A Margarita "Vaccine" for COVID

I have a solution to the never-ending debate about COVID vaccines – just create an alternative politics-free “vaccine” that doesn’t have to be engineered by pharmaceutical companies or formally approved by the FDA. This treatment to help you weather the COVID crisis uses tequila, administered in the form of a stiff and spicy margarita!

Photo by Laurie Geis

A margarita is a simple drink consisting of tequila, lime and orange liqueur, served with either salt or sugar on the glass rim. But my favorite margaritas are ones that riff off the original recipe to incorporate different fruit juices or purees as well as spices and other interesting flavors.

During the early days of the COVID pandemic, I decided to create my own version of a margarita to help my wife Laurie and I weather the turbulence (financial and otherwise) created by COVID – I call it the Stock Market Meltdown Margarita. At the time, we needed something to help numb us to the daily 1,000-point drops in the stock market (and subsequent hits on our retirement accounts). Now, as the pandemic has continued for a year-and-a-half, we find continued solace in a good stiff and spicy margarita every so often!

This version of the classic margarita has pineapple juice, orange flavored liqueur and a jalapeno simple syrup that adds some heat and spice to the drink. Bottoms up and let me know what you think!

Jalapeno simple syrup recipe

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced with rib and seeds included (omit the seeds and ribs if you want a less spicy syrup)

Combine sugar and water into a medium saucepan and heat on medium high heat, stirring continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Add jalapeno pepper slices, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let steep anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how spicy you want your syrup to be (taste it every 5 minutes or so to ensure you get the level of heat you want). Strain the syrup and discard the jalapenos. Refrigerate remaining jalapeno syrup – it will last for a few weeks.

Stock Market Meltdown Margarita recipe (makes 1 cocktail)

2 oz. tequila (use either Reposado or Anejo tequila – we like Casamigos or Patron tequila)

1 oz. pineapple juice (Dole’s canned pineapple juice works great here)

1 oz. orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier, Triple Sec or Cointreau)

1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice (only fresh squeezed – never bottled!)

1 oz. jalapeno simple syrup (see recipe above)

Kosher salt

Lime wedges for garnish

Salt the rim of a rocks glass by rubbing a quarter lime around the rim and then dip the rim in a small plate of salt. Pour the tequila, pineapple juice, orange liqueur, lime juice and the simple syrup into a shaker. Add ice and shake until frost forms on the shaker, about 20-30 seconds. Strain and pour into the salt-rimmed rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.