Mezcal is like tequila’s Hot older sister

This Saturday is National Margarita Day.
Oh YES. IT. IS.

There cannot be a better way to celebrate than to make your own grown up margaritas with fresh fruit juice. Trust me when I say you need to ditch the mix. It’s full of sugar and, depending on the mix, stuff like Yellow #5 and Blue #1. I personally would rather my drinks not look like I put a highlighter in them because they’re weird and they tend to give me uber headaches.

The first time I had a skinny margarita was at a local restaurant that doesn’t even put the option on the menu. It was one of those things, like the purple drink at Starbucks, that I heard about from a friend who insisted I wouldn’t miss a thing by ordering the skinny version. In fact, it was WAY better than a margarita made with a mix because it was super fresh and clean to my palate.

I decided I finally needed to make my own skinny marg. And I was going to head down the traditional route by using tequila. But I was on a trip recently with my work husband who mentioned how much he is loving mezcal lately. I wondered how a skinny margarita would turn out with a smokey note versus traditional tequila. Then I saw a story about how mezcal is growing in popularity (did you know mezcal was not available for legal export until 2006?!) and I knew what I had to do. The result is a sultry, smokey, clean version of the margarita you loved in your 20s when you made questionable choices. At least with this smokey skinny marg you can rest assured your drink choice is no longer questionable.

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.

Salud my friends!

Smokey Skinny Margarita

- have you heard? mezcal is having a major moment right now
- tequila is a type of mezcal with some key differences
- this drink is all you need to make a gathering ultra sexy

print the recipe

| makes 1 drink |

• Coarse sea salt

• 2 oz. mezcal (I loved Ilegal. Tastes great and their story is tops.)

• 1.5 oz. fresh lime juice (about one and a half limes)

• 1 oz. fresh orange juice (about half of an orange)

• 1 tsp. organic raw blue agave

• 1 lime slice for garnish

instructions

• Pour a layer of salt onto a plate. Run a slice of lime around the top of the glass. Angle the glass and gently roll the juicy lip into the salt. Fill your glass with ice and set it aside.

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the mezcal, freshly squeezed juice and agave. Put on the lid and shake for a few moments. Strain the liquid into your glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

• Get sexy.