Holy Mother of God, what a week!!
Seriously, when I conjured up this whole Margarita Week thing in my head I thought maybe a few of my friends would throw up some recipes because they love me and know I love tequila but I never thought so many über-talented food bloggers (many of whom I only know in the virtual sense of the term) really went BIG! I mean just take a moment to peruse through this list. It breaks my margarita-loving heart then seals it back up again with a salted rim. All I want to say to those of you who participated is, Thank You. You guys make me very thirsty.
After reading Nicole’s post on what Cinco de Mayo is really about I wanted to make up some brutal blood-colored margarita and call it “The Machete” or a corn-flavored one and call it “The Campesino” but those ideas still need to be fleshed out. (I have copyright on all that business so don’t get any big ideas :).
Instead I went with something loosely based on a cocktail I had in Miami at Yardbird, (a most delicious fried chicken place that you should obviously visit). It was a bourbon drink but also had blackberries and lemon and I knew tequila would fit in there somewhere.
This margarita is excellent if you’re entertaining tonight because not only can you make the syrup ahead of time but you can mix up a big pitcher of the entire drink, without ice of course, cover it and refrigerate until party time.
If you want to be fancy you can also make blackberry ice by popping fresh blackberries into an ice cube tray and filling with water then freeze! Add those to each glass and everyone will think you’re the shit….which you are.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!!
Blackberry Limonada Margarita: A Pitcher Cocktail Recipe
Ice cubes and syrup can be made up to a week in advance. Margarita can be mixed and refrigerated in the pitcher up to a day in advance.
Ingredients
For the Ice Cubes:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
- water
For the Blackberry Syrup:
- 2 cups (about 10 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries), plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
For the Margarita:
- 4 lemons, juiced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 cups silver tequila
- 1 recipe blackberry syrup
- 1 cup Grand Mariner or other orange liqueur
- Lemon slices, for garnish
- salt for rim
Instructions
- To make the blackberry ice cubes; place blackberries in an ice cube tray and fill the tray with water. Freeze until solid.
- To make the blackberry syrup; combine blackberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until blackberries start to break down, about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer to a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and mash berries through the sieve to collect all the juice. Discard seeds. Let syrup cool.
- To make the margarita; combine syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, tequila, and Grand Mariner in a pitcher. Stir to combine. Cover and chill until cold.
- Rub a lemon slice around the edge of each glass and dip the rim in salt. Fill each glass with blackberry ice cubes and pour margarita into each glass. Garnish with lemon slices and extra blackberries and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 26gProtein: 1g
One More Thing
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