5 Cinco De Mayo Mockaritas
Happy Cinco de Mayo! My favorite thing about Cinco de Mayo is that it means it is starting to feel warm outside. Lucky for me, today is gorgeous! The usual celebratory margarita is out of the question with no Tequila (insert ghost face emoji here) in our house. What I do happen to have are the flavors of a margarita. Yay!
From a health standpoint, I don't love the amount of sugar that most pre-packaged margarita mixes have or purchased simple syrups. It's so easy to make that swap, right off the bat. You can control the amount of sugar you put in your drink. Isn't that nice? Other than the ultra-sugary-ness of a typical margarita, I really believe you should enjoy your food and drink completely if this is what you wish. Just don't go nuts.
How would you like me to show you a few different ways to have a Mockarita? Have you heard of a Kombucharita? Let me show you the way.
First of all, some of my essentials for creating a halfway decent margarita are orange, lime, and agave (if you have it). By the way, just because I'm not having tequila in my drink doesn't mean you have to omit the booze! Making your own simple syrup with agave (use honey if you don't have agave) is very easy. Mix 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup agave syrup, 1 T. freshly squeeze orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest. Whisk these together in a sauce pan until everything has become one and it has reduced down (some of the liquid has evaporated). You are welcome to add a bit more agave if you would like it to be sweeter. Similarly, don't add orange or zest if you aren't in the mood and voila! Simple syrup.
Rule of thumb for me is 2 oz Tequila, 3 oz lime juice, 2 oz orange juice, and a drizzle of agave nectar or 1 oz simple syrup. This is the original.
Another thing, if you like the salty, limey, rim...Take a lime wedge and gently give it pressure to start the juices flowing. Rub the lime flesh around the rim of your drinking glass and if desired, press the rim in a salt bath so salt will stick. I personally like only the lime or a completely naked Marg. I'm not ashamed of it's bare-bottom.
For the drink variations:
Original Mockarita
Over ice pour the recipe above, sans tequila, into a drink shaker. Add a pinch of lime zest, then shake it till it's well mixed. Pour into an ice filled rocks glass (dressed or naked) or whatever glass you got then top off with a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with your lime.
Strawberry Mockarita
1/3 c. fresh or frozen strawberries
1 t. coconut sugar
pinch of sea salt
3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
Drizzle of agave or 1 oz. simple syrup
pinch of lime zest
ice, salt and lime wedge for the rim, strawberry garnish (optional)
Before dressing your glass, macerate that fruit. It will make them much more flavorful. In a mixing bowl, cup or blender, put 1/3 c. strawberries (fresh or frozen) and over them dust a very tiny pinch of sea salt and coconut sugar. Trust me with that salt. Pour a bit of your lime juice over the berries and stir again. Blend this up or pulverize into a paste and let sit while you fiddle with the rest of the recipe. Over ice pour the remaining lime juice, 2 oz of freshly squeezed orange juice, drizzle your agave (or simple syrup) and a pinch of lime zest into your shaker. Add that strawberry mixture to the shaker and shake baby shake! NOW you can dress your glass, or not. Pour and garnish with a strawberry.
Blackberry Mango Mockarita
1/4 c. fresh or frozen blackberries
1 T. (heaping) mango chunks
1 t. coconut sugar
pinch of sea salt
3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
Drizzle of agave or 1 oz. simple syrup
pinch of lime zest
ice, salt and lime wedge for the rim, orange slice for garnish (optional)
Once again, before dressing your glass, macerate that fruit. In a mixing bowl, cup or blender, put 1/4 cup of blackberries and 1 heaping tablespoon of mango chunks (fresh or frozen) and over them dust a very tiny pinch of sea salt and coconut sugar. Trust me with that salt. Pour a bit of your lime juice over the berries and stir again. Blend this up or pulverize into a paste and let sit while you fiddle with the rest of the recipe. Over ice pour the remaining lime juice, orange juice, drizzle your agave (or simple syrup) and a pinch of lime zest into your shaker. Add that mango-blackberry mixture to the shaker and shake baby shake! NOW you can dress your glass, or not. Pour and garnish with an orange slice.
Elderberry Hibiscus Mockarita
3 oz. hibiscus tea, steeped and chilled
1 oz of elderberry syrup
pinch of sea salt
3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
3 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
drizzle of agave (optional)
pinch of orange zest
ice, salt and lime wedge for the rim, Orange slice for garnish (optional)
Over ice pour the lime juice, orange juice, elderberry syrup, chilled hibiscus tea, drizzle your agave (optional here) and a pinch of orange zest into your shaker. Shake baby shake! NOW you can dress your glass, or not. Pour and garnish with an orange slice.
Kombucharita
3 oz of your favorite kombucha
pinch of sea salt
4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
3 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
drizzle of agave
Pinch of lime zest
ice, salt and lime wedge for the rim, lime for garnish (optional)
Over ice pour lime juice, orange juice, agave, and lime zest into your shaker. Shake it real good. This is the time to dress your drinking glass up (or not). Pour your kombucha over the ice then add your shaker liquids. Garnish with a lime.
TIPS:
Feel free to make a fuzzy mockarita if you are into that soda like feel. At the end, top your drinks off with sparkling water. If you only have seltzer, go nuts. I prefer sparkling water to artificially flavored seltzer.
Making a kombucharita is so good with fruity kombuchas. If you have ginger or something more savory, I would caution you that it may not be as tasty. Any berry flavored or mild tea flavored kombucha should work.
When adding alcohol (2 ounces please) with any fresh or frozen berry, add the alcohol to the berry and smash it up instead of using some of the lime juice.
You could totally use clementines or Halos instead of oranges.
When dressing your drinking glass, I recommend adding ice to the glass after you've rimmed it so it can really sit and be ready.
Okay peeps. There are my mocktail variations. It's part of the making and enjoying the process that can become an experience to have a margarita rather than a fancy trick to get a buzz. I am all about having a good time, don't get me wrong. What if we tried to truly enjoy every part of making and enjoying to create a simple experience? Treat your mocktail like a special, adult beverage--because it is! Ain't no child wanting a kombucharita! Maybe there is out there, just not in my house. I am literally laughing out loud at the thought. My friends, try it, comment about it, tell me your variations. And really be well to live free and be free to live well.