Not Your Average Margarita... A 10 Not-So-Classic Margarita Recipe RoundUp

Picture this... 108ºF in the shade, sunset overlooking the pool, and a Classic Margarita shaken tableside, then poured over ice.  Does it get much better than that?  Made with just a few quality ingredients, it's my favorite Margarita memory and took place at the Border Grill in Las Vegas.

I'm a Classic Margarita Girl through and through, and I've been known to send a drink back after I've been told "Oh... you're going to love it!".  I tend to grill my servers before ordering explaining that I'm extraordinarily picky about my 'ritas -  I don't like sweet and actually tasting the tequila is a must.  It continually amazes me how hard it is to find one that lives up to its hype.

However on occasion, I do like to shake things up and work in a flavored Margarita.  And here I have a fabulous roundup of 10 "Not-So-Classic" Margaritas from some of the most amazing bloggers on the web.  You just may want to whip one up for Cinco de Mayo, a pool party, or maybe just because it's Saturday.

Which one is your favorite?  (Click the Margarita Titles to go to the recipes and let these bloggers know what you think!). 

Spicy Chili Pepper Mango Margarita

Pineapple and Coconut

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

Liv Life

Blackberry Lemonade Margaritas

Valerie's Kitchen

Low-Carb Margaritas

All Day I Dream About Food

Frozen Bahamarita

Cravings of a Lunatic

Blood Orange Margarita

The Housewife in Training Files

Chambord Margarita
Iowa Girl Eats

Mango Coconut Margarita
Snappy Gourmet

Paleo Margarita
A Girl Worth Saving

Margarita Lime Gelatin Shots
Liv Life

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas in Celebration of National Tequila Day!

We all identify with some holidays more than others.  For instance, I have a friend who lives Christmas nearly all year round while I struggle to get into the spirit for just a few weeks in December.  Other friends pine for Valentines Day and still others are all about the red, white and blue of the 4th of July.  Me??  I tend to prefer holidays that somehow revolve around food with Thanksgiving right up there on the top of my list.  Another favorite though, has to be National Tequila Day.

Not quite a Hallmark Holiday, July 24th, or National Tequila Day, can be celebrated year round.  Whether you prefer your tequila straight, with a squeeze of lime, or blended into a tart margarita, there are a plethora of choices out there and something for most everyone.

Years ago I was known as a "Margarita Girl", but as I aged matured my preferences changed.  I've always liked a strong tequila taste, and this somehow morphed into actually preferring tequila straight rather than sweetened in a Margarita.  Find me a good sipping tequila and you have my cocktail of choice.

As such, you can imagine my sheer joy at receiving a box, actually a day after my birthday, filled with samples of Casa Noble Tequila!  We det all sorts of blog mail here at Liv Life, but this has to rank up there as one of the most fun.

With summer in full swing and a neighborhood gathering on the horizon, a tequila cocktail seemed to be in order, and that perfectly ripe watermelon from the farmer's market just begged to be included.  Making both rocks and blended frozen margarita versions, I positively shocked myself by preferring the simple frozen concoction which simply burst with summer brightness.

Using the Casa Noble Crystal (I love the name!), the first requirement is definitely to sip.  Pure, clean and crisp, the Crystal lives up to its name and is truly a delight.  Mixed with a few simple and fresh ingredients, our Frozen Watermelon Margarita is slightly sweet and smooth, and might I say the perfect libation by the pool on a hot afternoon.

How will you celebrate National Tequila Day??  We'd love to hear your favorite recipes!!

Frozen Margarita Lime Pie

Say the word "Margarita" and you have my attention.  A self-proclaimed margarita snob, I like my margarita tart and strong with a heavy dose of lime.  Being somewhat particular, I've been known to send drinks back time and again when they boast only a sweet, somewhat limey and no tequila flavor.  With some 25+ years of margarita experience, I finally know what I like.

And what I like more than the drink itself just may be this Frozen Margarita Lime Pie.  Going against all of my rules, this pie is creamy, somewhat sweet with only a very, very faint hint of tequila (and that might only be because I doubled the ingredient in my pie...).  It does however bring a fabulous lime punch that brings a smile of approval to my face and makes the most perfect summer dessert.

Taking part in the ever popular Pass the Cook Book Club (where we reach to use the sometimes neglected cookbooks already on our shelves, or at least on Kita's shelf), Kita has once again chosen a winner, and another one that I personally don't have on my shelf but after trying this recipe I just might have to buy.  Slushed!: More Than 150 Frozen, Boozy Treats for the Coolest Happy Hour Ever, by Jessie Cross, boasts an Amazon bargain price of under $6.78 (that's under 5¢ a recipe!) and if this Frozen Margarita Pie is a sign of the rest of the book, I'm sold.

Using low-fat cream cheese in my version, no one was any the wiser and my calorie guilt reduced.  The addition of lime juice and zest (we did add a little lemon too) brought a wonderful margarita flavor that combined beautifully with the little bit of tequila and Grand Marnier.  Reminiscent of a cheesecake, I actually preferred the pie a bit less frozen, though others liked the fresh from the freezer texture.

Definitely a keeper, this recipe will be making the rounds this summer everywhere we need to bring a dish.  Thanks Kita!  (I just ordered the book...)

Margarita Lime Jello Cubes (Shots)

Years ago, when I was hip and young, staying home on New Years Eve was "totally not cool".  For my more mature self in 2012, however, a nice quite night home with the kids was just what the doctor ordered.  Snuggled on the couch with puppies on our laps we rang in the New Year watching the classic It's a Wonderful Life and finding gratitude in the Life we "Liv". 

Our last minute change in plans however, left us with a gorgeous batch of Margarita Lime Jell-O shots... a use my dad probably had not envisioned when he brought over a Trader Joe's sized bag of limes from his tree, though a use he is probably wishing he had been a part of.

Tart and potent, these jiggly cubes of margarita go down easy, especially when dipped into a sweet lime sugar that brings a definite "Pow" to the senses when popped into your mouth.  Unflavored Knox Original Gelatin allows true margarita flavors to shine through uninhibited by the usual flavored Jell-O.

Combined with fresh squeezed lime and lemon juices, a touch of sugar and a splash of Grand Marnier, these little guys can become somewhat addicting.  Note to self:  when photo shooting said Margarita Shots in the morning, perhaps one should not eat all the scraps from trying to make perfectly shaped cubes...

Pouring the prepared gelatin into a prepared baking dish and then cutting eases the prep and cost of those little plastic shot cups, and a simple topping of a tiny lime wedge sure catches the eye.  Sugar mixed with grated lime peel adds an attractive and sparkly addition to your serving plate with its pretty green flecks contrasting with the golden hues of the cubes as it brings an additional layer of flavor to the shot.

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots

When thinking of Super Bowl foods strawberries don't usually make the cut.  However... mix the strawberries with a little tequila and turn them into a margarita and you are getting closer!  With our sunny Citrus Blush already mixed and in the pitcher we weren't really in need of another cocktail, but when I came across these cute little shots I couldn't resist putting them on my Super Bowl Extravaganza Table.  

Hollowed out strawberries work as a vehicle for a Jell-0 concoction of strawberry gelatin, tequila and a touch of Grand Marnier.  Garnished with cute little wedges of lime these little shots are absolutely adorable!

Strawberry season here in San Diego is a tad behind schedule and I had a bit of trouble finding those beautiful, plump and bright red berries, but we made do with the Farmer's Market offerings and found some that were good enough.  Hollowing out the berry is a bit of a chore, and I pierced the bottom of the berry on more than one occasion.  Note to self:  If there is a hole of any size in the bottom of the berry the Jell-O will flow right through!

The gelatin is mixed with water, 4 oz of tequila and 2 oz of Grand Marnier.  When mixing, the "potion" smelled just like a Strawberry Margarita!  The next hurdle was to actually get the Jell-O into the hollowed out berries... not an easy feat.  Luckily Liv came to the rescue!  Suffering with a sinus infection the pharmacist had filled her antibiotics and given us a baby dropper to take the medicine dose.  Being 11 years old, we laughed at the baby dropper and stuck it in the drawer.  Remembering this little dropper at the last minute, we pulled it out, sucked up about a Tbs of the Jell-O and squirted it into the berry.  Ideal!!

The berries were adorable on the table and garnered "Ooohs and Aaahh's" from the crowd, but upon tasting, most people could not taste anything but sweet Jell-O and the berry.  None of the "Margarita" flavor seemed to make its way onto the taste buds.  So while these little guys are visually perfect for the table, they didn't pack the punch I was hoping for.

The recipe and directions can be found on the Baker's Royale blog and I really think that with the proper tweaking they could pack more of a Margarita Punch.  Definitely worth playing with for the visual impact that they made.  Next time I would probably double (at least!) the tequila (reducing the same amount of water) and see what we can come up with.  To be continued... (someday!)

Edited 2/10/11:  Tamera, in the comment section below, suggests using all liquor in the gelatin mix, no water.  My friend, Becky (of Becky's Football Stromboli) suggested the same thing

Edited 1/26/12:  After the success of our New Years Eve Margarita Lime Jello Cubes, I would fill the strawberries with this tempting concoction! 

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