make a great frozen passion fruit margarita.
Alternatively, you can purchase a passion fruit cocktail syrup from popular companies like Monin and Torani, but the key is to find one where the only ingredients are passion fruit, sugar, and a natural preservative.
- (Optional) Muddle two slices of jalapeño in a shaker.
- Add the passion fruit puree or syrup, agave syrup, tequila, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker. Pour in ice, and then add the cap on to the shaker.
- Give it a vigorous shake for about a minute.
- Serve immediately according to serving instructions below.
Add other complimentary fruit syrups or purees into this margarita like mango, orange, or guava.
How to Serve a Margarita with a Spicy Rim
First, lets make the chili lime salt rim! You can purchase a fancy chili lime salt or Tajín which is easily accessible, but it's also super easy to make at home.
- In a small bowl or plate, add a bit of chili powder, flaky salt, and fresh lime zest. Give it a good mix.
- Rub a lime around the rim so that it's wet.
- Dip the rim into the chili lime salt to fully coat it.
- Fill a rocks glass with ice to the brim.
- Strain the passion fruit margarita into the cup.
- Garnish with a lime slice and a fresh sprig of mint.
If you have fresh passionfruit, add a spoonful of the pulp.
For a Indian Mexican-inspired night, enjoy these spicy passion fruit margaritas with this Cheesy Nachos Chaat. Follow it up with these Vegetarian Bean and Corn Enchiladas. For dessert, you'll love this cozy Masala Chai Tres Leches Cake.
FAQs
You may need to double the recipe to make a spicy passion fruit margarita to fill your glass, or use a smaller rocks glass with a single serving. Shake it for an extra 30 seconds to make it extra cold.
To use fresh passionfruit:
Cut the passion fruit in half. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon into a blender. Blend the pulp from 2 passion fruits with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a bit of water just to get the blender going. Strain out the seeds.
You can also directly scoop the pulp into the shaker but it might be overly tangy.
Yes. If you're making spicy passion fruit margaritas for a party, you can easily scale this recipe using the recipe card for the amount of servings you'd like. Add all of the ingredients with one whole sliced jalapeño into a large pitcher. The jalapeños will infuse over time to make it spicy. Store the pitcher in the refrigerator so it stays cold.
Don't add ice into the pitcher. Add the ice directly into the individually rimmed cups when serving.
Blend everything together using frozen passion fruit puree. Then strain into a cup. If you're using room temperature pulp or syrup, add ½ cup of ice cubes into the blender.
More Cocktails to try
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Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 oz passionfruit syrup, or puree
- ½ oz agave syrup, or simple syrup
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz lime juice, or lemon juice
- ice, as necessary
- 1 teaspoon chili lime salt
- 1-2 slices jalapeños, optional
- mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Rim a rocks glass by rubbing a lime around the top edges. Then dip the top of the glass into a mixture of chili lime salt, such as tajín, or with a mixture of chili powder, coarse salt, and lime zest to coat it.
- Mix the passion fruit syrup, agave syrup, tequila, and lime juice in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for a minute.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with a lime wheel and a fresh sprig of mint.
- Note: To make it especially spicy, muddle 1-2 slices of jalapeños in the shaker before adding the liquids. Alternatively, add a teaspoon of hot honey instead of agave syrup.
Notes
- Blend the pulp from 2 passion fruits with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a bit of water just to get the blender going.
- Strain out the seeds.
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