Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita

¡Hola! I just want to take some time to thank all of my new readers that are now following the blog thanks to the NPR feature. Welcome to the familia, I truly appreciate the support/comments/and e-mails!

A few weeks ago, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes reached out to me to see if I could create a signature cocktail for the opening of their new exhibition, ¡Mírame! Expressions of Queer Latinx Art and it was such a great experience–and so fitting! The exhibition featured 12 artists from the Latinx LGBTQ community, where they explore their Latinidad, gender and sexuality and the difficulties of trying to fit into two worlds which can be unaccepting. I definitely recommend the exhibition if you live in the LA area, the exhibition runs through December 9th!

For the exhibition, I pitched a bunch of fun cocktails and they chose the Tepache Mezcal Margarita. I wasn’t expecting for them to go that route because in my experience, Tepache can be hit or miss with people because it shares similarities with Kombucha. The crowd seemed to be split in half between people who had no idea what Tepache was and people who loved it. It was a really good opportunity for me to share some knowledge and introduce people to such an iconic drink with pre-columbian roots, and it was also a great experience connecting with those who loved it and were reminded of their visits to Mexico. They instantly lit up. I’m currently reworking the recipe for the Tepache Mezcal Margarita, so keep your eyes peeled for that next month.

I decided to make this strawberry hibiscus margarita inspired by Billy because I’ve lost track of how many times he’s mentioned strawberries and hibiscus in the same sentence this past month. It became an ear worm (one of those songs that gets stuck in your head that you can’t get out until you actually listen to the song/make the margarita) so here we are enjoying this delicious margarita on the first day of summer!

If you’re also currently experiencing a heat wave (it was 102 degrees en mi rancho yesterday), take some time to cool off, and enjoy a margarita!

Happy Summer Solstice!

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Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita

Makes about 3 cups of the Strawberry Hibiscus mix. Makes 1 drink.

Course Drinks

Calories 0kcal

Author Esteban Castillo

Ingredients

• For the Strawberry Hibiscus Mix
• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup of dried hibiscus flowers
• 1 lb. of fresh strawberries diced
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 
  
• For the drink
• 4 oz. strawberry hibiscus mix
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 1/2 oz. mezcal
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1 tsp agave
• sea salt

Instructions

• For the Strawberry Hibiscus Mix
• In a medium sized saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Once the water reaches boiling point, mix in the hibiscus flowers and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes occasionally stirring the flowers, making sure they are fully submerged.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove all of the hibiscus flowers after they've simmered for about 5 minutes. Mix in the strawberries, sugar, and salt and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Mash the berries as they heat. Once the mixture has simmered for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer into a container. (if you don't mind the chunkiness in your drink you can go ahead and leave the strawberry bits in, but the drink will be thicker)
• Let cool completely.
• For the drink
• Start by rimming a glass with sea salt. Pour the sea salt onto a small plate then rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass then dip it into the salt.
• In a shaker filled with ice, mix in the strawberry hibiscus mix, lime juice, mezcal, triple sec, and agave. Shake vigorously for about 15-20 seconds and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry.