The Quarantinarita
This recipe comes from Daisy, copywriter extraordinaire and cocktail Queen.
I'll be frank: I buy in bulk. Not toilet paper, but tequila. It's a staple in my kitchen (right up there with garbanzo beans and Top Ramen), and it's been the cornerstone of my "What's in the pantry?" margaritas of late.
With the shelter-in-place order in full effect in our Central CA town, I've had to get creative. I've started infusing simple syrups with anything I can scrounge (Rosemary? Yep. Lavender? Sure thing); I've made friends with neighbors with overflowing citrus trees; and I've resolved to use up all those random liqueurs that I bought for that one cocktail, that one time...
So this cocktail – the Quarantinarita – is a product of the times: Costco tequila, big batch simple syrup, Aperol from last Summer's "Spritz Blitz," and oranges straight from my neighbor's trees. It's whatever's in the pantry, shaken, poured over ice, and best consumed during a sunset neighborhood stroll. Yeah, I could get used to this.
QUARANTINARITA – MAKES 1:
- 1oz (standard shot glass) simple syrup
- 2oz tequila
- 1 cap-full of Aperol (about 1.5 tbsp)
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1/2 blood orange
- Bubbly water (club soda, La Croix, soda stream - whatever you've got)
- Blood orange slices for garnish
- Ice
To Make Basic Simple Syrup:
1 cup water, 1 cup granulated white sugar. Combine and bring to a boil; simmer for 3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Cool immediately. Store in the fridge for a month or freeze forever.
To Make the Drink:
Fill a shaker with ice and combine simple syrup, tequila, Aperol, orange juice, and blood orange juice. Shake the living daylights out of it. Pour over ice and fill to the brim with bubbly water. Garnish with a slice of blood orange for fancy pants points. Enjoy responsibly and "air cheers" your neighbors.
