International Margarita Day

Happy International Margarita Day! Margaritas have to be my favourite cocktail. So much so that i have 9 Lime Trees planted in anticipation of unlimited fresh Limes always on hand. And at $30- a kilo i'm going to be rich! Haha! 

Here's my list of Limes planted in the garden.......

6x Tahitian

2x Australian Fingerlime
2x Key Lime
1x Kusaie

2x Kaffir

International Margarita Day is officially observed annually on February 22nd. This is perfect for us in Auckland, NZ as Limes are just maturing into ripeness. Margys, as they are known in our household (or "Troygaritas"), are the most common tequila-based cocktail. It is a cocktail that consists of Tequila, Triple sec and fresh Lime juice. A key ingredient is the freshly squeezed lime juice. The most common Lime to use is the Tahitian (Persian) Lime. However, margaritas in Mexico are generally made with Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin-skinned limes and have more tart flavour compared to Tahitian Limes. Margaritas can be made with Lemons, they have a much softer taste. But i recommend to keep it authentic and use fresh Lime juice only. To juice my Limes i use a Lime Juicer like so:

Manual juicing is often messy but this is as efficient as a machine juicer without making a mess. You simply slice the lime, face the flesh towards the holes, hold it over the measure, and give it a good squeeze. The mechanics of it make is simple to get enough pressure to juice a lime without having to go all Hulk on it. Then you just give it a quick rinse & dry off. It’s easy to use and easy to clean.

So here's a couple of my go-to recipes for a Margy. You can keep it Classic or funk it up with my Mescal Margarita or get really fruity and go for a Oaxacan Gold Pineapple Margy the choice is up to you! 

Classic Margarita.

70ml Tequila.

40ml Cointreau.

30ml Fresh Lime juice.

Salt.
Agave Syrup or Caster Sugar (to taste).

1. Rub the rim of glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Salt.

2. Shake all ingredients with Ice.

3. Carefully pour into the glass with some Ice.

4. Garnish with a Lime wedge.

For the Classic i like to use a nice Anejo Tequila such as Patron or Herradura for a oaky aged smooth flavour or you can use Silver Tequila for a bright, clear flavour.

Mescal Margarita.

 70ml Mescal.

40ml Grand Marnier.

40ml Fresh Lime Juice.

10ml Agave Syrup.

Maldon Salt.

Lime Wedges.

​

*For a less smokey drink 35ml Tequila/ 35ml Mescal.

​

**You can Cointreau instead of Grand Marnier if you wish.

​

***For the rim you can make a blend of crushed Dried Chilies with the Salt.

1. Rub the rim of glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Salt.

2. In a cocktail shaker add the Mescal, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice & Agave Syrup. Add a handful of Ice & Shake.

3. Carefully pour into the glass with some Ice.

4. Garnish with a Lime wedge.

Oaxacan Gold Margarita.

30ml Oaxacan Mezcal
.

15ml fresh Lime juice
.

75ml Grilled Pineapple-Vanilla Puree.


6 to 10  ice cubes.

Chilli Salt.

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Roasted Pineapple-Vanilla Puree



1 Large ripe Pineapple, peeled & cut crosswise into 2cm thick pieces.


½ cup Sugar


½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

Roasted Pineapple-Vanilla Puree


1. Grill Pineapple until it is softened & caramelized. Cool.

2. In a blender, combine the grilled Pineapple with the Sugar, Vanilla & enough Water to bring the quantity of the total puree to 5 cups (about 2 cups water). Cover & pulse until the pineapple is roughly chopped, then blend on high until smooth & foamy.  Strain into a storage container, cool & refrigerate until you're ready to use, up to 3 days.

3. Rub the rim of a glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Chilli Salt.

4. In a cocktail shaker, combine the Mezcal, Lime juice, Grilled Pineapple-Vanilla Puree & Ice. Shake until frothy & cold. 

5. Pour into the prepared glass with Ice.

For more Margarita recipes check out my book called 'Viva La Mexico' its available for free download as an e-book at www.blurb.com/my/ebooks/639073-viva-la-mexico

New Citrus: Key Lime.

Well i finally caved and brought a Key Lime tree today. I had tried to resist the urge as i already have way too many Lime trees already (6x Tahitian, 2x Australian Fingerlime, 1x Kusaie, 2x Kaffir). But i have been reading through the Gardenweb forums lately, and from what a lot of the members there say it is the best flavoured of the Limes compared to a Tahitian. Funnily enough, even with all my Lime trees, i have run out of Limes at the moment! (this is how i have justified the purchase). Must be time to ease up on the cocktails LOL.

Key Limes are smaller and seedier, with a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind, than that of the Tahitian lime. It is valued for its unique flavor compared to other limes. 

The peel is thin, smooth and leathery, and greenish yellow to yellow at maturity. The pulp is greenish yellow, juicy, and highly acid with a distinctive aroma. They are quite seedy, which are highly polyembryonic (two or more plants identical to the mother plant may be produced from one seed). The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys, where it is best known as the flavouring ingredient in Key lime pie. (Here's my recipe for Key Lime Pie). It is also known as West Indian lime, bartender’s lime, or Mexican lime.

Key Lime is a small, bushy tree that will grow to around 5 metres when fully mature. Its trunk, which rarely grows straight, has many branches, which often originate quite far down on the trunk.  It has slender branches armed with short to medium length thorns.  The leaves are small (3-9cm long) & ovate, resembling orange leaves (the scientific name Citrus Aurantiifolia refers to this resemblance to the leaves of the orange, Citrus Aurantium). The flowers are 2.5 cm in diameter, are yellowish white with a light purple tinge on the margins. Flowers and fruit appear throughout the year, but are most abundant from May to September in the Northern Hemisphere.

  

There are various ways to cultivate Key limes. This variety of citrus can be propagated from seed and will grow true to the parent. Alternatively budwood can be grafted onto rough lemon or sour orange rootstock. The method of cultivation greatly affects the size and timeliness of the harvest. Trees cultivated from seedlings take 4–8 years before producing a harvest. They attain their maximal yield at about 10 years of age. Trees produced from grafting or cuttings bear fruit much sooner, sometimes producing fruit (though not a serious harvest) a year after planting. It takes approximately 9 months from the blossom to the fruit. When the fruit have grown to harvesting size and begin to turn yellow they are then picked.

The Key lime tree does best in sunny sites, well-drained soils, good air circulation, and protection from cold wind. Generally, Key lime trees need only limited pruning. Prune only to shape trees, to remove dead wood, to limit tree height & maximise the circulation of air.

Key Lime Pie

Photos: Slice of Chic, Miss Shari & Mandy