“Little Coyote is Chef Erik Niel’s love letter to smoked meats and fresh tortillas. Inspired by his Texas roots and fired by a wood pit that never quits, we’re serving low-and-slow Chattanooga smoked BBQ with serious flavor in the heart of St. Elmo, Chattanooga TN.
The tortillas are house-made. The meats are mouthwatering. The drinks are cold. Come hang.“
Chattanooga’s Little Coyote, 2025 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recipient, is home to delicious smoked meats and house made tortillas, and they also make a rocking house marg. Here is my take, using the same ingredients as Little Coyote, on a Margarita. This is a delicious, savory twist on a the classic Margarita. The addition of Nixta (a premium Mexican corn liqueur) adds a toasted, nutty sweetness, while Ancho Reyes Verde provides a bright, herbal poblano heat. Let’s get started!
How to Make Little Coyote’s Margarita Chattanooga, Tennessee
Prep time: 3 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Blanco or Reposado Tequila
- 0.5 oz Nixta Corn Liqueur
- 0.5 oz Ancho Reyes Verde Chile Liqueur
- 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- Pinch of Sea Salt (or a salt rim, which is my favorite)
- Optional: 0.25 oz Agave nectar (see note)*
Instructions
- Prep the Glass: If you like a salted rim, run a lime wedge around the edge of a rocks glass and dip it into coarse salt (Little Coyote does a half-salted rim, in a crescent moon shape, but you can salt the full rim if you prefer).
- Fill the glass with fresh ice.
- Combine: Add the tequila, Nixta, Ancho Reyes Verde, lime juice, and a pinch of salt into a cocktail shaker.
- Chill: Fill the shaker atop your ingredients with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously for about 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty.
- Strain: Double strain (using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh strainer) into your prepared rocks glass.
- Garnish: A fresh lime wedge.
Notes
Sweetness: Nixta is pretty sweet. Because of this, you usually don’t need additional simple syrup or agave, but if the drink feels too tart for you, feel free to add agave in very small increments (1/4 oz).
Salt in the Shaker: Adding a tiny pinch of salt directly into the cocktail shaker (in addition to or instead of the rim) can help the savory corn and poblano flavors pop!
