Friday Cocktail: Cherry Margarita

Well, the weather's holding up and we're spending most of our time lazing in the sun dreaming up new cocktails.

Cherries are beautifully in season at the moment. Last weekend, we bought a punnet or two too many of the juicy little buggers, and were left wondering what to do with the leftovers. On Monday night, we sat outside in the late evening (but still surprisingly toasty!) sunshine, chatting about the world and popping the stones out of our leftover cherries.

Then we popped them in the blender, and blended them into this delicious cherry margarita. We only added sugar syrup because we like things sweeter, but leave it out if you prefer things sharper and more refreshing.

The recipe below is for one glass so you can multiply easier depending on how many of you there are but we thoroughly, thoroughly recommend making at least enough for 2 each and pouring into a pitcher filled with ice and lime slices. One of these is rarely enough.

Cherry Margarita recipe (serves 1)

Ingredients:

2 big handfuls of cherries, stones removed
30ml lime juice
60ml tequila
30ml triple sec
30ml sugar syrup
Rocksalt and lime juice, for the glass rims

Shake it!

1. Pop the cherries, lime juice, tequila and triple sec in a blender. Whizz for until the cherries are as juiced as possible.
2. Sieve the mixture into a cocktail shaker and add the sugar syrup a spoonful at a time until it matches your desired sweetness.
3. Pop some salt on a plate, wet the rim of a cocktail glass with a lime wedge, and roll the glass in the salt to coat the glass' rim.
4. Pop a couple of ice cubes into the shaker, put the lid back on, and give it all you've got for a few seconds.
5. Strain into the glass and serve.