Summer Cocktails: Jalapeno Margarita

Conner and I have decided to get our act together and put our noses to the grindstone (well, as much as possible in this Texas heat), and have implemented a "no drinking on a school night" policy.  It's an effort to save money and regain some of motivation that is soon lost once the Lone Star beer starts flowing. 

In addition to saving money and regaining our groove, our weekend fun has another nice side effect by helping me to become a better bartender.  I figure if I can only imbibe on the weekends, I shouldn't waste my time and money with sub-par booze; so I pick out one awesome looking beverage per weekend and learn how to make it. 

It all began with this lovely picture I found on Pintrest:

via My Life as a Mrs.

A Chili-Lime Margarita.  It's supposed to raise your internal body temperature so that the outside summertime heat feels like a cool breeze.  At the blog My Life as a Mrs., Kristina has a lovely made-from-scratch recipe for this amazing drink.  I however, fudged and cheated with some store-bought items.  This is my version...

Jalapeno Margarita

2.5 ounces silver tequila, I tried Espolan because it had a pretty label (not very scientific)

1 cap full of Gran Marnier

Margarita mix, I like Tres Agaves

1 jalapeno

keylimes

1. Slice the entire jalapeno and let soak in 1.5 cups of margarita mix for a minimum of 5 minutes.
2. Salt the rim of a glass by running a slice of lime along the rim and dip in salt.  Fill with ice and add tequila, Gran Marnier, and top with margarita mix.  Squeeze 1-2 keylimes and pour a small amount of jalapeno juice into the drink and taste.  The juice gets amazingly hot and a little goes a long way. 
3. After a quick stir, top with another wedge of lime and a jalapeno slice.  Enjoy!  It's awesome.