This is Part 4 of the Stonefruit Holiday Recipes
I know how it goes. You just had a few friends or family coming over to celebrate the holiday. Before you knew it, there was an army of guests in your home, happens every year to me. The only thing to do is make margaritas, but now that it’s December, we’re going to punch it up and make the Cadillac of Margaritas — Falala Las Margaritas de Cereza (Cherry Margaritas) for a quick Christmas or holiday drink. The great thing about using cherries, is that cherries have a bit of sour to them, but they aren’t necessarily sweet. The best cherries in Las Vegas is from one of our local growers, Sandy Valley Farm, Incorporated. They’ve been supplying the freshest prepared ingredients to Las Vegas and the surrounding Clark County since 1985. Their cherries are the freshest you’ll ever see in Las Vegas, and can make all the difference in this holiday drink recipe. Combine the cherries, lime, and the agave in the tequila, and you get the perfect combination of sweet & sour with packed with aroma.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup pitted fresh cherries
- 4 ounces tequila, silver
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau
- Juice of two limes
- 2 Maraschino cherries
- 2 cups ice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the pitted cherries, tequila, Cointreau and sugar into a blender. Squeeze in the lime juice and add ice. Pulse until smooth. Pour into a coupe glass, garnish with 2 maraschino cherries and drink up!
SOME NOTES ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
- If you want quality tequila, make sure you look for the “100% de agave” legend on the label of your bottle. If it isn’t there, then up to 49% of your tequila is actually fermented cane sugar. Silver tequila is also best for mixed drinks.
- Still thinking about whether to use Cointreau or some other triple sec? You want to get a well-balanced margarita, so you need Cointreau rather than a cheap orange liqueur or triple sec. It’s well-regarded for its perfect balance between bitter orange and sweetness alongside the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
- Limes: only use freshly-squeezed juices in your cocktails, never with those bottled ones.
Written by Chef Dennis Hicks
