When the folks at Simple Times Mixers out of Columbus, Ohio approached me about reviewing their new Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita Mixer, I was excited at the chance to explore a new product and, as I always say, “play with your food”!

They sent 2 very cool glass, recyclable quart jars of their new Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita mixer, and immediately, Robbie (my better half that encourages me in all things fine and fiery) and I quickly took a taste! First impressions?  The flavors were clean and well, simple. And being all natural with a juice base and limited ingredients, there’s no artificial aftertastes that makes you kind of smack your lips and wonder what tastes a little weird!

I found the mixer very pineapple forward, as expected, but with a  nice lime citrus note with just a hint of jalapeno.  It wasn’t overly sweet, so their use of the organic cane sugar was judicious. I found the jalapeno very subtle and not really spicy, but here’s the not so simple part; Robbie found it very jalapeno forward with a nice spice.  And so did our professional sommelier son and our other very wine and spirits savvy son and daughter-in-law. They have VERY sophisticated palates, but they’re not the true heat loving chilehead I am. So it may be simple in ingredients , but the flavors spoke to them individually according to their taste buds and sensitivities!

Using their suggestion card included with the mixer, we made a mocktail, a cocktail, a sparkling and, to try something a bit different, used it as the base for a margarita cake! Yes, a cake!  More on that in a minute.

Mocktail – All we had was sparkling mineral water on hand, and not club soda.  It stayed true to flavor with a little touch of fizz from the water.  It didn’t do a whole lot for me but, if you’re not a drinker, you’d still enjoy it given the quality and balance of ingredients.

Sparkling – We did 2 sparklings. The first was a 50/50 mix of Simple Times and a light, sparkling orange wine. The sparkling orange definitely added a nice, fun, fruity element, and the alcohol and bubbles definitely made it pop and balanced the flavors. With something like this, think pool or beachside, or a nice, summer picnic on the lake!

The second sparkling was  50/50 with an Italian Prosecco.  The result was a crisp, refreshing, flavorful drink where we thought the glera grape used in the wine subdued the pineapple and brought out more of the lime and spicy jalapeno notes. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. This would be excellent as the starter for a taco Tuesday or fajita Friday!

Cocktail – Okay, here’s the main event, right? When you buy a margarita mixer, what are you usually making? A Margarita, duh!  We chose a light, blanco style tequila and used a lightly salt rimmed glass and for a Texas twist, a Tajin (a Mexican, citrusy spice) rimmed glass.  And Simple Times did not disappoint. The flavors blended beautifully and presented a balanced, nuanced margarita with a light spice and, with no artificial ingredients in the mixer, there was nothing but love in the glass.

The icing on the cake (pun definitely intended) was using the mixer in a light margarita cake that we took to a pot luck dinner. It added some fun tropical flavor with the pineapple, and the spice from the jalapeno was subtle and in the background. The citrusy lime note was enhanced by some fresh lime zest and juice that made the pineapple more of a “zingy”, support player! The cake got a thumbs up from the pot luck crowd, so winner winner Simple Times dinner! Robbie and I both said we would enjoy trying it as a marinade, sorbet, etc etc, but alas, we had already used most of it experimenting!

So there you have it! Bottom line: Simple Times Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita Mixer is a tasty, flavorful, versatile choice for much more than just a margarita! And for the chileheads out there, it may not be the spiciest thing you drink or eat with, but we all say it’s more about the flavor than the heat….right?! So go to simpletimesmixers.com , check out @simpletimesmixers on FaceBook or Instagram, order some for yourself, and tell them we sent you. Why? Because we all know, ladies and gentlemen, that It’s a Fiery World!