Blood Orange Margaritas, A Christmas Tradition

If you’re like me, come late December, you’re thinking it’s time for a margarita. Ok, so maybe margaritas aren’t the first thing to come mind, but with the holidays in full swing you’ve definitely muttered ‘I need a drink right now!’ to yourself at least a dozen times. So as the chill of December sets in, why not shake up a margarita to remind yourself of warmer times?

This weekend, we found ourselves in need of a little Christmas ‘spirits,’ so we decided to take a few liberties with the classic margarita. We wanted to give it a seasonal twist and add a little somethin’ extra for the holidays. In favor the standard sour mix, we grab naturally sweet and sour fresh blood orange juice. Blood oranges are native to southern Italy and the best come from Sicily, though here we can find great fruit coming from California. They have a relatively short growing season and are at their best in December and January. Their crimson colored flesh has a wonderful bright flavor and makes excellent juice. Then, instead of the usual triple sec or cointreau we give our drink a kick with St Germain elderflower liqueur, which is wonderfully flower and aromatic. Combine those two with some good tequila and you’ve got a mix that is sure to keep your Holiday Cheer at give level and give you the strength to get through one more night with Aunt Lucy.