lemons

Fresh Citrus Margarita | Once Upon a Recipe

Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday,

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend.

Friday, Friday,

Gettin’ down on Friday…

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! We made it, the weekend is here! And what better way to celebrate than with Rebecca Black and a fresh citrus margarita? I tell ya, watching that music video pretty much requires an alcoholic beverage, so let’s get to it!

I’ve spoken of my love for juicing a couple of times now, and I’ve shared a fresh juice cocktail once before (beet lemonade, anyone?). BUT. This one is my new favorite. I started by making a fresh citrus juice, which was inspired by one of the juices at Glow Juicery, a relatively new and totally amazing juicery here in Edmonton. (Seriously, if you live in Edmonton, check it out – the website lists their store location and other spots where you can find their juice). Their citrus glow juice is one of my favorites, and when I saw the big display of beautiful citrus fruit at my grocery store the other day, I knew I had to try to recreate it at home.

Fresh Citrus Margaritas | Once Upon a Recipe

And then I decided to add a little booze. You know, just for kicks. The result? A wickedly delicious cocktail that packs a nutritional punch! Plus, how pretty?!

Fresh Citrus Margarita

The first time I made these margaritas, I rimmed the glass with sea salt. However, because the margarita itself is not super sweet (no simple syrup here!), I found the sea salt to be too much. However, because the margarita is quite tart, the sugar complimented it perfectly. The margaritas pictured were made with sea salt. In any case, do whatever floats your boat! Makes 4 margaritas.

For the fresh citrus juice:

Makes about 24 ounces, depending on the size of your fruit and your juicer.

4 oranges, skins removed (I used Cara Cara)

3 lemons, skins removed

1 small knob of ginger

8 oz. coconut water

Juice the oranges, lemons, and ginger. Mix together with the coconut water.

For the margaritas:

6 oz. fresh citrus juice

1.5 oz. tequila

0.5 oz. triple sec

Pinch of sea salt

Granulated sugar

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice (or just mix by hand if you don’t have a cocktail shaker). Rim your class with an orange slice and dip into the sugar. Fill your glass with ice, then add the cocktail mixture. Garnish with an orange slice. Enjoy!

Pair these margaritas with a big bowl of guac and your favorite tortilla chips and you’ve got yourself a happy hour to start the weekend off right. Happy Friday, loves!

PS. Friday parody. I laughed so hard.

One Last Taste of Summer | Beet Lemonade

Hi friends! As I mentioned, I bought a juicer! Finally. After months of humming and hawing, and lots of helpful advice from friends and fellow bloggers, I bit the bullet and went for it. And I’m in love.

For reals. I can’t get enough juice! I have to admit, I was a bit worried at first. For one thing, up until this month, there wasn’t a single fresh juice bar around these parts. So going out and buying a fresh kale, cucumber, and apple juice to test the waters was not an option. However, I was looking for a way to get more fruits, and more specifically, vegetables into my diet. And crap! You can squeeze a lot of vegetables into a glass of juice!

After much deliberation, I bought this juicer from Amazon. It fit my budget and had good reviews. I’ve been very happy with it so far. Definitely a great juicer to start with. Green juices are my favorite – it’s amazing how much an apple can sweeten things up! Plus, when something is this green, I feel like I’m healthier just looking at it!

With Fall knockin’ at the door (Hip hip hooray! Boots! Scarves! Sweaters! Pumpkin everything!), I am trying to find ways to enjoy these last days of Summer. It’s been gorgeous here with hot temperatures that practically demand a refreshing beverage. I would drink beer all the live-a-long day, but unfortunately…well, you know. The solution? A healthy cocktail with fresh juice. Yep, I’m totally putting beets in your lemonade. Let’s do it!

Lemon juice gets a little sweetness kick from beet juice and honey syrup, and gin brings some fun to the party. Gin kinda has a reputation for that, doesn’t it? This lil’ cocktail is pretty tasty, folks. So why not juice up a little health, add a shot of booze, and call it even? Now that’s some Summer winning!

Beet Lemonade

This drink was inspired by an article I read in a local food magazine. The original recipe used a roasted beet puree in place of the fresh beet juice. If you’d like to make beet lemonade to serve a crowd, simply multiply the amounts listed below by the number of people you wish to serve and add to a pitcher of ice.

2 ounces fresh beet juice

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

1 ounce honey syrup*

2 ounces gin

Sparkling water (optional)

*To make the honey syrup, combine equal parts honey and boiling water, and allow to cool. (For example: for one ounce, combine 1 TBSP. honey and 1 TBSP. boiling water). Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over ice. Feel free to add more honey syrup if the lemonade is too tart for your liking. As the end result is rather…beety – adding sparkling water will cut the intensity a bit, if needed. Enjoy!