Grapefruit Margaritas with Jalapeños and Lime

These grapefruit margaritas are a refreshing balance of fresh, tart, sweet, and salty, with a mild jalapeño kick that goes down easy.

Slightly Spicy, Super Refreshing Grapefruit Margaritas

Even though margaritas are one of those drinks with an endless number of possible variations, I generally prefer a simple mix of nothing more than tequila, triple sec or cointreau, lime juice, and salt.

But, this grapefruit version is delivering some serious competition to the classic margs I usually go for.

• They are tart, but with just enough sweet to keep it on the "non" side of the pucker line.
• Rather than the traditional orange liquor, these margaritas call for orange juice. Using juice instead of liquor creates a balanced drink that's tequila forward without being overly boozy.
• A few slices of muddled jalapeño gives these a nice kick without setting your mouth on fire. Heat is a wonderful compliment to sour, somehow managing to make sour flavors brighter while rounding out their rough edges.
• Salt is the perfect complement to everything. It reduces bitterness, while pushing the sweet and sour elements in this drink forward on your tongue. Salt is kind of like a great frame - you might have a fantastic photo, but the right frame can make it even more so. For grapefruit margaritas, you can either coat the rim of the glass with some coarse salt, or (my preference) stir a pinch directly into the drink.
• They include the option of adding club soda - as much or as little as you like, or none at all. If you like your margaritas strong, don't add any. If you want a more mild flavor, or just want to leisurely sip your drink for as long of a time as possible, add some club soda.

Should You Use Fresh Squeezed or Bottled Juice in These Margaritas?

IF you currently have access to flavorful, ripe, juicy fruit, then fresh squeezed is the way to go.

At the moment, I've been getting really good oranges at the store, but the grapefruit is dry and flavorless. So, the last couple of times that I've made these, I reached for a bottle of grapefruit juice instead of juicing a fresh grapefruit.

The bottom line with adding juice to drinks is that you simply want to use good juice. If you have good fruit, use that. If you don't pick up a bottle from a brand you trust to be high quality 100% juice with no sugar added.

Yes. This recipe calls for Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. 

I know there are a lot of people who don't like Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. (For my whole diatribe about why I think the haters should just relax, click over to this recipe for Pomegranate Margaritas.) Most people don't like it because it contains corn syrup. I have two things to say about that:

1. There's only 1.5 ounces of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial per drink in this recipe, which is hardly anything to be too alarmed about.
2. Only the Rose's Lime Juice that's made in the USA includes corn syrup. The UK and Canadian versions are made with real sugar. Thanks to the wonders of online shopping, you can easily get your hands on the sugar-made version by ordering it online: Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial.

Substitutions for Rose's Lime Juice Cordial:

If you don’t really want to bother with Rose’s Lime Juice at all, no worries. Whipping up a batch of homemade lime cordial is super easy: 

1. Add 1 cup (250g) sugar, 8oz water, 2oz lime juice, 2oz lime peel, and 1oz citric acid in a blender.
2. Blend for about 30 seconds, strain, bottle and refrigerate.

You can also just skip it altogether and increase the amount of fresh lime juice and add a few ounces of simple syrup.

How to Choose a Good Tequila for Margaritas

I am not a tequila contour. Far, far from it. But, I can tell you this for sure: When purchasing tequila always choose one that's 100% agave.

Tequila that says it's 100% agave contains agave and nothing else. If the bottle doesn't say 100% agave, it can contain up to 49% non-agave ingredients. "Other" ingredients usually means sugar cane and other distilleries, but probably also means artifical flavorings and colors.

You know those bottles of "gold" tequila? Agave doesn't give it that color.

Tequila producers are not required to tell you what they use in addition to agave, so you're never really going to know what's in that bottle.

The bottom line: stick to 100% agave tequila.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment, or take a picture and tag it @alittleandalot on Instagram.