These margaritas put a delicious spin on a classic cocktail
These Grilled Mezcal Margaritas are equal parts sweet, tart, and smoky. Honey syrup lends a pleasant sweetness, the grilled lemon juice is tart and complex, and the mezcal adds a boozy smokiness.
These margaritas are easy to make & require only a handful of ingredients!
Our good friends gave us the book The One Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit as a Christmas gift. Let it be known that I am by no means averse to mixing up a somewhat complicated drink. However, it can be a little annoying when all you want is a quick cocktail and don't want to have to drag out every bottle in your bar. This cookbook is great for that reason: you only need a single bottle of booze for every recipe.
Have you ever grilled fruit for a margarita?
One recipe that caught my eye when first flipping through the book was Grilled Margaritas. I love margaritas. You know that if you've spent some time on this blog. First, there were Apple Cider Margaritas (great for Fall!), then Pomegranate Margaritas, and most recently, I showed you Cara Cara Orange Margaritas. Anyway, I thought that a grilled marg could be a fun twist on this already tasty drink.
Mezcal can be an interesting substitute for tequila.
On top of that, I recently picked up a bottle of mezcal that I was eager to play with. If you aren't familiar with it, mezcal is sort of similar to tequila in that they are both distilled from agave. However, mezcal is much smokier than tequila. I've seen the following comparison used to help highlight the difference: mezcal is to tequila as scotch it is to whiskey. Does that make sense?
Given its similarities to tequila, along with the already smoky grilled fruit, mezcal was a logical choice for this margarita. These mezcal margaritas are modified from a recipe found in the cookbook The One Bottle Cocktail.
Not sure where to find mezcal? Or just not interested in leaving your house to find some?
Good news! You can order it online and have it delivered to your house via the company Drizly!
They have a variety of mezcals, which you can check out here.
✨ Recipe
Grilled Mezcal Margaritas
Ingredients
For the honey syrup (makes more than needed)
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup hot water
For the grilled lemon juice and lemon wheels
- 2 lemons halved
- 2 lemon wheels
For the margaritas
- sugar or kosher salt for rimming the glasses
- 2.5 oz grilled lemon juice
- 4 oz mezcal
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1.5 oz honey syrup
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish
Instructions
To make the honey syrup
- Combine the honey and hot water. Whisk to combine.
To make the grilled lemon juice and lemon wheels
- Place the lemon halves, cut side down, on either a grill or a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lemon wheels. Cook until the flesh of the lemons is browned. Set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, juice the grilled lemon halves.
To make the margaritas
- Rim two glasses with sugar or kosher salt, depending upon your preference. Add ice to the glasses. Set aside.
- Add the grilled lemon juice, mezcal, lime juice, and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until very cold. Strain into the prepared glasses.
- Add a grilled lemon wheel to each glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Looking for more margarita recipes?
Of course you are. They're delicious. Check out my Cara Cara Orange Margaritas, Pomegranate Margaritas, and Apple Cider Margaritas for more ideas! OH and check out my Cadillac Margaritas, too!
And while they're not margaritas... these Mexican Moscow Mules are made with tequila. And they're pretty dang good, if I do say so myself.
Dannii
I am so excited for summer time margaritas. These look SO refreshing.
Dannii
I am so excited for summer time margaritas. These look SO refreshing.
Emmeline
Now you're speaking my language!! Love mezcal in cocktails & the grilled lemon is such a great addition!
Andrea Metlika
I've never had Mezcal but I am a fan of Margaritas so am definitely going to try this one.
Andrea Metlika
I've never had Mezcal but I am a fan of Margaritas so am definitely going to try this one.
Mary Bostow
Damn these sound great! I love margaritas and love the idea of the grilled mezcal and lemon, makes me very happy!
Mary Bostow
Damn these sound great! I love margaritas and love the idea of the grilled mezcal and lemon, makes me very happy!
Sues
I've made a grilled grapefruit margarita before and loved it and this looks even more delicious! Those grilled lemon wedges are just gorgeous!! Sign me up for one of these ASAP 🙂
Sues
I've made a grilled grapefruit margarita before and loved it and this looks even more delicious! Those grilled lemon wedges are just gorgeous!! Sign me up for one of these ASAP 🙂
Dylan
Made this Grilled Mezcal Marg yesterday for Easter and it was DELICIOUS! Big hit! I ended up grilling the limes used as well.
laurenpacek
So glad that you liked them! Next time I make them, I'm grilling the limes, too.
Dylan
Made this Grilled Mezcal Marg yesterday for Easter and it was DELICIOUS! Big hit! I ended up grilling the limes used as well.
Matthew Murphy
This is the most delicious cocktail I have ever made. Thank you for this life-changing recipe.
laurenpacek
So glad that you enjoyed it!! Thank you! =)
chelsea
I'm a big lime fan, have you tried this recipes with limes instead of lemons? Or do you think it could work?
laurenpacek
Hey, Chelsea. I haven't tried it with limes, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you do try it out, please let me know how it goes!