NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY on 2/22-Recipes from Top Mixologists

Get out your shakers, gather your ingredients and be ready to celebrate National Margarita Day on Friday, February 22 with these fabulous recipes. Spicy, sweet, or refreshing, we have recipes for Margaritas that are being served in NYC and beyond. And don't forget to stop by these spots whenever you're in their neighborhoods.

Shoo Shoo (Nolita) "Improved Margarita Cocktail" by Dushan Zaric, cocktail creator for Shoo Shoo; co-founder of Employees Only.

Shoo Shoo's Improved Margarita Cocktail combines the classic flavors of a margarita with Mediterranean ingredients in this drink, made with tequila blanco, cointreau, agave, lime, lemon, and grapefruit.

Ingredients:

2 oz Tequila Cabeza Blanco

1/2 oz Cointreau

1/3 oz Agave Nectar

1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

2 drops of saline solution

3 dashes of orange bitters

3 drops of orange flower water

1 grapefruit half wheel, for garnish

Method: Pour all ingredients into a tin shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously for 8-10 seconds and strain over a fresh glass of ice into a double, old-fashioned glass; garnish with a grapefruit half-wheel.

Visit Shoo Shoo's website at https://shooshoonolita.com/.

Photo Credit: Front of House

Taqueria Diana (NYC and Brooklyn locations) "Spicy Margarita" by Matt La Rue, owner of Taqueria Diana

The popular Spicy Margarita, pre-mixed with Ancho Reyes Chile Liquor and Taqueria Diana's house-made pickle juice, is sure to ignite your tastebuds after one sip.

Ingredients:

.5 oz agave syrup

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liquor

1.5 oz Pueblo Viejo Tequila

.25 Escabeche Juice (Taqueria Diana's house-made pickle juice)

1 pinch of ground Morita Chile Powder

Method: Build ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Prepare a rocks glass by covering the rim with spicy, Tajik salt and strain cocktail over ice; garnish with a fresh lime slice.

Visit Taqueria Diana's website at https://www.taqueriadiana.com/.

Photo Credit: Molly Tavoletti

Boqueria (Multiple NYC locations and Washington DC) "Shishito Margarita" by Beverage director Kieran Chavez

Like all of the Boqueria's offerings, the Shishito Margarita, by Beverage Director, Kieran Chavez, is influenced by Boqueria's Spanish roots, highlighting the shishito pepper, a popular vegetable in Spain, in their version of a spicy margarita.

Ingredients:

Kosher salt, for the glass

1 lime wedge

¼ cup Shishito-Infused Tequila (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 ½ tablespoons Simple Syrup (recipe follows)

1 Pimiento de Padrón, oil patted off

Shishito-Infused Tequila

6 shishito peppers, split lengthwise

1 bottle (1 liter) tequila

Put the shisito peppers in the tequila. Seal with the cap and infuse for 24 hours. Strain the tequila through a fine-mesh sieve into another container with a spout.

Pour back into the tequila bottle, using a funnel if you have one. The infused tequila will keep for up to 1 month.

Simple Syrup

½ cup of sugar

½ cup water

Bring the sugar and 1⁄2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and let cool completely. The syrup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Method: Place a thin layer of salt on a saucer. Run the lime wedge against the rim of a glass, then coat the rim with salt. Use a paper towel to wipe out the inside rim so there isn't too much salt for the drink. The outside rim should still have a light coating.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice to the rim, then add the infused tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup. Cover and shake very well, then strain into the glass.

Add ice and garnish with the shishito pepper. Serve immediately.

Visit Boqueria's web site at https://boqueriarestaurant.com/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Boqueria

The Little Beet Table (NYC and Chicago) "LBT Margarita"

The Little Beet Table's signature margarita is a veggie-centric version of the classic drink, made with tequila (or mezcal), fresh carrot juice, cayenne, lime, and ancho chili salt. The sweetness from the carrot balances the spicy punch from cayenne and ancho chili salt in this cocktail.

Ingredients:

-Chili salt (for the rim)

Anaheim chili powder

Korean chili powder

Ancho chili powder

Pasilla chili powder

Salt

-Carrot Juice Mix

10 large carrots

2 apples

1 lime (juiced)

1 orange (juiced)

2 inches ginger (1 pc)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

-Spicy Carrot Margarita

2 oz carrot mix

1.5 Milagro tequila

1 oz lime

1 oz agave

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker over ice and shake. Roll your glass rim in chili salt and add ice to the glass. Pour the cocktail into the glass and enjoy!

Visit Little Beet website at http://www.thelittlebeettable.com/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Little Beet Table

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