Skinny Smoked Jalapeno Margarita

Serves: 2 

For the Drink:

• 1 jalapeno
• 2 tablespoons smoked salt, such as Bourbon Barrel Foods Smoked Sea Salt
• 4 fluid ounces silver tequila
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup
• Juice of 2 large limes, plus an additional lime, cut into wedges, as a garnish
• 12 fluid ounces lime-flavored sparkling water

PREPARATION: Set the smoker to 250 degrees. Place the whole jalapeno on the grate and smoke for 1 hour. (You can smoke many jalapenos at once if you’d like to make multiple cocktails.)

Once cooled, deseed and finely chop the jalapeno. Spread the salt in a shallow bowl. In a cocktail shaker with strainer, combine the jalapeno, tequila, agave syrup, lime juice and some ice. Shake profusely to help dissolve the agave syrup and disperse the smoky flavor.

Wet the rims of two highball glasses with a wet paper towel and then dip the glasses into salt. Fill with ice and strain the margarita evenly into each glass. Add lime-flavored sparkling water until they are filled to the top. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Note: While I recommend smoking the jalapeno at 250 degrees with pecan or oak wood, it’s OK to use another kind of wood or a slightly different temperature if you’d like to do this while you smoke something else—like the fish dip!

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