Lauren Delgado: Recipes to try for National Margarita Day.
Margaritas have topped lists for the most popular cocktail in America for a few years now. It’s easy to see why — the drink is refreshing, tart and just screams vacation (at least for me).
Try these provided recipes if you feel like shaking up a drink for National Margarita Day (today). Watch a few of them get made at OrlandoSentinel.com/Foodie.
Hibiscus Margarita
This pretty cocktail comes from Bahama Breeze, a Caribbean-style eatery with multiple locations in Central Florida.
Combine 2 ounces of your favorite tequila, 1 ounce simple syrup, 2 ounces hibiscus tea and 3 ounces margarita mix into a shaker. Shake. Rim margarita glass with pineapple sugar. Fill with ice. Pour drink into margarita glass. Garnish with lime slices and a hibiscus flower, if available.
Tamarind Margarita
This Bahama Breeze margarita requires a bit more prep work — including finding tamarind pulp. The tamarind tree produces seed pods that contain edible pulp. Bahama Breeze’s recipe has you removing the fruit from these husks, placing them in a bowl of hot water for an hour, and then whisking the seeds in 1 ounce tamarind puree.
You’re welcome to do that — or make tamarind syrup by boiling a cup of white sugar, 1 cup of water and ¼ cup tamarind paste (find it at Asian markets) until the sugar has melted. Allow it to cool before straining it in a sieve.
In a shaker, you’ll combine 1 ounce of tamarind syrup, 2 ounces of your favorite tequila, ½ ounce triple sec, 3 ounces sweet and sour mix, 1 ounce simple syrup and half a cup of ice. Shake. Rim a margarita glass with chipotle salt and fill the glass with ice. Pour the contents from the shaker into the glass. Garnish with lime slices.
Plain ol’ Margarita
Keep it simple with this basic margarita recipe from Cointreau, a brand of triple sec.
Combine 1 ounce triple sec, 2 ounces tequila and 1 ounce lime juice in a shaker. Add ice. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with salt rim and lime wheel.
Spicy Strawberry Margarita
If sweet and heat are your thing, you may find this recipe from Cointreau particularly appealing.
Muddle two strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add 1 ounce triple sec, 2 ounces tequila, 1 ounce fresh lime juice and 3 dashes of bitters. Shake with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim and garnish with a strawberry.