It’s margarita season, everyone! Though I appreciate a great margarita all year round, there’s something about time between late-spring and early-summer that makes me crave all things citrus and tequila. Also, if you’re anything like us, margarita season really started somewhere around March 15 this year when we all started being stuck in our home. But today, it’s Cinco De Mayo, and it feels wrong not to be sitting outside in the sun, sipping on margs, so here we are.

I love marigolds and have spent the last few months looking for ways to add these little orange and yellow blossoms to anything and everything coming out of my kitchen. They are slightly floral, a little grassy, and complement almost any bright summer fruit you have hanging around. For this margarita, I cooked them with sugar and water to make a floral simple syrup, that is then added to muddled strawberries, lime juice and tequila for a margarita that just feels like the month of May. If you don’t have marigolds, feel free to substitute another herb or edible flower in its place. Rosemary makes a great simple syrup, rose pairs really beautifully with strawberries…really play around with whatever you have on hand.

And a few more Cinco De Mayo Recipes:

Strawberry Marigold Margaritas 

Yield: 2 margaritas

Ingredients: 

for the marigold simple syrup:

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

1/2 cup (100 g) water

1/2 cup (.6 oz) marigold blossoms

for the margaritas: 

4 large strawberries, chopped

2 oz lime juice

1.5 oz marigold syrup 

4 oz tequila 

marigold salt, or regular salt, for rim

Procedure: 

to make the marigold syrup:

1. Combine sugar, water, and marigold blossoms in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. When completely cool, strain out marigold blossoms. 

to make the margaritas: 

1. To make marigold salt, finely chop the petals from one or two blossoms and combine them with one tablespoon kosher salt. 

2. Muddle two strawberries and 3/4 ounces in the bottom of each glass. Add 1 oz of lime juice, and 2 oz tequila to each glass. Stir to combine and add ice. Enjoy!

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