A perfect Fall margarita

We are inspired by Thanksgiving to let everyone know how to use our Sal de Margarita gourmet sea salt…. for there is no doubt that the season deserves a cocktail to serve when friends and family gather for such festive celebrations.

Of course, at Sal del Mar, just the word festive leads us to the margarita genre, but not the classic one that we all know. And not one that is sticky sweet. After trying out several renditions of margaritas... including a pumpkin margarita that spoke to the season but was too heavy and thick...we decided on a Cranberry Margarita.

There is a perfect balance of the cranberry juice sweetness, the smoothness of the tequila and brightness of the lime. And when blended up in a margarita glass, rimmed in Sal del Margarita salt, it says Thanksgiving celebration!

A margarita anytime

We think margaritas are meant to drink anytime. We don't wait for sunny weather. This margarita is made with freshly squeezed greaefruit juice, tequila and lime and the combination suits sitting in front of a fire as much as a sunny beach. Here's our recipe:

2 oz of Blanco Tequila
2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. triple sec
1/2 oz. agave nectar
Sal de Margarita sea salt

Fill a small cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake. Strain the cocktail into your Sal de Margarita rimmed glass and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

Pour a layer of Sal de Margarita onto a small plate. With a slice of lime, wet half of the rim of the glass.(Rimming just half the edge with salt, lets you control how much salt you taste with each sip.) Dip the glass into the salt at a 45-degree angle and roll it from side to side. Be careful to not let any of the salt drip into the glass. 

TIP:  Take the grapefruit and lime out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. It is easier to squeeze citrus when it isn't cold.

 

Cinco de mayo and a margarita

It takes just a few ingredients to make a great margarita. Tequila. Cointreau. Limes. But don't forget to salt the rim of the glass.  Salt  complements the lime and tequila ingredients. 
To quote Rick Bayless: "Without salt, you can produce a tasty creation.. but not a drop-dead delicious one..”
Try just salting half the rim and then you can sip either with or without salt. Sal del Mar gourmet sea salt delivers a crisp salty taste which you don't get from just any salt. 

Our favorite recipe for one margarita (we like making them one at a time) is:  
1 1/2 oz. of a silver tequila
3/4 oz. Cointreau
1-1/2 limes (about 1 oz) squeezed  
Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Cover and shake vigorously until froth and cold. Pour into a Sal del Mar crusted martini glass and serve. 

The traditional Mexican tequila cocktail

Here is one of my favorite Mexican tequila cocktails, the Paloma.  It is traditionally made with grapefruit soda, Squirt!  But this version uses fresh grapefruit juice which I like because it cuts through the flavor of the tequila. It is a great recipe to increase to make a pitcher of Paloma for a party. You can combine all the ingredients, cover and refrigerate until chilled about 2 hours.
Use the grapefruit and lime to to crust the rim of a glass as described in the recipe below. 

2 oz of Blanco Tequila 

2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

1 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. triple sec

1/2 oz. agave nectar

Sal de Margarita sea salt

TIP:  Take the grapefruit and lime out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.

Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec and agave nectar into a pitcher and stir. Pour into a Sal de Margarita rimmed glass with iceand garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

Sal de Margarita rimmed glasses for a party

RECIPE FOR SALTING THE GLASS

Pour a layer of Sal de Margarita onto a small plate.
With a slice of lime, wet half of the rim of the glass. (Rimming just half the edge with salt, lets you control how much salt you taste with each sip.)
Dip the glass into the salt at a 45-degree angle and roll it from side to side. Be careful to not let any of the salt drip into the glass. 

TIP:  Salt the rims in advance of serving a margarita. It allows the salt to dry on the rim so that the salt won't drip into the margarita. It also saves time when preparing margaritas for a party.

Tweaking a Bloody Mary

There are all kinds of recipes for making a Bloody Mary, but don't forget the salt. Salting the rim makes the flavors pop. Without it, you can produce a tasty creation... but salting the rim will make it drop-dead delicious.

There are many things to learn about using salt to enhance your drink, but one of the most important considerations is the texture. Sal del Mar's coarse crystals let the flavor linger on the tongue and also add a little crunch. The crystals also have a dampness that allows them to cling to the rim of the glass so that you don't get the salt sliding down the edge of the glass as with some of the refined salts.

SALTY TIPS:

To tweak the classic Bloody Mary, mix a medium-grind of pepper with Sal del Mar sea salt. Spread the mixture on a small plate.

Moisten the edge of the glass just half way around the top edge by running a lime slice around the rim.

Press the rim of the glass into the Sal del Mar/pepper mixture to crust the rim. Shake off any access.

Allow the salt/pepper to air dry a few minutes before filling to ensure that the salt mixture lightly flakes off with each sip.

Everything's coming of cranberries

There is something so thrilling about seeing the harvesting of this cranberry bog on a drive on Cape Cod.. It made me want to make everything cranberry. Muffins. Scones, Sauces. Chutney. But, instead, I settled for a Cranberry Margarita.

Seems as though Marilyn had the same idea.  I shot this photo from a large mural at the Chatham Orpheum Theater in Chatham, Massachusetts. I think you'll like the recipe (see below). It's not too tart or too sweet.

Cranberry Margarita  

This recipe is great for a crowd, but is easily reduced to serve just one.

2 cups of Tequila blanco
2 1/3 cups of cranberry juice
2/3 cups fresh lime juice
1 cup of triple sec or any orange-flavored liqueur
Sal de Margarita sea salt

First, rub a lime over the edge of a martini glass, covering just half the glass edge. On a plate, add a thin layer of Sal del Margarita sea salt and dip the edge of the glass into it. If possible, let it dry out a bit.

Combine the tequila, cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and lime juice in a large pitcher. Add in small portions to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.Shake and serve in a Sal del Mar rimmed martini glass.

Fall Margarita

We believe Fall is for Margaritas too. Sometimes it seems that it is such a summer cocktail but tequila is right for any season. It's fun too to use different ingredients.  For our Fall Margarita, we put together grapefruit juice, tequila and lime. We chose a "highball" glass to serve it in instead of a martini glass to add to the Fall look. And of course, Sal de Margarita rims the edge to enhance the flavors of the tequila and lime.

A Fall Margarita
Freshly squeezed grapefruit is one of my favorites because it cuts through the flavor of tequila.

2 oz of Tequila blanco
2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. triple sec
1/2 oz. agave nectar
Sal de Margarita sea salt

Fill a small cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake. Strain the cocktail into your Sal de Margarita rimmed glass and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
Pour a layer of Sal de Margarita onto a small plate. With a slice of lime, wet half of the rim of the glass.(Rimming just half the edge with salt, lets you control how much salt you taste with each sip.) Dip the glass into the salt at a 45-degree angle and roll it from side to side. Be careful to not let any of the salt drip into the glass. 
TIP:  Take the grapefruit and lime out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
It is easier to squeeze citrus when it isn't cold.

It’s a Burro... not a Mule

We are showing off our version of Moscow Mule. We call it a “Mexican Burro.” We learned this version from a fellow customer, when shopping at Rumrunners in Tucson, Arizona, who told us how she substitutes the traditional vodka for tequila or mezcal to make her favorite drink.  

After experimenting ourselves, we like the mezcal, a smokier agave-based cousin of tequila.

Mexican Burro

2 oz. tequila or mezcal
1 oz. fresh lime juice
4 oz. ginger beer

Rim a cocktail glass with a lime and crust the rim with Sal del Mar by dipping into a plate sprinkled with Sal del Mar.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the mezcal and lime juice and shake until chilled. Pour into your prepared glass and finish with the ginger beer.  Garnish with lime.

Adjust the ingredients to your taste... more lime... more tequila.

And if you do have copper mugs, make sure to use them in place of a glass!