It's one of my favorite weeks of the year - Margarita Week! This beautiful internet creation is hosted by Kate from Hola Jalapeño. (Thanks, Kate!) Last year I shared a guava margarita, and I've got a new fruity one to share with you today. Over the last few years I've discovered that my two favorite forms of alcohol are whiskey and tequila. As we slip into fall and winter I find myself craving whiskey 100% of the time, but as the weather warms up I start to crave that tequila instead. So testing the recipe for this post came at the perfect time as the weather has been heating up here. I'm ready for tequila season!

As I was trying to figure out what direction to take my margarita in this year, I flipped through my note full of recipe ideas for the blog. I saw something about doing a cocktail with pink lady apples and the lightbulb went off. Pink lady apples are my FAVORITE (but why do they have to be like $3/lb?), and I specifically love them for their complex, tart flavor. I realized that their tartness would make them PERFECT for a margarita. So I got down to business developing a recipe for a pink lady apple margarita.

I figured out an easy way to make some pink lady apple juice with my blender, and I decided to swap lime juice for lemon since I thought it would complement the apple better. (This was a good choice.) And then I had the idea to do a cinnamon-sugar rim on the glass. I honestly think that's what brings this drink home. I've always preferred a margarita that's more on the tart and sour side, but then I like to do a sugared rim. So if you're like me then you'll love this margarita. The cinnamon also helps to bring out the apple flavor.

Over Easter weekend I tested this recipe on my family. It got the 110% approval from my mom plus a rave review from Robert, who doesn't often go for margaritas. Despite the fall vibes of the apple-cinnamon flavor profile, this drink still feels very summery and refreshing. It's possible they go down a LITTLE too easily.

If you're a regular reader then you might have noticed that the blog has been a bit quieter than usual. I've been busy with some freelance work and we're also BUYING A HOUSE. (<<<< AH!) So I've been a bit preoccupied with mortgage meetings, home inspections, Ikea research and trips to Home Depot. Life has been kinda nuts, but in a good way! We're extremely excited. I definitely had some of these pink lady apple margaritas with a celebratory frame of mind over the past couple weeks.

So please bear with me over the summer as we move and settle into our new home. I still have plenty of posts planned for the rest of the year, and my fingers are crossed that I can stay mostly on schedule. But things might be a bit spotty around here. You can always stay in touch and follow along via Instagram and Facebook.

Be sure to check out all of the other great margaritas from this year's Margarita Week right over here. As I'm busy moving I hope to squeeze in lots of these in my new backyard. (A backyard! Yay!) Happy warm weather tequila season to all of you!

Illustration at top created with Illustrator and Photoshop.
Prints of my illustrations (plus other products with my work on them) are available in my Society6 shop.

Pink Lady Apple Margarita

INGREDIENTS

For the pink lady apple juice:

2 pink lady apples
1/2 cup water

For the cinnamon-sugar rim:

3 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the cocktail:

1 3/4 oz tequila
3/4 oz triple sec
1/2 oz lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon)
2 oz fresh pink lady apple juice

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the pink lady apple juice:

Chop the apples into slices and place them in the blender. Discard the cores. (No need to peel them.) Add the water.
Blend on high, scraping down your blender once or twice, until the mixture is smooth.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain all of the juice into a separate container and discard the pulp. You should end up with about 1 2/3 cup juice.
Store the fresh juice in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

To make the rimming sugar:

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place a little bit on a small plate or shallow bowl. Spread it out so that you can fit the mouth of your cup over it. Set aside until you're ready to make your cocktail.

To make the cocktail:

Prep your glass. Rub the rim of your cup with a lemon wedge to get it wet, just at the top. Place it upside-down on your plate with the rimming sugar. Tap it around until you coat the rim of the glass with the sugar. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
Add all ingredients (tequila, triple sec, lemon juice and apple juice) to a cocktail shaker with ice. Put on the lid and shake vigorously for 30 seconds or so until it feels cool to the touch on the outside. Strain the cocktail into your prepared glass. Enjoy!

NOTES

If you have an actual juicer you could use that instead of my blender method. However, you might want to use less apple juice in your cocktail since it will be more concentrated.