I have a confession to make. That amazing, over-the-top wonderful Mexican vacation I just went on and have been rhapsodizing over for like ever? There was one thing about it that actually really sucked.
The margaritas were TERRIBLE.
Oh my god, I know, how dare I complain after the best tropical vacay in the world, but seriously. Kels and I both agreed. They were near-undrinkable. It tasted like they were made with lemonade concentrate...super-sweet, you could hardly taste the tequila, just the weirdest chemical aftertaste. We tried valiantly at least three times, and just gave up and switched to Grey Goose and grapefruit, gin and tonic, or caipirinhas (mojitos with double the rum and no mint, a drink I discovered in Brazil!) and never looked back.
But. BUT.
There's something about a Mexican girls' trip that flips the margarita switch to "ON," no matter how good the alternatives are, and I'm still craving them even after having been back Stateside for a solid week. So I dove into the annals of Pinterest and searched out a few (a lot of) recipes to assuage my tequila craving. And I'm so excited about it, I'm pretty sure I'll be making Kelsie recreate Mexico on my roof with me all summer! Here are a few that made my list:
This clean, classic recipe from Flourishing Foodie.
These pretty-in-pink lemonade babies from The Incredible Sometimes Edible Egg.
These low-cal, cucumber-lime guys from TastesLovely.
These blood-orange beauties by DesignLoveFest.
And last but not least...how fun do these margarita popsicles by Emeril Lagasse look?!
And if doing-it-yourself isn't your thing, here are a few of my favorite Twin Cities spots to get my tequila on!
Barrio (the blood-orange jalapeño is a spicy-sweet kick in the pants.)
Rosa Mexicano (true smarties go for the pomegranate margarita and bottomless guacamole at happy hour.)
MASA (stick with the Tradicional, it's delicious.)
La Cucaracha (Upgrade to "The Bullfighter" and make sure to get the fresh-baked chips.)
and, of course, duh, Rojo (one margarita will get you buzzed, two will get you wasted and three will leave you flat on your ass. No shame in this game.)
Salud, amigos!