Kelsey Barnard Clark’s Sparkling Jalapeño Margarita
This easy sipper is the most popular cocktail at KBC, where, much to my chagrin, it is known as “The Kelsey Margarita.” I started making these every Thursday at our Top Chef viewing parties. Each week the restaurant would fill up with excited fans, camera crews, news anchors, and even the mayor, all of whom could watch each episode and simultaneously scrutinize my every reaction as I watched alongside. It was quite the party for them; for me, not so much. I spent the duration of these parties a ball of anxious nerves, just praying they didn’t show the time I fell on my ass, got into a spat with another competitor, cried again, fell on my ass again, spoke out of line, and at least one hundred other less-than-flattering moments that I am obviously not going to make public now. Enter: my Sparkling Jalapeño Margarita. Tequila was needed, sparkling water made the next day a little less painful, and the lack of sugar prevented a hangover.
Makes 4 servings
Photo by Antonis Achilleos
ingredients
3 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper, from about 1 pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¼ tsp freshly grated horseradish
4 ounces agave syrup
8 ounces mezcal tequila
4 ounces fresh lime juice
32 ounces Topo Chico sparkling mineral water
4 tablespoons Tajín Clásico seasoning
method
In a small pitcher, muddle the jalapeño, a pinch of the salt, the horseradish, and agave syrup with a muddler or wooden spoon. Stir in the tequila, lime juice, and mineral water and set aside.
Pour a little water onto a flat plate with a rim. On another plate wider than your glass, mix the Tajín Clásico seasoning with the remaining salt. To coat the rims of the glasses, dip each in water and then in the Tajín mixture. Fill the glasses with ice and pour in the drink mixture. Enjoy immediately.
Reprinted with permission from Southern Grit: 100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook (Chronicle Books, 2021) by Kelsey Barnard Clark. Copyright text and photographs © 2021 by Kelsey Barnard Clark and Antonis Achilleos.
