Blood Orange Mezcal Margarita

I have a confession?This recipe has been tested and approved, and tested again. So with that said this recipe has taken a tad longer to post and for that I am sorry to keep you waiting. It?s like being at a nightclub dancing the night away and waiting in line at the bar for a cocktail. Don?t you hate when that happens?

I first saw this wonderful blood orange margarita recipe on White on Rice Couple and knew I had to give it a try. Unfortunately we do not have blood oranges growing in our backyard so I drove to our nearest grocery store and found a few, but not enough, so I bought some Cara Cara Oranges too. I couldn?t wait to try out all these fresh citrus juices. The burgundy juice from the blood red oranges combined with the pinkish red juice of the Cara Cara Oranges was a surprisingly tart and yet sweet combination. The only thing missing was of course some tequila. And that?s when I panicked. Guess what? I had NO tequila blanco! Ay yay yay!!! What?s a lush to do? I was desperate and didn?t want to run to the store again, so I decided to pop open the aged and dusty bottle of Mezcal we had in the back of our liquor cabinet. Yes, I was desperate. I have always been afraid of this tequila, but then remembered a quote I had read on MexConnect, ?Mezcal is to tequila as brandy is to cognac.? So I did what any other lush would do and popped open that scary bottle of tequila and combined the crimson juice with Mezcal, a little agave nectar, and some lime juice. The marriage of the orange juice and smoky Mezcal was well, pretty darn amazing. Not to mention how well it went with that night?s dinner, chicken mole.

Obviously the main ingredient for this libation is oranges, so I hope you can find lovely citrus options in your area. I always recommend Whole Foods Market because you can be sure to find gorgeous and unique produce there. And if you don?t have Mezcal this cocktail is fabulous with tequila blanco too. Believe me, I?ve tried both. Hiccup!

Are you still leery about Mezcal? Read this post on White on Rice Couple.

Makes: 2 margaritas

Ingredients

3 Blood Oranges, juiced

3 Cara Cara Oranges (also called red navel), juiced

3 limes, juiced

4 ounces Mezcal tequila

1 ounce agave nectar

Ice

Salt for glass rims

Directions

In a martini shaker add the freshly squeezed juice. Include the tequila, agave nectar, and ice. Shake and divide equally between two salt rimmed margarita glasses. Garnish with a blood orange slice or a sprig of mint.

Photography by Jeanine Thurston