Cinco De Mayo Ultra Vio-lit Margarita

May 1, 2018

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST WRITTEN BY ME ON BEHALF OF PATRÓN. ALL OPINIONS ARE 100% MINE.

I’ve been walking by my local flower shop and peeking in at these stunning Pantone-perfect blooms for weeks.

I knew I needed to use these other-worldly flowers for a cocktail, but I also knew they didn’t belong clipped to the rim of just any old drink. They needed to be paired with a truly special recipe, because nothing else could justify being topped with such a fantastical garnish.

Then I heard about Patron’s “Search for 2018’s Margarita of the Year.” In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Patron has chosen seven top recipes from leading bartenders that celebrate the classic cocktail while adding their own twist on the original. After checking out the top recipes (see them and vote for your favorite at MargaritaOfTheYear.com and the one with most votes will be announced on Cinco), I decided that the perfect place to use my dreamy purple garnish was on my own margarita riff. Cinco de Mayo was fast approaching and no garnish could be too extra for such an occasion.

As soon as I got the flowers home, the rest of the recipe quickly came to me. My Cinco marg needed to be floral, mysterious, exotic, fresh, and most importantly, it needed to be purple. To create this blend of flavors, I made a tangy tropical passionfruit syrup, threw in some classic lime, and used flower-power violet and elderflower liqueurs. As for the base of the drink, in honor of the “Search for 2018’s Margarita of the Year” competition I selected smooth handcrafted Patron Silver. Finally, to emphasize the cocktail’s floral qualities I used a delicate vintage vase for my glass (after all, the drink WAS inspired by a flower).

As long as you make the passionfruit syrup ahead of time, this pastel-pretty drink couldn’t be simpler to assemble for your friends on the big day.

Happy Cinco, cocktail fam.

Ultra Vio-lit Margarita

2.5 oz Patron Silver
.75 oz elderflower liqueur
.75 oz lime juice
.5 oz passionfruit syrup
.5 oz violet liqueur

For the syrup:

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
Flesh of 6 passionfruit

Instructions for the cocktail:

Add Patron, passionfruit, strained lime juice, elderflower liqueur and violet liqueur to a cocktail shaker 3/4 full of ice. Shake for 20 seconds, and strain into a glass full of cracked ice. Serve, and toast to Cinco de Mayo.

Instructions for the syrup:

Add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and gradually begin adding sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Reduce heat further, add passionfruit flesh, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Allow to (barely) simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain out the passionfruit flesh and seeds, and store the remaining syrup in a glass container. Use within five to seven days.