I'll be honest with you. The weather in the "Sip has ben above average and I kind of like it. The wife, of course, is in heaven and eagerly waiting to start digging in the garden. While it's been warm for many of us in the South, other areas haven't been as fortunate. To help brighten up the bleakest of days or to help you cool down, we're bringing the sunshine and warmth with two variations on the standard lime margarita.
Luckily, the winter months are the prime time to source fresh citrus. Our supply is coming out of Louisiana but Florida and California are producing and shipping wonderful options as well. Your grocery store shelves should be filled with an array of citrus fruits. But, if the shelves are looking a little bare, you can always source from online companies that will ship these round delights right to your door (a few sources include Frog Hollow, Harry & David, Friend's Ranch, Pearson Ranch, Indian River Fruit).
Citrus can vary in sweetness just like any other fruit. I strongly urge you to taste each before mixing your cocktail. You may need to add more Grand Marnier or orange juice for sweetness if your grapefruit is tart and bitter or more lime juice to help cut down an overly sweet orange or grapefruit. For this particular batch, our grapefruits were very sweet so we cut the Grand Marnier down to 1/4 oz and added an extra splash of lime juice.
I also wanted to touch on the margarita salt. For the longest time, I thought salt was salt. The wife has sworn by Bulls Bay Saltworks margarita salt for years and we have mentioned it in previous posts. When we were running low the other week, I told her to just grab some Kosher salt off the shelf. Well that turned into a whole production....She sat me down and had me taste about a half dozen or so of different salts to understand the complexity and salinity that each salt had to offer. And she was right. Margarita salt is different and Bulls Bay is top notch. It's the right size to cling to the rim, a great bite and the salinity pairs perfectly with lime. It's locally sourced out of SC and contains no fillers or additives. I know this ingredient is expensive. But if your budget allows, I highly recommend investing in a tin. A little goes a long ways and we've found a tin will last around 6 months (give or take).
His Cocktail - Grapefruit Margarita
2 oz tequila
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
Margarita Salt (Bulls Bay Saltworks)
Grapefruit wedge garnish
After juicing the lime, run the fruit along the rim of an old-fashioned glass or margarita glass to wet the rim. Dip rim in margarita salt and fill with ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add all the ingredients. Shake until chilled. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish.
Her Cocktail - Triple Citrus Margarita
1 1/2 oz tequila
1 oz fresh orange juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
Margarita Salt (Bulls Bay Saltworks)
Orange wedge garnish
After juicing the lime, run the fruit along the rim of an old-fashioned glass or margarita glass to wet the rim. Dip rim in margarita salt and fill with ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add all the ingredients. Shake until chilled. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish.
Happy drinking!