Cinco de mayo – a date to commemorate the Mexican army’s defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 – is, here in the States, more commonly used as an opportunity to visit your favorite Mexican restaurant and indulge in chips, salsa, and – of course – margaritas.
To help you celebrate this year, we’ve collected five margarita recipes to mix things up from the standard version. Not that there’s anything wrong with the original – we just want you to have some options.
¡Salud!
1. Strawberry Sriracha Margarita
Recipe from Food.com
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
· 2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
· ½ cup tequila
· ¼ cup Cointreau (or other orange flavored liquor)
· 1 Tablespoon agave nectar
· ½ teaspoon Sriracha
· 2 cups ice
· Sugar for rimming glasses
Directions:
· Rim two margarita glasses with sugar and set aside
· Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
· Pour into sugar-rimmed margarita glasses
2. Chipotle Grapefruit Margarita
Recipe from Cooking Channel
Serves: 1
Ingredients (for the chipotle salt):
· 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
Ingredients (for the margarita):
· 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
· 2 ounces silver tequila
· 1 ounce orange liqueur
· 1 small pinch chipotle powder
· 2 grapefruit wedges
Directions (for the chipotle salt):
· Mix together the salt and chipotle powder on a plate
· Moisten the rim of a chilled rocks glass with a grapefruit wedge
· Press rim into the chipotle salt
· Set prepared glass aside
Directions (for the margarita):
· Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
· Add the grapefruit juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and chipotle powder
· Cover and shake until mixed and chilled (about 30 seconds)
· Strain the margarita into the prepared glass
· Garnish with the remaining grapefruit wedge
3. Blueberry Margarita
Recipe from Food & Wine
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
· ¼ cup fresh blueberries
· 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) fresh lime juice
· 4 ounces (1/2 cup) reposado or añejo tequila
· 1 ½ ounces (3 Tablespoons) simple syrup
· A few dashes of orange bitters
· Ice
· Lime wedges
· Kosher or sea salt for rimming the glasses
Directions:
· Rub the rims of two rocks or margarita glasses with a lime wedge
· Swirl the rims through a small pile of kosher or sea salt to rim them.
· Add ice cubes to the prepared glasses
· In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lime juice & blueberries until pulverized
· Add the tequila, simple syrup, bitters, and a handful of ice to the shaker
· Add a leftover rind or two from the limes
· Shake vigorously for 15 seconds, then strain into salted glasses
4. Tangerine Ginger Margarita
Recipe from Serious Eats
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
· 4 slices fresh ginger, each ¼-inch thick
· 2 slices tangerine, each ½-inch thick
· 1 ½ ounces tequila blanco
· 1 ounce simple syrup
· 1 ounce freshly squeeze lime juice
· 2 ounces pomegranate juice
· Optional garnish: pomegranate seeds
Directions:
· In a cocktail shaker, crush the ginger with a muddler
· Add tangerine slices and muddle further
· Top with ice, tequila, simple syrup, lime juice, and pomegranate juice
· Cover tightly and shake for 15 seconds
· Strain into a martini glass
· Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds, if desired
5. Prickly Pear Margarita
Recipe from Food Network
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
· 3 ounces tequila blanco
· ½ ounce Cointreau
· 1 ½ ounces lime juice
· 2 ounces prickly pear syrup
· Kosher salt and turbinado syrup, for garnishing the glass
· Kumquats and lime peels for garnish
Directions:
· Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and pear syrup in a cocktail shaker
· Shake vigorously to incorporate
· Wet the rim of a margarita glass and dip into salt and sugar mixture
· Pour margarita into glass over ice
· Garnish with a kumquat and a curled piece of lime peel