While there are some celebrations worth celebrating and others worth drinking to. Let’s pretend that in this corner of Eastern Europe, we are celebrating sunny Cinco de Mayo. I am a sucker for a good Margarita and all agave-based drinks. What could be better than a whole pitcher of Margaritas, just for this special day? Which is a Wednesday. This violet margarita is beautiful and delicious. Just be careful, it is a strong one.
Violet Margarita pitcher
While there are no general rules on how much tequila or mixers you should add to a pitcher, you should always keep it proportionate. But, it may change a bit for short drinks made in pitchers. While a single margarita would be made with only fresh-squeezed citrus juices, for a pitcher I would add something to dilute it a bit so it can be served in larger glasses.
I chose one of my favorite tequilas for this – Don Julio.
It is a wonderful tequila that I have worked with for many years in my bar, in other bars, and in plenty of cocktail competitions. It was never in my “well” for quick cocktails made for the general public, but it is a fine spirit meant for slow consumption. It should be enjoyed. Do not shy away from tequila because that one 8 euro bottle in high school gave you everything a stomach virus would and told you to call your ex. No, Don Julio tequila is a beautiful craft tequila meant for cocktails as well as neat or on ice.
How to make a good margarita?
There are some steps that should be followed to make the best Margarita in your life.
First of all, you will need some quality tequila. Refer to the last paragraph for my weapon of choice. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive one, but all liquor should be of decent quality. It will lessen your hangover by a lot.
You will need fresh citrus juice. While many swear by lime juice, others swear by lemon juice. Sometimes I use a mix of both. It can depend on what fruit are in season or for a good price at your local grocery store. I always have either lemons or limes in my fridge.
Simple syrup, agave syrup, or honey syrup which is basically honey diluted with water. You will need this to balance out the citrus.
Liqueur of some kind. While the classic calls for Cointreau or Grand Marnier, a triple sec liqueur works just fine. For this violet margarita, we will be using creme de Violette.
Ice. Lots of it. Can’t make a good drink without ice.
Salt for the rim of your glass. Trust me on this one, you don’t want to skip this.
There are not that many classic creme de Violette cocktails. While mostly it is known for its appearance in Aviation, it has a great mellow taste, sweetness, and beautiful color. This violet margarita or creme de Violette Margarita is a beautiful cocktail to be served at any time of the day. Feeling blue? Have a blue-ish margarita.
Violet Margarita
Equipment
- 1 L pitcher
Ingredients
- 250 ml tequila
- 100 ml creme de violette
- 150 ml fresh lime or lemon juice
- 100 ml simple syrup * see notes for a quick recipe
- ice
- salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the pitcher and mix with a long spoon
- Make salt rims by brushing the edge of the glass with a lime or lemon and dip in the salt(do this to only half of the glass if not sure)
- Serve in salted glasses with some fresh violets on top
Notes
While you can vary this recipe to the size of your pitcher or however you want, this is just a suggestion. Also, it is absolutely acceptable to check your cocktail with the stirring spoon and adjust to your own taste. I do not like sweet drinks, so this may be too tart for some.
The beauty of making cocktails in a pitcher is that you can just mix and match, pour some of this and some of that just to make a great drink.
Where did margarita come from?
According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, author of Imbibe!, the best guess is that the margarita as we know and love it evolved from a cocktail known as the “daisy.” This, a mix of alcohol, citrus juice, and grenadine served over shaved ice, was popular during the 1930s and 40s. There were gin daisies and whiskey daisies and, eventually, inevitably, tequila daisies, the original recipe for which called for tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and a splash of soda.