Carrot, Orange & Ginger Margaritas

This story all begins with juice.

I was on my lunch break at work, grabbing food 

from a nearby healthy food place.

I went there because a co-worker of mine had given me a 

gift card to the restaurant for Christmas.

I think that she got it for me because she caught me eating

the leftover pinto beans from the Chipotle catering

right out of the serving pan at my desk one time,

so she probably thinks that I'm a very healthy person. 

Anyways.

For a girl who primarily subsists off of mini bagels,

ordering a big ole bowl of quinoa and vegetables 

felt like an accomplishment to be celebrated.

So, I tacked on a fancy overpriced juice to my order

for a little personal achievement reward.

The words "I paid more than a dollar for juice"

are grounds for ex-communication in my 

blue-collar meat-n-potatoes family, so this also added a

sense of danger and excitement to my yuppy 

lunch extravaganza. 

Back at the office, I sank into my desk chair and slugged back 

4 dollars worth of juice faster than a chubby kid

that realized his Lunchable came with a Capri-Sun pouch.

Maybe it was due to the fact that it was noon on a Wednesday and I was at work, 

but all I could think about when drinking the yuppy juice was..

"This would taste great with tequila!"

And thus, this margarita was born.

This margarita is great because it is rich and flavorful without being 

so sweet that your stomach hurts after only drinking one. 

The orange and carrot juice work super well together, and the ginger flavor

adds a little spiciness and complexity to the drink.

(Don't tell my dad that I used the word "complexity" in talking about juice. Please.)

Ingredients

2 limes (zested and juiced)
1 1/4 c. orange juice
1 c. carrot juice
1 c. tequila ( I used Espolon Silver)
1-inch chunk of ginger
ginger beer (to top)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

Recipe:

(yields 3 drinks)

This all starts with a little simple syrup. Combine the sugar, water, lime zest, and ginger

in a saucepan and simmer on low until the mixture becomes thick and syrup-y.

Set the syrup aside and combine the tequila, carrot, orange and lime juice

in a pitcher. Stir in 1 1/2 tbsp. of the simple syrup. 

Pour into glasses over ice and top with a splash of ginger beer. 

Until the next, babes.