New Mexico Hatch green chili season margarita

When I was in grad school at UT Austin, I did an internship in the fall of 1995 in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Sandia Labs. I really fell in love with the high desert -- the stark landscape, the mountains, the high-altitude air. But more importantly, the food ... chiles, to be specific. New Mexican cuisine differs from Tex Mex or other regional Mexican food, mainly in the use of green and red chiles. They impart a unique flavor to dishes like enchiladas, carne adovada (pork stewed in red chile), etc. A common question in New Mexico that waiters ask restaurant patrons is, "red or green?" referring to which type of chiles they want on their food. The best green chile comes from Hatch, NM.

This flavor used to be very hard to find outside of New Mexico, and I was a little out of luck trying to find that flavor in Austin up until a few years ago. Now, the great flavor of these chiles has caught on and you can find them in a few places. The best time to get them in Austin is right after they're harvested in New Mexico, when a few groceries and restaurants have a "Hatch Green Chile Festival". Our local "Central Market" roasts green chiles for a couple of weeks, and a local Tex Mex restaurant, Chuy's, also features lots of Hatch green chile items.

Last year, my wife's uncle Stephen told me he had tried infusing tequila with a jalapeno he smoked (making his own chipotle). That had come out really well, so I thought I'd try it with green chile. So a few days ago I got some roasted chilis from Central Market and tried it out myself on a bottle of Hornitos. Man, it is really good!

Hatch Green Chili Margarita

1 roasted Hatch green chile, peeled and de-seeded
1 bottle Sauza Hornitos tequila (or other 100% agave tequila that you like for margaritas)
Put one peeled and de-seeded roasted Hatch green chile in the bottle of tequila and let sit overnight ... maybe give it a couple of periodic shakes to agitate the chile.

In a shaker with lots of fresh ice, combine:
2 oz infused tequila
1 oz Cointreau
Juice of 1/2 to 1 fresh lime
1-2 tsp simple syrup (more or less as desired to taste)

Shake and strain into chilled martini glass (if desired straight) or over margarita glass with frsh ice in it (on the rocks).

Simple syrup is 1 part sugar to 1 part water in a saucepan, heat to boiling, stir to dissolve, cool then store in container in refrigerator.