Why You Need To Incorporate Hot Honey Into Your Next Margarita

Margaritas are the classic warm-weather cocktail that conjures up images of beach fronts and poolsides — and icy glasses with salty rims. When mixing your next tipple, regardless of season or setting, consider that the heat can also come from within the glass.

Most margarita recipes call for agave, a sweetening agent native to parts of the Americas. Particularly in Mexico, it's put to work in the most iconic beverages associated with the country. There are several differences between honey and agave in how they're processed and their chemical composition. However, they're close enough as ingredients that it is possible to swap honey for agave in a margarita recipe.

While it's not uncommon to find margaritas kicked up with peppers like habaneros and jalapenos, hot honey is a sneaky way to spice up your drink without having to include additional ingredients. To make themargarita, you only need a quality tequila of your choice and an orange liqueur like Cointreau or Triple Sec, and fresh lime. Hot honey is pretty widely available in supermarkets these days, but if you don't have a commercial brand on hand, you can make your own at home with a combination of honey, peppers, and vinegar.

Spicy margaritas have become a staple on bar menus in the last few decades, and there's good reason for their wild popularity. The drink's natural sweet and sour profile welcomes spice as a balancing element that pushes it into savory territory. With the citrus component for acid and salt on the rim, the spicy margarita ignites just about all of our flavor receptors and keeps us begging for another sip.

Beyond the twist that hot honey brings to your margarita, you can find many ways to customize it for any occasion, mood, or company. Herbs, like mint, rosemary, and sage, give your cocktail a compelling flavor boost, while fresh fruits like blood orange, passion fruit, mango, and even cucumber can add brightness and flair.

Using mezcal in place of tequila makes for a smokey, spicy profile that works especially well. If you really want to bring the heat, add a little Ancho Reyes (a liqueur infused with chilis), or test your threshold by substituting a spicy tequila. Or go wild with a chili rim for a colorful finishing touch. If you're fearful about the burn for yourself or your friends, try converting your hot honey concoction into a frozen margarita with the aid of a blender and some ice.

Hot honey is an ideal ingredient for many dishes and drinks. The inherent sweetness combined with the pepper kick and a bit of acidic vinegar complements and contrasts all at once. Try a spicy spin on the bee's knees or double down on heat with a spicy hot toddy. 

Beyond cocktails, hot honey has found its way into many culinary favorites. Try it on fried chicken and waffles, flapjacks with fruit, buttery biscuits, eggs, pizza, and even coffee drinks. Desserts like ice cream will never be the same when drizzled with this stuff.

A versatile flavor bomb, hot honey also has plenty of health benefits. There are a whole host of good things that come from consuming this tasty condiment. The combination of capsaicin and honey is a superfood one-two punch that can help with everything from digestion and gut health to helping to reduce blood pressure, not to mention soothe a sore throat and relieve congestion.