Serious Eats: Recipes
Cook the Book: Watermelon-Ginger Margarita
Flavored, blended margaritas are a dime a dozen. Laden with fruity syrups and loaded with added sugar, they often taste more like convenience store Slurpees than sophisticated cocktails. After more than one mango madness-induced migraine, I've learned to order mine plain and on the rocks, thanks.
But today's Cook the Book recipe for Watermelon-Ginger Margaritas, excerpted from Margaritas, Mojitos, & More, is different. Author Jessica Strand uses fresh, puréed watermelon and a combination of fresh and crystallized ginger to create a drink that is sweet, refreshing, and infused with a subtle, spicy heat.
This drink is a gorgeous, festive shade of pink. While the recipe makes only one drink it's a snap to multiply. Whip up a pitcher or two for your 4th of July celebration.
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Watermelon-Ginger Margarita
- makes 1 drink -
Adapted from Margaritas, Mojitos, & More by Jessica Strand.
Ingredients
1 lime wedge
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup peeled, cubed watermelon, plus 1 wedge, peeled, for garnish
2 ounces gold tequila
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce Cointreau
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 or 2 pieces crystallized ginger for garnish
Procedure
1. Moisten the outer rim of a chilled margarita or martini glass with the lime wedge. Spread the salt on a shallow plate and dip the glass in the salt, covering it with a light band. Set the glass aside.
2. In a blender, combine the ice, cubed watermelon, tequila, lime juice, Cointreau, and minced ginger. Blend at high speed until smooth. Pour into the prepared glass. Garnish with a spear of crystallized ginger and watermelon.