Looking for a twist on a classic Margarita for Cinco de Mayo? Ed and I find that the best margarita is one that’s made with good tequila and and fresh ingredients. We learned this long ago after mastering a recipe that didn’t quite fit this criteria.
Fortunately there are a lot of good tequilas from which to choose. My mother lived in Mexico for a while. I recall visiting her with a plan to bring back some tequila. We decided it was best to purchase it at the airport on my way home after I’d gone through security. Lucky for me I found an entire store that only sold tequila. I was in Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco – the home of tequila so this wasn’t too surprising. But was I overwhelmed! Imagine at least a 14 by 14 foot space with all kinds of tequila on three walls from floor to ceiling. Did I mention it was 5:30 am and I was barely awake? At the time the only good tequila I really knew was Patron. I learned that Patron was only sold in the United States – it was purely an export product. Fortunately the person helping me steered me to two good 100% agave tequilas that I was able to get safely home to Pennsylvania. Of course, I couldn’t tell you what they were now but it’s also likely that I couldn’t buy them here.
Once you’ve found your good tequila (you need not go all the way to Mexico) – blanco or silver is perfect for this recipe – you’ll want to squeeze some fresh grapefruit and lime juices. Any color grapefruit will do. The grapefruit juice adds an extra layer of sour to this cocktail and works quite well with the lime juice. Top it off with some agave syrup for a bit of sweet.
Ed’s not a big fan of grapefruit juice, but he found it to be a great addition to this margarita and a nice variation on the orange-lime juice combination we usually make. And, this is the perfect cocktail for your gluten-free/wheat-free friends. ¡Olé!
| Grapefruit Margarita | Print |
- 4 ounces fresh lime juice (~ 3 limes) (see Notes)
- 3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (~ ½ grapefruit) (See Notes)
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 4 ounces Silver Patron Tequila (or other premium Tequila)
- Kosher salt for glass rim
- Freshly squeeze both lime and grapefruit juices.
- In a cocktail shaker, stir lime and grapefruit juices with agave nectar until agave nectar dissolves.
- Fill shaker half way with ice.
- Add tequila and shake.
- Strain into old fashioned glasses filled three quarters of the way with ice.
- Serve with a slice of lime and salt, if desired.
- If salting rim of glass, place salt on a small plate. Moisten rim of glass with a lime slice. Place glass on salted plate and rotate until covered.
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