Pawpaw Margaritas

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PawPaw Margaritas

All over the country, as summer is winding down and trees and plants are heavy with the season’s bounty on their branches and vines – pawpaws are ripening. They’re one of America’s few truly native fruits (not to mention they’re the largest fruiting tree in North America) – and folks don’t seem to know much about them. Let’s learn, shall we?

They’re probably hanging around all over during your neighborhood walks, or hiding in a clump of woods as you hurriedly drive by – a ghost of a long lost homestead that’s hanging around long after it’s owners have sold and been gone.

From the outside they kind of look like mangos. And honestly, the inside is pretty reminiscent of them as well. The flesh varies from pale to bright yellow, and contains a network of dark seeds like watermelon. The fruit has a smooth, rich, tropical flavor. And, a texture that I like to think of as custardy – that’s the best way to describe it.

Most folks just eat it as is, but you know me – any chance to margaritaize something, I’m down like a clown. I actually took the photos for this a couple years ago. My friend Rosie (of Pico Taqueria fame) had wanted to make them and get a photo for a friend who was writing an entire book on pawpaws. Rosie and her husband Dylan came over, we made homemade pizza and pawpaw margaritas, and did a photo session with them. Fun stuff.

The book turned out awesome, by the way. All kinds of great recipes and photography are featured in it’s pages. Lots of useful information about varieties and how to go about planting your own trees. Check it out on Amazon and order yourself a copy!

If you can’t find them out and about, check your local farmer’s markets. When I find them I’ll prep a bunch at one time, then portion out the pulp into smaller bags and freeze for use in the winter. It keeps it’s pretty color and rich texture, so that’s really the best way to go about storing it.

Pawpaw Margaritas

1 (8 oz.) bag pawpaw puree

1/2 cup margarita mix
1/4 cup mango nectar (usually found in Hispanic aisle of grocery store)
1 cup tequila
1/3 cup triple sec
1 cup ice
lime slices, for garnish
2 Tbsp kosher salt, for rim
2 Tbsp sugar, for rim

Rim your glasses. Combine salt and sugar on a small plate. Using a piece of lime, wet the rim of the glasses. Dip into the salt-sugar combo and set aside while you prepare the margaritas.

Place all ingredients in blender. Cover, and blend on puree setting for about a minute, until nice and smooth.

Pour into prepared glasses, garnish with a slice of lime, and serve.

Source: adapted from For The Love of Pawpaws, Michael Judd

Mermaid Margaritas

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Summer is in full swing here on Chincoteague Island, officially. During the week the boys and I spend alot of time in the pool, or at the beach…but on the weekends we’re usually found on the boat. With the 4th of July weekend upon us, I thought it appropriate to share this mermaid-inspired margarita.

Mermaids happen to be crazy popular right now. But for a girl who’s had saltwater running through her veins since birth – I’ve always felt a kindship to them. Even more so now that I’ve gotten into sea-glassing and beachcombing. I can’t help but feel like those salty sirens sent up those pieces from the depths just for me to find…

Incidentally, I’ve always felt a kinship to tequila too. So, it was only natural to  combine those two things here on the blog eventually. Fresh margarita mix, combined with tequila and triple sec, and the addition of Blue Curacao to give it it’s signature blue hue. Don’t be lazy and buy the store-bought mixer, it takes all of three minutes to make your own. And once you do, you’ll never go back. Trust me.

I did a sugar-salt combination on the rim, I love the salty/sweet combo – much like the attitudes of my homegirls under the waves. Added some fresh lime zest too, loved the pop of color and flavor that it lent.

Garnished with a lime wedge skewered onto a dinglehopper , it’s a cocktail that I’d be proud to serve to any mermaid. Maybe I’ll come across one in our boat journeys this weekend…will make sure to have all the ingredients on hand, just in case one shows up.

Mermaid Margaritas

1 cup margarita mix
1/3 cup Triple Sec
3/4 cup tequila
1/3 cup Blue Curacao
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 lime, zested then sliced

Make the salty-sweet rim by combining sugar, salt, and lime zest on a small plate. Mix well usinig a fork, and set aside.

In a large pitcher combine the margarita mix, Triple Sec, tequila, and Blue Caraco. Mix to combine.

To prepare the glasses, wet the rim of a glass using a lime wedge. Dip the rim into the sugar-salt combo.

Fill glasses with ice, and then the margarita mixture.

Skewer a lime wedge onto your dinglehopper (if desired) and stick it into the margarita for garnish.

Makes about 4 margaritas.

Mango Margaritas

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Margaritas just happen to be my favorite cocktail. Fresh citrus, tequila, and triple sec – they sing in a perfect symphony. A symphony that adapts well to a newcomer in the mix. Like, ripe juicy mango for instance…

Gotta throw up props for this margaritas simplicity. While I usually have to make a fruit-based simple syrup for many of my fruit margs, which is little bit more time consuming – this one involves dumping in a bag of frozen mango chunks, some margarita mix, a little mango nectar, and your booze. Blend. Drink. Repeat.

Now, I’m a margarita on the rocks kinda gal, not usually into this frozen hulabaloo. However, I consider this a game changer. It was like drinking a fresh mango – it has that thicker mouth feel that mango lends. Even the husband, who isn’t into tequila, enjoyed it. I know ya’ll will too!

This recipe makes about 4 big margaritas, perfect for summer entertaining or a girls night get-together.

Shoutout to the good folks at Drizly for sponsoring this post. Did you guys know you can have pretty much any spirit you’ve ever desired delivered right to your door these days? Wonders of technology. They’ve got all kinds of great recipes too. Be sure to check them out!

Mango Margaritas

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup margarita mix
1/2 cup mango nectar (usually found in Hispanic aisle of grocery store)
1 cup tequila
1/3 cup triple sec
1 cup ice
lime slices, for garnish
2 Tbsp kosher salt, for rim
2 Tbsp sugar, for rim

Rim your glasses. Combine salt and sugar on a small plate. Using a piece of lime, wet the rim of the glasses. Dip into the salt-sugar combo and set aside while you prepare the margaritas.

Place all ingredients in blender. Cover, and blend on puree setting for about a minute, until nice and smooth.

Pour into prepared glasses, garnish with a slice of lime, and serve.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at Drizly. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blueberry Margaritas

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Blueberry Margaritas

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip “down the county” with my best friend early on a Saturday morning. Our destination was Mason Beach Fruit Farm, about 45 minutes south of Chincoteague. It was the first time visiting for both of us, but it most definitely won’t be the last.

Blueberry bushes 10 feet tall – acres and acres of them. All the bushes I’ve seen in the past have been scrawny little numbers. But these, they literally created shady groves – so the picking was rather pleasant! It’s situated right on the Chesapeake, so cool breezes were plentiful, which also helps.

I picked about 10 lbs in just under 2 hours. At $1 per pound, you can’t beat the price with a stick. They also had peaches, plums, and early apples available – all for $1/lb as well. At any rate, I had plenty of fresh blueberries I had to use. What better to do with them than make blueberry flavored booze?

blueberries

A couple of pounds went into a home brewed blueberry cream ale. And then, there were these margaritas…

A quick blueberry simple syrup is whipped up, then mixed with traditional margarita components to create this gorgeous cocktail. The flavor of the blueberries really shines through, not to mention the beautiful hue that it leaves the drink with. The syrup is also divine when mixed into lemonade or limeade. But it’s Friday, so tequila is kind of mandatory around here.

Enjoy these gorgeous berries while they are in season where you are. I think I’m going to take one more trip down the road to stock up on some berries for the freezer. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Blueberry Margaritas

For the glass rim:
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp kosher salt

For the blueberry syrup:
1 1/2 cups bluberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water

For the margaritas:
1/4 cup blueberry syrup
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
3/4 cup margarita mix
ice
lemon or lime slices, for garnish
additional blueberries, for garnish

For the rim, combine sugar and salt on small plate and set aside.

To make the blueberry syrup, combine berries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 8 minutes, until blueberries have burst. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl, pushing on the pulp to remove as much liquid as possible. Let cool then place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Syrup can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

To make the margaritas, rim the edges of two glasses with a lemon or lime wedge and dip into the salt/sugar mixture. Fill glasses with ice.

Combine blueberry syrup, tequila, triple sec, and margarita mixer in a carafe or large mixing glass and stir to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges, and additional blueberries if desired.