Papaya Margarita
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz silver tequila
- 2 oz Damiana liqueur
- 2 cups cubed ripe papaya
- 6 oz fresh sweet-and-sour
- Garnish: 4 lime wedges
- Garnish: 4 small pink orchids (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Chill 4 margarita glasses. Set aside. In a blender, mix the papaya, sweet-and-sour, tequila, and Damiana until thoroughly puréed. Add 2 cups ice and blend until the mixture is smooth. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared glasses. Garnish each with a skewered lime wedge and orchid.
VIDEO HOW-TO
NOTES
This refreshing pitcher of puréed Papaya Margarita serves four. It replaces the usual triple sec with Damiana liqueur.
Legends surrounding the creation of the Margarita are numerous, with locations ranging from California to Mexico, but a few tales have remained steadfast. Setting the stage for creativity, the cultural climate of 1940s America had become enthralled with all things Latin, and bartenders were excitedly shaking up cocktails to promote this mysterious and fiery new spirit from Mexico. There was some speculation over one particularly brilliant bartender in California, who, in order to push the new fiery liquor, switched out the brandy and lemon juice for tequila and lime juice, turning the classic and wildly popular Sidecar made with triple sec into the now-classic Margarita cocktail.
Another legendary story gives an American socialite credit. Margaret Sames reportedly served a drink containing tequila, lime juice, and her favorite orange liqueur, Cointreau, at a party down in Acapulco in around 1948, in salt-rimmed glasses etched with the Mexican version of her name and purportedly the "Margarita" was born.
However this great tequila cocktail came about, one thing remains true: the key to the best Margarita is to adhere to the basic recipe, using freshly squeezed lime juice combined with 100 percent agave tequila and a premium orange liqueur. The classic approach involves pouring the shaken mixture into a margarita glass with a salted rim, but muddling the ingredients in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass with wedges of fresh lime and serving it on the rocks is equally accept- able. A Margarita made with Rose's lime juice or a bottled margarita mix is not recommended. A desirable alternative to freshly squeezed lime juice is frozen limeade, which makes a great shortcut, with the added bonus of sweetness. The simplicity of the Margarita makes it an ideal vehicle for frozen and blended variations made with fresh fruits.
