It’s National Margarita Day, Hooray!

When I first marked on my calendar that today, February 22, was National Margarita Day, it was cold and damp—a typical February day. I was not in the frame of mind for margaritas, nor could I fathom why we would celebrate margaritas in February when I still had sidecars, white cosmos and cider on the brain (my preferred cold weather adult beverages). Little did I know that I would be dining al fresco during the two consecutive days of 70° temperature with my own margarita in hand.

I don’t usually drink by myself. However, last night—true story—my cat, Israel (aka, Izzy, named for the famous Cuban bassist, Israel “Cachao” López Valdés) knocked a 200 ml bottle of tequila from a shelf in my apartment, cracking the cap open. The bottle was given to me by my co-worker Matthew after I shared with him that I was leaving my husband. I guess Matthew thought the tequila was the elixiar to my problems. If only . . . It has remained untouched all these months until tonight. (Okay, I had a bit last night. Don’t judge me. So did Izzy, greedily lapping every last bit from the floor.)

I am not sure if Izzy was in the know about National Margarita Day or felt ignored by me. Anyhow, his mischievous deed inspired me to make a margarita in advance of today’s observance. I had nearly everything on hand to make a classic margarita, except for limes and triple sec. I did have Grand Marnier and blood orange juice on hand. I know, I know. Not your typical kitchen staples. What can I say? I am a #foodie4life.

In honor of National Margarita Day and the lovely spring-like weather during the latter half of this February, here’s my recipe for Blood Orange Margarita.

Blood Orange Margarita

To keep this recipe simple, you’ll notice all the ingredients, with the exception of the kosher salt, was measured at 2-oz pours each. Is that judgment I am feeling from you out there?

Ingredients

2-ozs Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila Gold

2-ozs Grand Marnier

2-ozs Blood Orange Juice, plus a little for the margarita glass rim

Kosher salt

1. Pour kosher salt onto a plate.
2. Dab some of blood orange onto a folded paper towel. Run the towel along the rim of the margarita glass.
3. Dip the rim into the kosher salt.
4. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
5. Fill a shaker with ice.
6. Pour the tequila, Grand Marnier and blood orange juice over the ice in the shaker.
7. Shake until well mixed (10-seconds).
8. Pour the margarita over the ice in the glass and enjoy.

If you like margaritas, visit my previous posts for recipes for Jalapeño-Mangorita and the Raspberry Bomb. Both used jalapeño-infused tequilas, which I made from jalapeños from a friend’s garden.