The Blood Orange Margarita at Whisk'n'ladle in La Jolla features a hibiscus infused tequila, but you can use the regular stuff at home.
Ian Ward makes some of the tastiest and most creative cocktails in San Diego, but alas they’re not usually the kind of drinks mere mortals can make at home. Take the super tangy Blood Orange Margarita that Ian made for me on a recent visit to Whisk’n’ladle.
Turns out that he mixes it with a hibiscus blossom infused-tequila; and then the nice pink layer on top is a blood orange foam that includes gelatin and coconut.
The thing that I took away from the experience though is remembering the intensely tart flavor of blood oranges. On early visits to Northern Italy, I fell in love with the sweet tart taste of blood orange juice, since that’s usually what you get when you order a glass of fresh orange juice. You’ll find that although many blood oranges aren’t ripe enough to eat on their own, they really shine when mixed with a bit of sweetener, such as agave nectar. Here’s my version of a Blood Orange Margarita, to use the last of these fruits from the farmer’s market.
Blood Orange Margarita
1-1/2 ounces good tequila
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce agave nectar
1 ounce fresh blood orange juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Add the tequila, Cointreau, agave nectar, blood orange juice and lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 30 times or until your hands are really cold. Strain the contents into a wide flute style glass or a traditional margarita glass.
Cheers!
