The Spicy Mexican Mule

I love anything spicy, and that includes cocktails. But a little bit of spice goes a long way – you want to “feel the burn” but not feel the need to gulp down a tall cold glass of milk to numb the spice. My latest concoction is called the Spicy Mexican Mule, and it’s destined to become a favorite in our household Here’s how to make it!

Peruse a cocktail menu at any upscale restaurant and you are guaranteed to find at least one, and often multiple spicy cocktails on the specialties list. I’m drawn to these libations because I love the synergy of the burn of the alcohol, the heat of the spice component (whether it be from a spicy liquor or an infused simple syrup), and the counterpoint of the sweet components of the drink along with the ice.

It almost always comes together in a nicely balanced fashion when left in the hands of a master mixologist. But sometimes, the heat overwhelms the cocktail and what should be a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink turns into a “beat the heat” exercise that leaves you sweating and parched. So having tasted multiple spicy cocktails over the past year, I decided to create my own that showcases the spicy side of the drink, but that also provides a balanced, refreshing cocktail with sophisticated flavors that play nicely with and complement each other.

I always start with the liquor. For my riff on the classic Moscow Mule (which includes vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice usually served in a copper mug filled with ice), I decided to head south of the border and create a Mexican-inspired mule. That means tequila instead of vodka. For the spicy heat, I turned to a habanero-infused tequila that really amps up the heat. Tanteo makes some of the best infused tequilas around, and they have a number of pepper-infused tequilas that bring differing levels of heat to the table – their habanero-infused tequila is the spiciest, so I went with that. It’s a rich and full-bodied Blanco tequila with bright citrus notes and nice heat and spice on the finish. You definitely feel the burn with this one!

To enhance the complexity of the drink, I decided to add a bit of smoke courtesy of Mezcal, which is a liquor made from agave plants that is roasted in the ground to give it a smoky character (Note: this description of Mezcal is very simplistic and doesn’t reflect all the different styles of Mezcal that are available – in a future post we’ll do a deep dive on Mezcal and Tequila, which is a type of Mezcal).

Next up is ginger beer which adds another level of heat into the mix, but also a bit of sweetness and freshness thanks to the carbonation. Ginger beer comes in many different styles – some are “dry” with moderate heat thanks to the ginger, while others are more mellow and sweeter – I like the latter for this drink. Finish off with a bit of lime and a hit of agave syrup and you have a spicy, smoky, and sweet drink that’s sure to please any time of the year! Give this one a try and let me know what you think!

Spicy Mexican Mule (makes 1 cocktail)

This spicy version of the classic Moscow Mule brings a bit of heat, smoke, and sweetness into the mix, making for a complex yet refreshing cocktail that remains true to the original. You can play around with the heat level to determine whether you like more or less heat by changing the mix of pepper-infused vodka and Mezcal.

Ingredients

1 oz. habanero or jalapeno-infused vodka (I like Tanteo’s Habanero-infused Blanco Tequila)

1 oz. Mezcal (my favorite is Casamigos – pricy but definitely worth it!)

1.5 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

½ oz. agave syrup

5-6 oz. ginger beer (you can’t go wrong with either Fever Tree or Betty Buzz)

Lime wheel for garnish

Directions

Combine the tequila, Mezcal, lime juice, and agave syrup into a copper mug and stir to combine. Fill the mug with ice. Add the ginger beer and garnish with lime wheel.