Cucumber margaritas

**Updated March 2018**

These spicy cucumber margaritas are the perfect drinks if you’re looking for a light & refreshing take on the classic margarita recipe. Super easy – worth a try!

We have a pretty solid division of tasks in our family (ie, between me and Jonathan): I do most of the cooking, and Jonathan steps in if I’m not keen to cook or if we are both in the mood for one of his recipes. Jonathan, on the other hand, is almost always on cocktail duty. He’s all about accurate measures, whereas I’m way more a pinch of this and a dash of that type of cook. With cocktails, though, you kind of need to be precise.

Before we were married, I gifted Jonathan with a cocktail shaker and a huge book of all sorts of cocktails. His cocktails were soooo delicious, but I remember particularly feeling their effects much faster than what I was used to! Turns out, he was “accidentally” using double shots instead of standard shots. So, instead of two drinks I was having four…and so on lol.

Anyway, when I want to try my hand in the cocktail laboratory I usually just play it by ear. This time, though, I knew I wanted to create a cocktail specifically for the blog because really, who doesn’t like a good cocktail? This recipe is even better because you can easily make a few modifications to turn it totally alcohol free – different, but just as good!

I love love (love!) spicy cocktails, so anything with spicy flavors like ginger or hot sauce are right up my alley, so I knew I wanted to somehow find a way to add my new favorite discovery: smoked paprika.

The classic margarita on the rocks calls for: 2 oz Tequila, 1 oz Lime juice, 1 oz Cointreau. So far, so good. But what could I do to  jazz mine up a bit? I looked around the kitchen and spotted some very cucumbery-tasting cucumbers from our local food co-op and the light bulb went off: I had to try my hand at making a cucumber margarita! I added a spicy touch to it, and it was so refreshing and most importantly, not-too-sweet. These cucumber margaritas are the perfect drinks if you’re looking for a light & refreshing take on the classic margarita recipe. Super easy – worth a try!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Tequila
• 1 oz Lime juice
• 1 oz Cointreau
• ½ cucumber
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika powder
• 2 tablespoons salt

Instructions:

1. Place your cucumber and 1 tablespoon of salt into your blender or food processor until completely smooth and uniform
2. Take the cucumber and salt purée and pass it through a sieve to get an even smoother liquid
3. Combine the tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and cucumber juice and shake with ice
4. Mix together the remaining salt and the smoked paprika powder on a small plate
5. Rub the rim of your cocktail glass with a lime wedge, then dip the rim of the glass into the salt mixture.
6. Next, pour in your shaken margarita and add a few cucumber slices and lime wedges for garnish (totally optional)