Melon Margarita Recipe

Melon Margarita

1. 1

   Prepare glass

   Chill a rocks or margarita glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the chilled glass, then dip the rim into a shallow plate of coarse salt or Tajín to coat evenly. Set the glass aside.

2. 2

   Make fresh melon juice

   If you do not already have fresh melon juice, cube about 1 cup combined of ripe honeydew and cantaloupe (roughly 1/4–1/3 of a medium melon each). Place the melon cubes in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to extract juice. You should end up with approximately 3 oz (about 90 ml) of combined melon juice. Discard pulp or reserve for another use.

3. 3

   Combine cocktail

   In a cocktail shaker, add 2 oz Sauza Hornitos tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz honeydew melon juice, 1 oz cantaloupe juice (or combine as 3 oz mixed melon juice), and 0.5 oz agave syrup. Add a generous handful of ice (about 1 cup).

4. 4

   Shake

   Secure the shaker lid and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is very cold and well-chilled. This both chills and slightly dilutes the cocktail for balance.

5. 5

   Strain and serve

   Strain the contents of the shaker into the prepared chilled glass over fresh ice (optional) using a fine mesh strainer if you want a smoother texture. If serving straight up, strain without ice.

6. 6

   Garnish

   Garnish with a lime wheel on the rim or a skewer with 1–2 melon balls. Serve immediately.

7. 7

   Notes

   Adjust sweetness with additional agave (to taste) if the melon is not very sweet. For a frozen version, blend all liquid ingredients with 1–1.5 cups of ice until smooth and serve in the prepared rimmed glass.