It’s easy to fall into a certain kind of wintry malaise this time of year. No, we’re not talking about seasonal affective disorder. We’re talking about that duo of conundrums that hit right around this point in December: 1. Do you have to give up on seasonal (read: warm weather) favorite cocktails until the days get longer? and 2. Is it ever going to snow again? Ever??
While we can’t change the weather from our laptops over here at Southforker, we can find a little ray of sippy sunshine to brighten up your Friday night in the form of the Snowflake Margarita from our buddies over at Rémy Cointreau. It’s your basic classic margarita recipe — a sour at its core — but the fresh lime is swapped for richer, fragrant passionfruit juice and, if you’re the kind of lovely ‘rita mixer maker who adds a touch of agave to your drink, cinnamon syrup to give it that “Hey, it’s the holidays!” whiff of seasonal joy. You can, of course, use the orange liqueur of your choice, but for us, Cointreau is the gold standard and, if you don’t happen to have any in your home, so very easy to find (although Bottle Hampton at 850 County Road 39 and Bridgehampton Wine Cellar at 2102 Montauk Highway seem to have the best prices on a liter currently at $39.99 and $42, respectively — sweet!).
Shake one up for your favorite snow-searching elf this evening — and have a great weekend, folks!
Snowflake Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz blanco tequila
- 1 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz passion fruit syrup
- 1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
- 1 orange peel, for garnish
For the cinnamon syrup:
- 1 cup Demerara sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 – 5 whole cinnamon sticks
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake for about 10 to 15 seconds, or until well-chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass.
- Give the orange peel a gentle twist of the top to express its oils, and garnish with the peel. Cin-cin!
For the cinnamon syrup:
- In a small sauce pot, combine the sugar and water. Still a little to combine and add in the cinnamon sticks.
- Simmer over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool and steep for an hour.
- Remove cinnamon sticks and discard. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks.
