“O tequila, savage water of sorcery, what confusion and mischief your sly, rebellious drops do generate!” ~ Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

I love a good margarita.

I also like to try to be mindful about what I put into my body, and avoid things like GMOs and refined sugar.

Trouble is, if you walk into a store looking for a bottle of margarita mix, chances are that most of the options will contain things like high fructose corn syrup and nasty food dyes. Essentially, a drink mix that is loaded up with sugar, chemicals and GMOs.  (There are some alternatives available, for instance Trader Joe’s does carry a nice, organic margarita mix with natural ingredients.)

However, I’ve found that the most delicious and fresh-tasting margaritas are the ones my husband and I make at home, from scratch. (Well, we do still buy the tequila at the store.)

This may sound a little complicated, but honestly, it’s not! Especially, if you make a point to keep a homemade bottle of “simple syrup” on hand.

Making simple syrup is easy.

You just need water and organic cane sugar. The sugar to water ratio is 1:1, so use 1 cup of water mixed with 1 cup of sugar (or 2 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar, etc.) Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring the contents until the sugar dissolves. Then let it cool off before using. You can store the syrup in a glass jar for 3-4 weeks in the fridge. We use an old juice bottle.

Once you have some simple syrup chillin’ in the fridge for use, the rest is a breeze!

Here are the few ingredients you’ll need to make a couple of Mindful Margaritas:

– The tequila of your choice

– Homemade simple syrup, made with organic cane sugar

– Organic lemons and limes

– Ice

– Club soda (aka sparkling water)

– High quality salt (optional)

Let’s get started! This recipe will make a margarita for 2 people (or 2 for you!) but for a bigger batch, just double or triple the recipe as needed.

If you have one, you can use a drink mixer, but if you don’t, no worries! Just use an old pickle jar or juice jar. Way to re-use and keep things extra mindful!

To start, choose your favorite tequila. In our house we like to have options…

Use your favorite shot glass to measure out 4 shots of tequila (Maybe just 3 if you’re not used drinking tequila), and pour the tequila into your jar or mixer.

Then, use the same shot glass to measure out 2 shots of Simple Syrup. If you like sweeter drinks, then you may consider adding a 3rd shot of syrup. But if you like things a bit more tart (like me!) stick to just 2. Then add the syrup into your mixer.

Next cut 2 lemons and 3 limes. Use a hand-juicer (or just hand-squeeze) to extract the lemon/lime juice into your mixture. (If you like, hang onto one of the used lemon or lime halves for salting your glass later.)

Then once you have all your liquids in, add some ice, put the cap on and shake well!

If you’d like to salt the rim of your glass, grind some salt into a small dish.

Use the lemon or lime you put aside earlier to rub a bit of juice moisture around the rims of the glasses. Then, one at a time,  gently turn and rub the rim of the glass around in the dish, so the salt sticks to the moistened edges of the glass.

Next, add a couple of fresh ice cubes (not the ones from the mixer) to each glass. Give the margarita in the mixer one more good shake before pouring into the glasses.

Leave a bit of room in the glass to add a float of club soda on top of your margarita mixture, and stir it in gently.

Salud!

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Author: Yoli Ramazzina

Editor: Renée Picard

Photos: Author’s own