After a brief hiatus I’m back and I brought a pretty good recipe with me.
It’s no secret that I love National Margarita Day—just take a look back—but I’ve always thought it was a little weird that it was in the middle of winter. I rationalize it that it’s because what we crave in the dead of subzero temps we crave that warm summer feeling, and what better way to get that than from a margarita? I mean, it makes sense; an ice-cold margarita, both exotically warming and refreshingly tart, is the epitome of summer.
Despite my previous tinkering with margaritas I am a bit of a traditionalist with them. Most of the time that I have one, whether it’s out or at home, it’s the classic. Don’t even ask me about a frozen one, either; if I want a slushy I’ll hit up a 7-11 with my Big Gulp cup and kill the Coke machine’s supply.
But I think that if there were any fruit worthy of complete deviation from the usual lime in a margarita I have to say it would be the Seville orange. Not only is it worthy, it’s perfect for winter because they’re available exclusively around January – February. You may have seen them in your grocery store or produce market before; they’re kind of gnarled and rough on the outside while the flesh—and it’s what’s on the inside that counts—has all the floral and sun-drenched taste of a regular orange with the sharp sourness of a thousand angry limes. The peel has an almost-spiced orange aroma with a hint of herbaceous lavender.
You want a margarita to be crisp and refreshing but with a bit of a challenging sour edge—enter the Seville orange. And it’s this sourness that makes a total lack of lime juice possible. Simply tequila, Seville orange juice, and a bit of agave nectar to help balance some of that tartness and you are well on your way to a divine margarita that’s totally suited to winter but oh so worthy of summer.
And if you can’t get enough of these Seville oranges, check THIS out.
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- 2 ounces tequila blanco (1/4 cup)
- 2 ounces Seville orange juice (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 ounce agave nectar (1 tablespoon)
- lots of ice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 t-spoon Seville orange zest
- Toss the sugar and zest together on a rimmed plate and wipe the rim of the glass with the squeezed carcass of your Seville oranges. Lightly press the inverted glass into the sugar so it adheres to the rim.
- Next, and quickly, fill an 8-ounce tumbler glass with ice and pour the juice, tequila, and agave into a shaker. Fill it with lots of ice, cover, and shake 7 - 8 times only. Strain into the glass right away. You can garnish with a slice of Seville if you feel so inclined or just get right to sipping, imaging that winter is just a thing of the past.
* The grated rind, squeezed juice, and even whole fruit itself freeze beautifully. Juice should be strained, rind frozen in a single layer on a parchment or plastic wrap-lined sheet pan (or similar), and whole oranges double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil.