Peligroso Orange Margaritas

A while back, I got a free bottle of Peligroso tequila. It's a cinnamon-flavored tequila, which I thought was a little strange when I first heard about it. But it's actually quite good.

Peligroso, by the way, means "dangerous" according to the wonders of online translation.

As much as I liked the tequila as-is over ice, for some reason I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of making a cocktail with it. When I think of tequila, I immediately think of lime - for a traditional margarita. But then the cinnamon ... it just didn't seem to match with lime. Not in my head at least.

But then I juiced a couple of oranges while I was testing a gadget I got, and the orange juice was sitting there, staring at me. Oranges go with cinnamon. And it goes just fine with tequila.

Bingo!

The funny thing is that after tasting it, I thought it needed just a little bit of lime juice. But just a little.

I'm not a salted rim sort of gal, but feel free to salt the rim of your glass, if you like. If I had another orange sitting around, I might have garnished this with a slice of orange. But in the end, a straw was actually all I needed.

Peligroso Orange Margarita

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces Peligroso Cinnamon Tequila
1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Note: I have a Vitamix now, so I got a super-smooth puree with no trouble. I've found that with other blenders, it often works best if you blend the ice first, then add the other ingredients. Otherwise, you can sometimes end up with a chunky, icy drink rather than a smooth one.

Serve.

You can salt the rim or garnish with a slice of orange, if desired.

I received the tequila at no cost to me, but I was not required to make or publish a recipe.

Strawberry-Orange Margarita - and Sandra Lee

If there's one thing we can all agree on about Sandra Lee, it's that she knows her way around the cocktails. So when a mystery package containing two bottles of Sandra Lee pre-made margaritas showed up at my door, I knew it was ...

... Cocktail Time.

I decided to avoid the whole concept of tablescapes, so I followed the instructions on the neck of the bottle to chill and serve. Well, I chilled the strawberry margarita. The key lime is still unopened. One at a time, yanno.

And then I spied some information about using the margarita mix as an ingredient in a cocktail. So ... use a cocktail to make a totally different cocktail? Sure, why not?

I decided not to go too far afield with the margarita, but I wanted to add some more tartness and freshness to it. Orange juice was my choice. It added zing I wanted, and it changed the color from pink to more of a dark salmon color. And, obviously, it cut the alcoholic content a bit, so I could have a little extra.

I like my margaritas on the rocks rather than blended, but this would be just as good blended.

Strawberry-Orange Margarita

Equal parts of:
Sandra Lee Cocktail Time Strawberry Margarita
Orange juice

Plus:
Dash of orange bitters

Add ice to your glass. Add the margarita and orange juice, then add the dash of bitters.

Stir and serve.

If you like, garnish with some fruit - lime would be nice, or a slice of orange or a whole strawberry. A sprig of mint would also be appropriate.

I received the margaritas as a surprise from the manufacturer, at no cost to me. I like surprises!

Watermelon-Berry Margaritas

While local watermelons won't be available for a while, there are plenty of nice-looking watermelons at the grocery store. From giants to personal-sized watermelons, they're all represented. Seedless and yellow, too.

I love watermelon. It's so ... cooling. Refreshing. Bright. Crisp.

And, the flavor makes a great cocktail.

Yes, I said cocktail. A nice, fresh, summery cocktail.

This time around, I combined the watermelon with some strawberries - might as well keep the color consistent - and then there was tequila.

To make the watermelon-strawberry juice, I used a juicer. I suppose you could use a blender to make a beverage with a smoothie-like texture, or you could blend then strain to remove seeds and excess pulp. My juice had a little body to it, but it wasn't super-thick.

Watermelon-Strawberry Margarita

1 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce agave syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice
Watermelon-strawberry juice, as needed (recipe follows)

You can make your margarita three different ways - blend with ice in a blender for a frozen margarita, serve it over ice, or shake with ice in a shaker, then strain. How you make it is up to you.

And ... of course you can adjust the sweetness or tartness by adding more or less agave syrup or lime juice.

But I think this formula is a good start. Then give it a taste and adjust to your liking. Once you've got the exact formula, mix up a pitcher or two.

Garnish your glass with a slice of lime. Some chunks of watermelon on a skewer would also be great. Or just have a small bowl of watermelon chunks to munch on. It's amazing how quickly they disappear.

Hint: if your watermelon isn't as sweet as you'd like it to be, add a teeny sprinkle of salt, and it will taste sweeter. You don't want salty watermelon, so be conservative.

Watermelon-Strawberry Juice

1 pint strawberries
6-8 cups chunked watermelon.

Process the berries and watermelon through your juicer. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until needed.