smoky pineapple vanilla bean mezcal margaritas

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smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean.  these pineapple mezcal margaritas are seriously easy to make, seriously elegant to serve, & seriously delicious! this Recipe for Later! happy cinco de mayo…
smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |
smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean.  these pineapple mezcal margaritas are seriously easy to make, seriously elegant to serve, & seriously delicious!

happy cinco de mayo week!!!

i’m having such a hard time containing my excitement right now.  i freakin’ love cinco de mayo.  is there anything better than having a legit excuse to eat tacos all day, put guacamole on everything, & drink alllllll of the tequila?!?

answer: no. there isn’t.smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

to me, cinco de mayo marks the official start of summer. it’s summer’s first holiday, & its arrival means that long weekends for memorial day, 4th of july, & lakeside fun are in our very near futures.  plus, cinco de mayo is one of those holidays that’s a pure celebration through food & drinks. it doesn’t get better than that!

& it goes without saying…mexican food is my favorite. guacamole is DEFINITELY my favorite. & margaritas? you guessed it. favesies. 

yup.  margaritas are 100%, absolutely, hands down, my favorite cocktail. smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

i’ve loved margaritas for just about as long as i can remember.  back in high school i snuck my first alcoholic drink at an older cousin’s wedding (i know, bamf) & it was totally one of those super sweet frozen strawberry margaritas.

as an undergrad in milwaukee, my girlfriends & i would save up all of our bar money to shuttle downtown to a kiiiind of sketchy mexican restaurant, la perla, where we’d buy pitchers of cheap margaritas in every color & flavor imaginable & have the time of our lives. 

these days, i like to stick with a paloma or a pretty classic margarita.  good tequila, good triple sec, lots of lime, & lots of salt, on the rocks.  they’re easy enough to whip together when we get home from work on a friday afternoon & need something to help celebrate the weekend’s arrival. 

in the name of cinco de mayo, though, i wanted to switch things up & give you something something a little more special.  we’re celebrating after all!

pineapple mezcal margaritas are the perfect way to step up your margarita game!smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

if you haven’t ventured into giving mezcal a try yet, you totally should. 

i like to think of mezcal as tequila’s super cool cousin.  without getting too technical about it, mezcal is made with largely the same ingredients of tequila, but uses agave that’s first been barbecued in pits in the ground.  this imparts a rich, smoky flavor into mezcal & makes it really fun to play around with in cocktails at home. smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

because the smokiness of mezcal can be pretty intense, i knew i wanted to balance it out with some good, fruity sweetness.  natural pineapple juice does just the trick. 

from here, pineapple mezcal margaritas are similar to make as an ordinary margarita.  you combine the smoky mezcal with sweet pineapple juice, a little triple sec, & lots of fresh squeezed lime juice. 

smoky. sweet. tart. mmm…
smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

again, in the name of stepping things up for cinco de mayo, i shook the pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean ice before serving.  it sounds super fancy, but vanilla bean ice is beyond simple to make.  you let a vanilla bean infuse in water overnight, before placing the water in an ice cube tray & freezing.  that’s it!smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

you could totally omit this step, but i really love the vanilla here.  it adds another layer of subtle sweetness to these pineapple mezcal margaritas.  vanilla is also a natural pair for mezcal’s rich, smokiness.

plus, it creates the most beautiful speckled vanilla bean froth & the aroma is AMAZING. smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

see those vanilla bean specks? so beautiful! so tasty! #dying. 

what are ya waiting for?  go grab yourself a bottle of mezcal, get some vanilla ice going in the freezer, invite some friends over (& tell them to bring the guac), & whip up a batch of smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas!smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

salud!

check out the recipe for these pineapple mezcal margaritas below & tell me…what’s your favorite margarita!?!  have you ever tried mezcal?  what are your plans for cinco de mayo this year?  let me know in the comments below…i’d obviously love to chat!! xx

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pineapple mezcal margaritas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 3 reviews

Description

smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 oz mezcal
  • 3 oz pineapple juice
  • 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz triple sec
  • vanilla bean ice, for shaking (optional)

for the vanilla bean ice

  • 1 vanilla bean, split & seeded
  • 2 C water

Instructions

(optional) make vanilla bean ice

  1. slice a vanilla bean lengthwise & remove its beans with the back of a knife. place the pod & beans into a jar or glass with 2 C of water & allow the vanilla & water to infuse at room temperature overnight, or at least 6 hours prior to freezing.
  2. transfer the vanilla water to an ice cube tray & freeze.

make a pineapple mezcal margarita

  1. combine the mezcal, pineapple juice, lime juice, & triple sec into a cocktail shaker over vanilla bean ice.
  2. shake vigorously & serve garnished with a wedge or chunk of pineapple.
  3. cheers!

smoky pineapple mezcal margaritas with vanilla bean are the perfect fun cocktail to celebrate cinco de mayo! the smoke & bite of good mezcal is balanced with the natural sweetness of pineapple juice & vanilla bean. | cinco de mayo party, margarita recipe, mezcal, easy cocktail recipe, cocktail, summer drink, party drink |

 

Hi there, I'm Jess!

If there’s 1 thing to know about me, it’s this: I am head-over-heels in love with food. I’m on a mission to make weeknight cooking flavorful, fast, & fun for other foodies, & PWWB is where I share foolproof recipes that deliver major flavor with minimal effort. Other true loves: pretty shoes, puppies, Grey’s Anatomy, & my cozy kitchen in Minneapolis, MN.

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Comments

  1. 4.28.23
    Rebecca Brearey said:

    I don’t normally post things like this but this was one of the best drinks I have ever made myself! I wasn’t sure if the vanilla bean ice thing would work but when you shake the cubes it all gets blended together and they rise to the stop like in the pic. The combination was amazing! I used one of my absolute favorite smoky mezcals xicaru silver! This will be my go to for cinco de mayo next weekend. I had to test it out first! Thank you!






    • 5.1.23
      Emma @ Plays Well With Butter said:

      We’re so glad to hear that you loved the margaritas, Rebecca!! Cheers!!

  2. 3.7.22
    Sherri said:

    I love mezcal and vanilla. However, the finished drink was a tad too tart, and not quite enough vanilla cake through. I think it would be perfect with a tiny bit of vanilla simple syrup.






    • 3.8.22
      Erin @ Plays Well With Butter said:

      Hi Sherri! So glad to hear that you gave this one a try, always grateful for feedback. If you give it a try again with a vanilla simple syrup be sure to let us know how you like it!

  3. 4.5.21
    Kelly S said:

    Please tell me where these glasses are from 😍😍

    • 5.4.21

      Hey Kelly! They’re the Edge Wine Glasses from Crate & Barrel – you can find them HERE! Happy shopping! xx

  4. 5.9.17

    If I weren’t super preggo, I’d be sipping one of these right this very second – they sound SOOOOOO friggin good. Give me 6 weeks and I’ll be enjoying these all summer long!

  5. 5.8.17
    thalia said:

    oh my gosh!!! these mezcal margaritas look amazing.. i’m so craving one right now. i love the vibrant colour so much. Xx

  6. 5.4.17

    These look soooo good! Can’t wait to try this!

  7. 5.3.17

    Holy cannoli!!! That vanilla bean ice is to die for. I cannot wait to make it and I love the speckled appearance it lends to this gorgeous cocktail. P.S. A couple of these & chips and guacamole and I’m pretty sure I’m in heaven.

    • 12.30.21
      Erick said:

      Brilliant recipe. So…do you NOT fine- strain the shaken drink upon pouring, as is usually done, in order to leave the vanilla speckles in the final drink? In that case, the drink will also come out full of a bunch of crushed ice bits as well, which seems unusual. Is that what you’re going for?






      • 12.30.21
        Erin @ Plays Well With Butter said:

        Hi Erick! As written, this margarita recipe is meant to be served “on the rocks” style over pre-made vanilla bean ice cubes. The only portion that is shaken is the mezcal, pineapple juice, lime juice & triple sec so there’s really no need to strain unless you do add additional vanilla bean ice (optional) for shaking – in which case you can certainly strain if you’d like!

  8. 5.2.17

    Just wow!! Can I come to your Cinco de Mayo party? These sound divine!!! I love that you used vanilla ice (I am so doing that right this second) and now I absolutely need to try mezcal!!

  9. 5.2.17

    Um yes please! these look uh-amazing and the vanilla bean ice cubes sound so good! This is making me SO excited for Summer and for Cinco de Mayo!

  10. 5.2.17

    OMG!!! I’m obsessed!! These look to die for. And vanilla bean ice cubes?? Amazing idea. I literally read this while waiting for an insurance appt and stopped for mezcal on the way home, only for the place to have discontinued selling it! So, I’m on a mission now. We are in a smaller town that doesn’t always carry these things so I may have to drive out! Oddly, I’ve never had mezcal before. But after reading your post, I know it’s a must because you obviously love Mexican food and drink as much as I do so I completely trust your judgement! XO

  11. 5.2.17

    ohhhhh my gosh, LA PERLA. so many nights at la perla 🙂 these looks phenomenal and I love the idea of the vanilla bean ice… how do you come up with this?!

  12. 5.2.17

    These look absolutely amazing. We have been into tequila lately but now inspired to try some Mezcal. Cheers!