Martha Stewart has an entire catalog of custom recipes that delight and amaze. From elegant dinners to eclectic holiday menus, she's got something for just about everyone. But what about the perfect summer cocktail? You may be surprised to learn that Martha's got you covered on that front, too. And while the summer is drawing to a swift close, there's still plenty of time to heat things up in the realm of super-sizzling cocktails.
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If you love margaritas, you'll be thrilled to know that Stewart's done it again. This time, she's taken a beloved stand-by that we typically know by its propensity to appear as a 99-cent option at casual restaurants and given it a much-needed kick. As one of her most recent posts to Instagram, Stewart took the margarita and turned the heat up more than just a few notches...with a serrano chili.
"This smoky serrano-mint margarita recipe makes enough for two and only takes 15 minutes to make," she wrote. "A charred serrano chile is muddled with sugar and fresh mint before being mixed with the margarita trifecta: tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice."
Looking for a chill way to up the ante with your next home cocktail party? Or just want to add a kick to your favorite margarita-making repertoire? Here's how Martha does it, from top to bottom. Be sure you grab some serrano chiles the next time you head out for groceries.
How to Make Martha Stewart's Smoky Serrano-Mint Margarita
First, you're going to need to take your serrano chile and heat it over a gas flame or in a dry cast-iron skillet, pre-heated to high. It needs to be absolutely toasty, so give it 3 to 4 minutes before removing it from the heat source. Let it cool before taking it to a cutting board, and then have it chill out a bit. You'll get back to it.
In the meantime, take a lime wheel and rub it around the rims of two glasses. Take your salt and sumac and combine it on one plate before dipping your glass rims into the mixture. By this time, your chile should be cooled. You're going to want to halve it lengthwise, all the while removing its stem, seeds, and other innards.
Now it's time to take your chile, sugar, and mint leaves and divide them up between two glasses. Grab a muddling stick and pound your mixture until the sugar has dissolved and your chile is only in a few small pieces. Take some ice and fill both glasses halfway. Add your tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur in equal parts between both glasses. Martha has a tip to make your margarita even smokier. Swap your tequila for mezcal if you'd like to change the flavor to be a bit more intense.
Stir all ingredients in both glasses. Take a sprig of mint and lime wheel to garnish both glasses, then serve immediately for a splash of heat and a cooling sensation all at once. This margarita is unlike anything you've ever had before. And while it's great for an end-of-summer bash, this kind of heat can take you right into fall and winter for sure, without any alterations to the recipe.
Whether you enjoy it in small modest sips or down it in just a few gulps, you'll be looking at a refreshing mix of temperatures and two kinds of different spicy sensations. Now that's a lot cooler than your run-of-the-mill margarita, wouldn't you say?
