Fresh Peach Margarita on the Deck

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A good margarita is a favorite of mine and I hesitate to mess with the lime version as is.  Peaches are also a favorite and I have a ton of them.  And I have a nice little bottle of silver Patron tequila.  The stars are aligned and the deck is waiting, so who am I to argue.

Margaritas have always been my mixed drink of choice, on the rocks with salt and I want to be able to taste the tequila.  That is the nature of a margarita.  For such a simple drink, there are many variations just in choosing the tequila and orange liquor that can take a basic drink to something off the chart delicious.  How much you want to spend also comes into play, but keep in mind you don't have to spend that much to have a really good margarita.  Then there is changing up the fruit flavorings.  Essentially a margarita is tequila, orange flavored liquor and fresh lime juice.  It is summer, peaches are in season and it sounds like great combination.

 Peaches are in abundance right now.  I like the tangy flavored peach so I usually go with a yellow freestone.  If you like a sweeter peach, white peaches and doughnut peaches are a good choice.  Check on what is available in your area and if you have a difficult time finding fresh peaches, a good substitute is peach nectar or frozen peaches.  Keep in mind you need 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of peach puree or nectar.

I don't peel peaches. There I said it.  There is a lot of flavor in the peel and peach fuzz washes right off.  I also don't like peeling peaches and that might have a something to do with it.  Yes, my jam has peach peel in it - and my cobblers - and my breads.  I came across a recipe the other day that uses peach peel to make peach butter.  Interesting.  That might be a good reason to peel peaches.  If you don't like peach peel, then go ahead remove it. (How you might ask?  By dropping them into boiling water for 60 seconds, remove them and shock them with cold water which also stops the cooking.  The peels should slide right off. It works perfectly almost every time!)

First time I tried making a peach margarita, out of habit I used Jose Cuervo gold tequila and Gran Gala orange liquor and thought the flavors overpowered the peach and the drink tasted a little strong for me.  (Note:  About a year ago someone recommended the Italian orange liquor, Gran Gala and had the audacity to say they liked it better than Grand Marnier. I had to give it a try given that the price was much cheaper.  It does make an excellent margarita.  It is a bit smoother with a really nice orange flavor.  A lot of people use triple sec which is OK, but trust me Gran Gala or Grand Marnier make a much better margarita.)

Second try I made it with Patron silver tequila and a splash (about 1 teaspoon) of Gran Gala.  Much better and much peachier.  Patron is a pricey tequila, but it also a good sipping tequila.  There are many good brands of silver tequila like Sauza Silver and Jose Cuervo Clasico Silver that are reasonably priced at about $20/litre or under.  A bit higher priced is Corazon Blanco and a favorite of mine Herradura Blanco at about $20 to $30/litre. There are many tequilas these days but I would not spend too much when blending with fruit or mixes because you will loose the subtleties that you paid for in the more pricey tequilas. 

 How did I do it?  Put all the ingredients listed below in the blender and puree.  Pour it into a glass that fits your mood, sit on the deck or patio and enjoy!

If you chill all your ingredients before making it will be cooler, but it is probably easier to shake it with some ice and strain it (or not for on the rocks!) into your favorite margarita glass.  I have found that old jelly glasses work great but martini/margarita glasses give this cocktail a dressed up, classic look.  Sometimes that is important and sometimes all that matters to me is that the glass goes in the dishwasher when done!   But for you, I dressed it up.

An option is to sugar the rim of the glasses you are using for the margaritas.

Make the sugar special by adding about 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced lime zest and stirring it into 1/4 cup of sugar.  Let it sit for 1/2 hour or so, stirring a couple of times.  The sugar will absorb the lime flavor and turn a very light green.  Nice.  Rub the rim of a glass with a lime wedge and then place the glass upside down with the rim in the plate that has the granulated sugar in it until the rim is coated with sugar.  Very pretty. Note:  I tried to process the lime zest with the sugar in my food processor and as you can see it didn't work very well but was still very tasty.  Next time I will finely mince the zest and stir it in with the sugar and skip the food processor.

Peach Margarita
makes 2 servings

4 ounces silver tequila (I used Patron)
2 ounces of Peach Schnapps
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 medium size peach
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 teaspoon of orange liquor, optional
Lime Sugar, optional

If making lime sugar:  Add 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced lime zest to 1/4 cup granulated sugar and set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For a pretty presentation, coat the rims of the glasses you are using with lime sugar (of course you can alternatively use plain white sugar).  Do this by rubbing the rim with a lime wedge and then placing the rim into a plate that has the sugar in it until the rim is coated with sugar.

Place all ingredients into the blender and puree.  Add a little cold water if it is too thick.  Either chill all ingredients before making or add some ice cubes after you have made the margarita and stir it until it is as cold as you like and strain it into your glasses (or serve on the rocks).

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Enjoy!