Cranberry Sauced Margarita
The Margarita: A margarita is not the first cocktail that comes to mind when you think about December and the holidays, but this one has a festive twist to keep the tequila lovers of the party satisfied. If you walked out of Skrbina’s mixology class with one tip it was this: Do not buy sour mix.
Making your own mix is easy and will make your margarita that much better, and you can make a bottle and leave it in your fridge for future fancy cocktails.
Homemade sour mix: Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil, then add equal parts lemon and lime juice. Ingredients fresh cranberries 1.5 ounces tequila agave nectar sour mix (homemade) ¼ ounce Gran Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec 1 lime wedge holiday colored sugar and salt Directions
Start with lime, agave nectar and fresh cranberries in your shaker and muddle to release the flavors. Then add tequila, fresh sour mix, Gran Marnier (if you choose to use it) and ice into the shaker — and shake away. Mix the sugar and salt together to rim the glass, then skewer the cranberry and lime wedge for garnish. Skrbina said you can prepare the margaritas ahead of time in a pitcher, then add the ice just before serving.
Food pairing option: The Palm paired this with mini crab cakes. The pairing seemed odd to me because I had never pictured a tart margarita with a delicate crab cake, but the server assured us it was just like pairing it with a fish taco, a classic duo. And she was right.