There is not much to say except… You are going to want to make these! Now you have something to drink with last week’s Chicken Fajitas. You’re welcome.
I have written many times about the transformation fruit makes when it is cooked over live fire and citrus is no exception. The natural sugars in the fruit begin to caramelize and deepen in flavor, plus the smokiness you get from the little fleck of char is why we grill. I mean, just look at those little charred pieces of pulp in that glass!
To bump it up just a bit more, I used big flake smoked sea salt (Maldon) with a the tiniest pinch of smoked paprika mixed in to salt the rim of the glass… ¡QUE RICO!
When grilling fruit of any kind, just be sure that the grates are brushed clean and oiled. The is no need to oil the fruit or especially to add sugar to it. {insert grimace face} Sugar will just burn on the grill and we are looking for the natural sugars to caramelize, and burnt sugar does not taste delicious.
- 6 limes, cut in half
- 3 lemons, cut in half
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- For the simple syrup:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup water
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- For each margarita:
- ¼ cup smoked sea salt
- 1 pinch smoke paprika
- Ice
- 3 ounces tequila blanco
- 1 ounce charred citrus juice
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- Lime wheels, for garnish
- Set up grill for direct heat using medium-high heat. Brush and oil grates. Place citrus cut-side down on the grill and cook until dark grill marks form, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove fruit and when it is cool enough to handle, juice them with your citrus juicer of choice; you should have about 1 cup. Place in air-tight container and chill in refrigerator. Juice will keep for several days.
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Cool to room temperature.
- Mix smoked sea salt and smoked paprika and spread on a small plate. Run a lime around the rim of a glass and then dip in the salt.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the tequila, lime juice, Cointreau, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously until frost forms on shaker. Add ice to glasses and strain margarita into glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy!
Man, those margaritas look great! I haven’t used Cointreau before, but I can see how that would add an extra bit of citrus ‘punch’ to the recipe. Charring the citrus is also a fantastic idea – I am off to get the ingredients right now!
Hey buddy – these margaritas ROCKED! I can’t imagine drinking them any other way now. Definitely my new go to recipe. Let me know how you liked them. Cheers – Jeff