It’s been years since I’ve had a drink of alcohol, but I still find the world of mixology fascinating and I love to shake up drinks whenever I can for my friends and family. My go-to party trick is to whip up a pitcher of Ina Garten’s summer rosé sangria and I’m also known for making a mean watermelon margarita.
I really love to entertain, but because I don’t drink, I have a hard time justifying the need to buy specialty ingredients just to make a “good” cocktail. Funny enough, the times when people have praised my cocktails the most, all I did was make something up using what I already had on hand.
It was something I always have on hand: a jar of kimchi. If you love spicy fermented foods, I’m sure you feel the same. And it turns out the Korean pickle is the ingredient you need to take your margarita to the next level.
Related: I Tried 10 Store-Bought Margarita Mixes and the Winner Tastes Almost Homemade
@logagm Kimchi margaritas 😶
♬ original sound – Logan
Content creator and 2024’s cucumber salad king Logan Moffitt @logagam shared his kimchi margarita recipe and it’s a game-changer. The content creator follows a pretty traditional recipe for a margarita (tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, agave) but he adds in kimchi and kimchi juice to give the drink a kick. To gild the lily, Logan coats the rim of his cocktail glass with gochugaru, or Korean chili powder, for an extra bit of red hot spice and flair.
This bold red cocktail, which only calls for a few ingredients, looks like the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Logan isn’t Korean by ethnicity, but he has lived in Korea, he always eats and cooks Korean food and it’s clear that his passion for Korean food has no limits.
The zesty drink definitely got the online crowd talking. “This got me thinking how good a kimchi Caesar would be. Or a kimchi dirty martini,” replied one commenter on Logan’s TikTok. “Y’all are crazy. Spicy margaritas work – so why wouldn’t kimchi? Kimchi is an EXPLOSION of flavor. I’ve made kimchi bloody mary’s before and they are bomb,” said another fan coming to Logan’s defense of his kimchi marg. One person simply just said, “kimchi Michelada,” proving once again that kimchi belongs in all sorts of cocktails.
Related: The Korean Way To Make Iced Coffee Taste 10x Better
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How to Make a Kimchi Margarita
To make this cocktail, add a generous amount of gochugaru to a plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a cocktail glass, then dip the rim in the gochugaru. In a shaker full of ice, add tequila, orange liqueur (like Cointreau), finely chopped kimchi plus the kimchi juice, a squeeze of lime and some agave. Shake and strain into the prepared glass.
If you dare to be bold this summer, this is the cocktail for you.
Related: The Clever Margarita Trick We Just Learned from Chef Jamie Oliver
