Fresh Citrus Margarita fights those winter time blues

Happy New Year, everyone!

After all our holiday entertaining we have eaten and sipped our way through dozens of cuisines, bottles and kegs. In addition to a few extra pounds….we also find ourselves with an abundance of lemons and limes .

One of my favorite sips is a mixed citrus margarita. This bongs so many bells- it’s relatively light; it uses extra citrus fruits; you can customize your favorite citrus flavors; it can be made blended or served on the rocks; and its a killer start to nearly any meal.

Pile any citrus fruits you have on hand. To our heap of lemons and limes we added clementines (Halo, halo…). If we had a grapefruit it would have joined the party. Choose citrus flavors you love. Then juice them. I’m convinced we own every kitchen gadget and small appliance known to man, but we do not own a juicer. We use the pointy kind that looks like a mini-UFO, and a lot of elbow and wrist grease.

Add some tequila, triple sec, and wham! If you’d like it blended, add ice and use your blender to the slushee consistency you like. If you’re a rocks person, mix it all in a shaker and serve over ice. Salt rimmed glasses perfectly compliment the tangy sweetness of the cocktail. That’s it.

The pic above is made in the rocks style. And as we’re big advocates of garnishes that feature ingredients used in a cocktail, the answer was obvious. We munched on tortilla chips and homemade guacamole which is an ideal pairing. But the citrus in these sippers would pair well with nearly any munchie- it cuts the richness of buffalo wings or a cheese pizza like a boss. Make up a batch of these and we promise this month will feel less January-ish, if even for a few hours.

Glasses up for a wonderful 2019. We wish you your best year, yet!

FRESH CITRUS MARGARITA

2 parts silver tequila
1 part triple sec
1 part fresh citrus juice (limes, lemons, clementines, oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit- combo of your faves)
Salt-rimmed glasses
Citrus slices for garnish

ON THE ROCKS: Add tequila, triple sec and fresh juice to a shaker with a few cubes of ice. Shake the hell out of it, at least until the shaker is ice cold. Pour into salt-rimmed glasses full of ice, and garnish with fresh citrus slices.

BLENDED: Add tequila, triple sec and fresh juice in a blender with a healthy amount of ice. Pulse to your desired consistency. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses and garnish with fresh citrus slices.

SALT-RIMMED GLASSES: Use a quarter of a lime and rub it around the rim of a glass. Dip the glass into a bowl of kosher salt. Done….!