I'm behind on The Last Man On Earth, but going all the way back to the very first episodes, the show always had a fun look at food. Imagine, having access to perceivably all the food in the world to yourself! Well, we get a glimpse of that when we see the mess Phil has made, and his margarita pool is half disgusting, half fantasy. It's pretty gross to see him reclining in the oversized cocktail while he drinks from a comically long straw, but I have to admit on more occasions than one, after a particularly trying day at work, I wish I could order that size of cocktail directly to my couch. Since the show returned last night, and I've never done a drink on here, I thought it was fitting to make the first a margarita Monday.
The ingredients in this recipe look almost like your average breakfast smoothie, other than the tequila of course. This means it's not pucker-your-lips sweet, and the only sugar comes from the naturally occurring kind. The final product is sweet, spicy and most of all, very fresh. Take a load off and feel like you're enjoying a drink at your favorite local Mexican place. No judgment if you end up finishing off a family-sized bag of tortilla chips along with it.
I peeled the cucumber because I'm pretty sensitive to the bitter taste of the skin, but you don't have to!
Spicy Cucumber Margarita
inspired by The Last Man On Earth, season 1, episode 1
makes two drinks (so multiply it by about 100 to make a pool portion)
- 4 oz tequila*
- 2 oz fresh lime juice
- 2 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cucumber, sliced or diced
- 1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- lime slices/wedges for garnish (optional)
- cucumber slice for garnish (optional)
*if you don't remember from college, 1 shot = 1.5 oz
Combine tequila, lime juice, honey, orange juice and cucumber to blender (or Nutribullet in my case, which is why I did more than slice the cucumber). Pulse for 1 minute or until mixture is smooth.
Strain the liquid into a cocktail shaker (a clean glass that fits well with another glass to make a shaker works well if you don't have one). Add jalapeño slices to the strained liquid and muddle until it's as spicy as you want. The longer the slices and seeds soak, the spicier it will be. Add a handful of ice and shake for a few minutes to chill. Immediately strain the liquid into a prepared glass that's filled with ice. Garnish as desired.
To prepare the glass with a sweet chili salt rim, combine the salt, sugar and chili powder on a plate or medium/large ramekin. Run a lime slice around the rim of a glass and twist the rim into the salt mixture.
Sip and enjoy!
adapted from gimmesomeoven.com.
[made while watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (my fave of the movies!).]