It's starting to get warmer, and the mornings are beginning to be a little brighter, so that can mean only one thing: SPRING. I'm totally not a winter or cold month person, Spring or Fall weather is where I function best, so bring on the brighter and warmer days ahead! There are a lot of reasons why I like the warmer months too, aside from the weather, and that is having refreshing cocktails with friends. Who doesn't like whipping up a batch of frozen drinks or perfectly shaken margaritas for a girls night watching the sunset at 7pm on a chilly but warm Spring evening? I mean, it's literally perfect.
Cocktails have become one of my favorite things to make, because they're just a lot of fun to create and shoot. There's so many different ways to make a drink, especially a margarita. Of course, there are staple ingredients that go into making the perfect margarita, and we'll go over that here. Ultimately, tequila is the star of the show, but a first cousin of tequila is Mezcal.
Mezcal is considered a distilled drink which comes from the same plant as tequila, the agave plant. However, mezcal differs from tequila because tequila only comes from blue agave plants, whereas mezcal can come from any kind of agave plant. Also to note, mezcal is heated different, which also gives it a rather smoky flavor. You can read more about the history of mezcal here.
When mezcal is used in margaritas or other alcoholic beverages, mezcal adds a whole different flavor profile than traditional tequila. Thus, it can sometimes be a little more potent, and prominent in a drink. It's also really fun to experiment with flavor combinations with mezcal. Case in point: I tried making a pomegranate mezcal margarita and I was completely unhappy with it. It tasted like straight Robitussin and it was awful. I then tried it with this recipe for a tropical version, and it was a huge success!
As we are approaching Spring, I wanted to make a margarita that was refreshing, tasty, and easy on the lips. Combining mezcal with citrus such as pineapple, grapefruit, and lime juice is the ultimate move, and then of course a splash of cointreau can't hurt either. Here's what you'll need:
You'd start by adding a few cubes of ice to a large margarita shaker, this helps everything stay nice and cold. Then, pour in the mezcal, the cointreau, the citrus fruits. Close the lid tot he margarita shaker, and make sure it's closed with the small cap at the spout (message me for the story of when I forgot to put the cap on the margarita lid, and how long it took to make the walls of my then apartment not sticky...). Shake several times to combine all the alcohols and mixers. Pour into your glass of choice: a coupe (round, cup like) or a high ball (typical short glass) is the best in my opinion. Add ice, and top with club soda or fresca, a little sprite would be good here too. Serve either no salt or with a salted rim.
I can guarantee this will be a drink on major rotation this coming summer. It's bright, refreshing, and just tastes really dang delicious.
Get ready for Spring with this refreshing tropical margarita, made with a smoky mezcal. No added simple syrup, all the flavor coming from citrus fruits and a splash of orange liquor. Days are getting longer, and this margarita is awaiting you!
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