Margarita of the Month: September

Margarita of the Month: September

By now all five of my Dedicated Readers (yes, recently there were three, but two professed their devotion on Labor Day, so we’re up to five!) know my love of the tequila-based concoctions that fall under the umbrella of “Margaritas”… I’ve been sharing a few Eating and Drinking around the World approved recipes with you each month, and this one is truly one of my favorites… refreshing, sweet and with a unique flavor, this really is one you must try! Now let me introduce the Ginger Basil Margarita!

Ginger Basil Margarita

First you have to prepare the Ginger Syrup – and first before that you have to make some 2:1 Simple Syrup… take 1 cup water and add 1/2 cup sugar and heat over low heat stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile take a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peel it and slice into maybe 1/8″ or so slices (doesn’t need to be too exact). Take 1/2 cup of the sugar solution (you can make ahead, reserve the rest for other cocktails… I’m sure I’ll require you to use some in the future…) and add the sliced ginger, bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or a little more. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for about 1/2 hour. Strain out the ginger, cover and refrigerate.

Phew… now we can move on…. (actually the more clever among you can probably think of some wonderful dessert ideas using the ginger syrup… maybe just drizzled over some fresh fruit and topped with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream???)

The recipe makes one drink… adjust as needed… which means make more…

3 to 5 fresh Thai Basil leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish (the original recipe notes that chocolate basil would also work well, but I’ve also used regular basil, as you see in the pics, with quite tasty results as well)

1 oz Silver Tequila (the better the tequila, the better the drink… spring for the good stuff for this drink)

1/2 oz freshly squeezed Orange Juice

1/2 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 oz Triple Sec (or other good orange liqueur)

1 oz Ginger Syrup (see above if you haven’t been paying attention…)

Combine the basil with a couple of cubes of ice in a drink shaker and muddle to release the basil flavor – if you don’t know “muddle”, you ain’t drinking enough… Google is your friend…

Add the rest of the goodies and some more ice and shake vigorously (is there any other way to shake a drink?)… strain into a serving glass, straight up or on ice, your choice… garnish with the reserved basil, and a slice of lime, or orange, or both if you’re feeling really festive…

Enjoy… and yes, you will enjoy…

Now, credit where credit is due… where did this delicious concoction come from? I found it by the usual circuitous way of the great Interwebs…

I first saw it mentioned at the Steamy Kitchen, the site of my new Culinary Goddess, Jaden Hair… okay if you don’t know her yet, go to Steamy Kitchen now and get to know her… I’ll wait…

She linked to the recipe on the New Asian Cuisine site (another great site worth checking out…)… and they note that it was from the book “Asian Cocktails: Creative Drinks Inspired by the East” by Holly Jennings and Christine LeBlond (wow, LeBlond, what a name!)… that book is not yet in the Eating and Drinking around the World library, but Amazon does have the order in it’s hot little virtual hands…

Okay, there’s your beverage for this month, and it really is a winner! Now I guess we need to get back to the bar and get working on next month’s margarita… will have to work hard to top this one! It’s a tough job…

See you soon…