Boozy Marinated Shrimp Cocktail. If you want an impressive appetizer for an elegant cocktail party, this recipe for a liqueur marinated shrimp cocktail is perfect to wow your guests. If you also just want a shrimp cocktail recipe that’s delicious you could totally make this for Super Bowl or whatever! Large shrimp get marinated in honey liqueur, jalapeño, and lime and are served with a boozy cocktail sauce that’s kicked up with sriracha. You can leave out the alcohol for the kids and non-drinkers.
This recipe is so simple to make and you can make it fancy or casual just by changing what you serve it in. Marinate the large shrimp tales for about 10-15 minutes before grilling them. The honey cocktail sauce can be made several days ahead to save you time before serving.
Ingredients
Just a few simple ingredients are needed for this shrimp cocktail recipe.
- Large Shrimp – deveined, shelled, with tails still on for easy grabbing.
- Barenjager Honey Liqueur – optional but totally recommend
- Olive oil – for grilling the shrimp
- Lime – freshly squeezed
- Jalapeno – to add some kick, but could be optional
- Cilantro – fresh cilantro for garnish
- Ketchup – the base of the cocktail sauce
- Mayonnaise – to add a touch of creaminess to the cocktail sauce
- Horseradish – cocktail sauce without horseradish is just ketchup – don’t omit this
- Worcestershire sauce – adds some umami
- Sriracha – optional since you’re using jalapeno and horseradish but adds some sweet heat
- Sugar – just a touch to tame the flame
Full recipe card for printing is below.
How to make shrimp cocktail
- Add shrimp, liqueur, olive oil, lime, and jalapeno to a bowl and toss to coat. Allow 10-15 minutes to marinate.
- In a medium bowl add the ketchup, mayo, liqueur, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha, and sugar and stir to combine. Divide between 8 small serving glasses or dishes (or serve in a bowl with shrimp around).
- Grill the shrimp for about 1 minute per side, or until cooked through and pink, no more than 3 minutes. Chill before serving. Arrange 2 shrimp on each of the 8 serving glasses and serve chilled or room temperature. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.
Marinated Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
Shrimp Marinade
- 3 tbsp Barenjager Honey Liqueur, or tequila
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- ½ small jalapeno, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 16 large raw shrimp, tails on, deveined
- chopped cilantro, for garnish
Honey Cocktail Sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- â…› cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Barenjager Honey Liqueur, or tequila
- ¼ tsp sriracha sauce
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and add the shrimp, toss to coat and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the cocktail sauce ingredients to blend. Divide between 8 small serving glasses or dishes (or serve in a bowl with shrimp around).
- Preheat a grill pan over high heat, coat with cooking spray and add the shrimp, shaking off the marinade. Sear for about 1 minute and flip them over. Heat until just cooked through, 3 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before serving. Arrange 2 shrimp on each of the 8 serving glasses and serve chilled or room temperature. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.
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Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!