I have a thing for strong fruit-centric drinks (but not sweet drinks) and there’s a difference. The blueberry old fashioned packs its own punch as does the strawberry martini.

 Now you might not realize that the avocado is a fruit.

According to this article, they fit the botanical criteria for a berry, which surprised me.

As is true in many of the recipes here at Spinach Tiger, the avocado margarita was not on my white board or in any of my plans until just a few days ago.

My fitness instructor asked me on Monday if I was going to make a margarita for National Margarita Day. Since the whole class was watching, I said sure, and then in my head, thought, probably not. That is  until my friend who works out with me started raving about an avocado margarita  she recently had at this new restaurant aptly named Avo. She even gave me some black sea salt for the drink.

I left inspired to create an avocado margarita and somehow put my own spin to it.

After a quick trip to buy some limes, I went home got out the tequila, avocados, cilantro and celery leaves. Instead of  typical triple sec, I used Gran Gala, a brandy based orange liquor from Trieste, Italy, and quickly I had my margarita up in time for instagram on the national margarita day amongst the other 84,000 posts.

Did you know that when you go to instagram, if you search with a hashtag, you can find all the ways people spend their day eating and drinking.

The Avocado Margarita Showcases My Love for Healthy Food

The avocado margarita combines my love for healthy green food, but don’t be fooled. There’s a good amount of tequila in each drink.  It’s creamy, yet tart, and maybe even a little too easy to drink. It’s not too sweet, but it needs the salt to balance it, so please don’t leave that out.

The Avocado Margarita Process and Gran Gala

I found the recipe at Bon Appetit, which was inspired by an avocado margarita made famous at Curra’s Grill in Austin. I added in the celery salt and instead of triple sec, I used Gran Gala, a VSOP Italian brandy based orange liquor.

Gran Gala has a velvety feel, and an intense flavor and can be used in any cocktail that uses triple sec or Gran Marnier.

I used half avocado for two drinks, and it was the right amount to get that lovely creaminess. I used a touch of cilantro and celery leaves (because I had them and I like that celery flavor). I could even see a dash of celery salt and a dash of cayenne if you want to take the drink to a zestier level.

You Can Freeze this Batch of Avocado Margaritas Ahead of  Your Party

I made these on Monday, but not ready to drink, so I froze the batch in a plastic ziplock. This is truly the secret to a nice iced cold cocktail that you can make in big batches and have ready for your party.

Simply take out until the freeze wears off and the liquid is still cold, or run again in your Vitamix frozen.

The avocado margarita is a good start to my dreams of weekly cocktails. Come back next time for a classic manhattan, as I love retro drinks. If you have a good recipe for something, please send it my way.

A Few of the  Cocktails featured here at Spinach Tiger

Best  Margarita with Fresh Citrus

Blueberry Old Fashioned

Bloody Mary

Strawberry Martini

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

Mexican Food from Spinach Tiger

Print

Avocado Margarita

Avocado Margarita, healthy, smooth, creamy and delicious, adapted from Curra’s Grill in Austin, via Bon Appetite Magazine.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt or gourmet salt of your choice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime or 1 teaspoon finely minced green herb
• 1/2 avocado pitted, peeled
• 4 ounces tequila
• 3 ounces gran gala a triple orange liquor (or triple sec)
• 3 ounces fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon agave or simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon orange juice or squeeze fresh orange
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and optional celery leaves combined
• 4 lime wheels

Instructions

• Rim 4 medium sized glasses with a lime wedge and dip into crushed salt. Salt should be moderately course. You can mix the salt with some lime zest or finely chopped parsley (or cilantro)for added color.
• Combine all ingredients into a blender.
• Pour into glasses.
• Garnish with lime wheel.
• This makes 2 to 4 margaritas.

Notes

You Can Freeze Ahead

I froze the batch in a plastic ziplock. This is truly the secret to a nice iced cold cocktail that you can make in big batches and have ready for your party. Simply take out until the freeze wears off and the liquid is still cold, or run again in your Vitamix frozen.

This recipe makes 2-4 margaritas, depending on size of glass.
To make the drink a little greener, I added in some parsley on the second batch, which you don't really taste much of and cilantro would be too overpowering. Mix up a little with the sea salt and rim the glass.

The post Avocado Margarita with Gran Gala Liquor appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

It’s almost 100 degrees and company is coming. Dessert will not come from an oven. But, I know watermelon is welcome and I’m sharing two recipes with you.

You cannot fail with watermelon in the hot summer. It’s the fruit I crave the most when the heat rises. It’s so juicy and sweet and is the perfect dessert simply sliced and plated. However…..

However, if you are having a special dinner guest in the middle of the week, you want to make something just to show your love.

Shane was my very first friend in Nashville 11 years ago, and I hadn’t seen him in a long time. He reached for his star and he’s living his dream as a successful song writer. I can say I knew him when. On his way to success, he helped me faux finish, even working with me on the Opryland Hotel. And, he is so down to earth and genuine that he still offered to help me faux finish my kitchen……because he hates it.

It didn’t seem unusual at all for him to come in, take a look around and tell me the green is all wrong. Well that very morning, I had decided the green had to go. We think alike and in 9 years, my kitchen is soon to see it’s 5th faux finish. We both agreed that icey blue is where it needed to go. I wonder if our decision is based on our reaction to the heat.

Of course, my husband is just shaking his head. “Here we go again.” Shane said he would help me do it. This is what I love about old friends. You don’t see each other for a long time and you just pick back up as if no time had passed. And, you give your opinion freely.

These kind of friendships aren’t built upon music business success or life status. These are the friendships that connect instantly and stand the test of time because they are based on something that’s hard to describe, but I’m sure you can think of a few people in your life that you have this with.

And, these kind of friends can come into your house and offer their opinion without offense because they see your place as their place. I love it because I did the exact same thing to him recently at his new condo. He wants a silver leaf ceiling, but I’m seeing medallion gold lusterstone. I ought to just pack my paint deck at all times, because I love to pick paint colors for other people. And, I also, like to tell people what to eat. But, it’s not my fault. It’s my Italian genes. Art and food are our life. Couple this with a mild case of assertive opinion, and you can see why we must find others like ourself to hang out with.

The Sorbet
The color alone is nearly enough for me. It’s really the true color of a ripe watermelon, not pale pinky quiet, but loud and juicy.

This is now my favorite sorbet out of my kitchen to date. The texture was unusual. It quickly melts in your mouth, but I loved it, and was so disappointed the next day when I went to the freezer and it was gone.

Sorbet Becomes a Cocktail
I pointed a finger at Mr. Spinach Tiger and he said it was still there, but way in the back. I took it out and thought “it’s cocktail hour” somewhere, and I had extra watermelon juice. I like vodka cocktails in the summertime, either with lemonade or with fresh juice, and as cold as I can get them.

I mixed the sorbet with some watermelon juice, vodka and splash of lime and had a nice moment. Is it wrong to drink a cocktail in the kitchen all alone pre-shower? Of course, not. I have to test my recipes, right?

Don’t ask me for exact measurements.

The ratio is somewhere around

• 3-1 sorbet to watermelon juice,
• 4-1 (that)juice to vodka or more if you like.

You could be more daring and exchange the vodka with tequila, but I can’t drink tequila alone. Mr. Spinach Tiger always salts his watermelon, so I salted the rim of the glass and it nicely balances the “sweet” of the drink. But, feel free to sugar the rim if you like it sweet.

Doesn’t this deep watermelon color refresh you instantly? Tell me, how are you keeping cool these days?

Sorbet Recipe
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. Makes 1 litre (1 quart).

• 3 pound watermelon (large to make extra watermelon juice for cocktails)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• big pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon tequila (original was vodka)

Make watermelon juice

1. Trim off rind, take off as many seeds as you can. Chop and put in blender. I used an immersion blender.
2. Strain through a mesh sieve to yield watermelon juice that has no seeds, no pulp.

Make simple syrup

1. Use 1 cup of watermelon juice with sugar.and salt. Heat in small saucepan until sugar is melted.
2. Add lime juice, remaining watermelon juice, and tequila. Chill thoroughly.
3. Process with ice cream maker.

The post Watermelon Sorbet and Watermelon Vodka Cocktail appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There is no way I could make any dish to celebrate Cinco de Mayo the way that she can. She has a catering business.  The best birthday my husband had was when she so generously shipped boxes of tamales for his party.

I have years of memories of sharing food together at her house, my house and at restaurants. I have never been able to replace what we shared together because while I might have friends who eat with us at restaurants or eat at our home, Erin and I did it all together. I could give you a list a mile long of the different dinner parties, but her favorite food story of me took place while she was in labor in the hospital with her third child, Gavin.

I stopped at a market and picked up a bounty for her family to eat in the hospital room, while we waited for the baby. Gavin, to this day, likes to tell the story of my response to the looks I was getting as I was setting up the banquet. “Gotta eat.”

Is it any wonder Gavin is a little chef and foodie? He was born into a room filled with good food. And, at just two weeks old, he attended a dinner party at my house in his honor. This was the way we did things. Everything was celebrated with food and drink.

While I always had the love for Italian food, Erin or Erina has honored and cherished the flavors of Mexico, although she can take on just about any cuisine.

The best I can do to keep up with her is to offer her a glass of “sipping” tequila. It is made with a blend of blue agave anejo and reposado tequilas. Each is aged separately and then infused with the Damiana flower. The añejo tequila is aged up to eighteen months and the reposado tequila is rested for nearly a year. The result is a beautiful smooth sipping drink enjoyed neat or on the rocks. You can make cocktails with it, keeping in mind it has a bit of sweetness compared to regular tequila, but I like that.

At just 64 proof, and not the usual 76 proof, Agovera Tequila probably won’t make you do something you either can’t remember or wish you couldn’t remember. But, it is known to be an aphrodisiac, so be careful who you are drinking it with.

Tell me, what is your worst tequila moment?

The post Agavero, a Sipping Tequila for Erina appeared first on Spinach Tiger.