Blood Orange Margarita - A Summer Cocktail for a Never-Ending Winter

I have never been one to shy away from a work week cocktail - my creativity, however, is lacking.  My idea of a fancy beverage is to periodically toss a few cucumber slices into my nightly gin and tonic and call it a day.  Lately the never ending winter that we're experiencing in Toronto has had me longing for summer, and subsequently has spiked my interest in summer cocktails.  A margarita is the quintessential summer beverage, and my beloved blood orange recipe offers a tangy twist on an old favourite.  Read on to find out how I make my perfect Blood  Orange Margaritas, and then drink up - we're going to need it to get through the rest of this winter!

What You Will Need:

• 1 ounce of white Tequila
• 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier
• Four Medium Blood Oranges
• One Lime
• Cocktail Tumbler
• Three Ice Cubes

Method:

Place your ice cubes into a stainless steel cocktail tumbler.

Start extracting the juice from your blood oranges into the cocktail tumbler.  The job is made easier by the addition of a mechanical, or even a hand held citrus juicer,  but for those of us with a less equipped kitchen (or without any patience to riffle around cupboards for equipment) simply slicing the orange in two and squeezing out its juice will do.

**Tip: before manually squeezing the blood orange, pierce it's pulp with a fork several times. This will allow for maximum juice extraction.

Add your alcohol.  I use one ounce of white Tequila and a half ounce of Grand Marnier for a stiffer drink, but add according to your own taste - keeping to the ratio of half the amount of Grand Marnier for Tequila.

Finish off with a generous squeeze of lime. This helps to counteract some of the sweetness of the blood oranges, and add that extra tang for a familiar margarita flavour.

Shake that sucker up, and pour!  I use the strainer at the top of the tumbler to catch any excess pulp, and then spoon my ice cubes in afterwards.

Garnish with a lime wheel- et voilà! The perfect summer cocktail to get through the winter that will not end.  Will you be trying one?

Cheers,

Joelle