Name: Say Anything (Spicy Watermelon Tequila Cocktail)
Ingredients: 4 jalapeños; 750 ml blanco tequila (I prefer tequila from the Tequila valley, such as Siembra Valles, Fortaleza, Arette, etc.); 2 cups cubed seedless watermelon; ¾ cup superfine sugar; 1 oz jalapeño-infused Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila (see below); ½ oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça; ½ oz Aperol; 1 oz Watermelon Syrup (see below); ¾ oz lime juice; 5 to 7 mint leaves; Lime wheel for garnish; Salt for garnish

Photo of one of our best tequila cocktails Redcolored color in stemmed cocktail glass with mint leaf garnish

Photo by Shannon Sturgis

I wanted to make the perfect romantic-comedy homage in a drink—a little sweet, a little bitter, and HOT. The inspiration for the Say Anything, a great little summer sipper, came about when I was doing a new menu tasting with the staff at Leyenda. As I was miming the classic moment in the movie of the same name, where John Cusack holds the boombox over his head, I suddenly realized that none of the young staff knew what I was talking about. Oh, youth!

Recipe notes

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