Spicy Cucumber Margaritas
Clearly margaritas are my drink of Summer 2019 since they’re the only thing that have made their way onto the blog this summer as far as drinks go. & maybe I’m just tired of looking at bottles of untouched tequila in my garage & I’ve finally been lured into breaking into the stash. & añejo is the name of my game. More because I’m curious since silver tequila is always my go-to. The brown stuff just seems scary, and not cocktail friendly. But we have tons of it, so I figure time to get accustomed. These Spicy Cucumber Margaritas are the best way to get though a bottle of añejo in the most refreshing & citrusy cocktail kind of way, & I’ll be re-visiting this one for many Friday fiestas to come.
Talk about a special margarita - this little drink is a wow-er. A vibrant color, made completely from fresh produce & tequila, and perfectly tangy. It’s fool proof & the perfect thing to whip up to impress your friends. & to be honest - I take a lot interest in impressing my friends with fun cocktails. This go around, I used it to impress Jordan after slaying him in a Connect 4 tournament and to keep us fueled up during a quick Friday clean-up, & it was a wonderful end of the day treat that made any appearance at my house 2 days in a row.
There are 2 components that make this cocktail quite the concoction. Part 1 - cucumber juice. Or cuc-juice, which is literally my new favorite thing. You can’t buy cuc-juice, and that or muddled cukes are two of my favorite things in a cocktail. My biggest take-away from this cocktail experiment is that fresh cucumbers that are blended, and then strained to get out all the juices is a great way to make my own cuc-juice. It takes a little TLC & patience to yield your own (I mean it does require letting pulverized cucumbers sit in a strainer for like 30 minutes), but holy heck it’s easy & worth it. Keep the skins on the cucumber so it’s juice get’s that vibrant green color. It’s refreshing & earthy, and a main component of this cocktail that makes it special.
Specialty component Part 2 - spicy & citrusy simple syrup. Simmer your fruit juices with just a bit of syrup and one jalapeño that is unseeded and uncored to make things just a little spicy. A little spicy is really the operative word - it’s not too hot but just spicy enough to let you know a jalapeño was used somewhere along the way.
All together, you get a very cucumber-y drink that’s a little earthy & makes cocktail hour feel just a little healthier.
For the cocktails (makes 2 cocktails; 4 if you want to further ration the cuc-juice for a stronger drink)
3 Persian cucumbers
3 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
1 jalapeño, halved
1/4 c. sugar
2 shots añejo tequila
Place all of the cucumbers, skins and all, in a blender or food processor. Add 1/4 c. water to the blender. Puree until the cucumbers are as smooth as possible - think totally emulsified. Blend on the highest setting for about 3 minutes. Place a strainer ovr a large bowl. Pour in the pureed cucumber and let the juices drain through the strainer for about 30 minutes.
Add the fruit juices, jalapeño, sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat, whisking until all the sugar has dissolved. Crank the heat up to medium and bring the liquid to simmer, letting it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat, remove the jalapños, and pour into a glass mason jar. Place the mason jar in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to cool.
To make your cocktails, fill a glass with ice (use an 8 or 12 ounce glass). Add in 1.5 ounces añejo tequila to each glass (so a shot) + 2 ounces citrus-jalapeno syrup. Split the cucumber juice amongst each glass. Cocktails done.