Pure Joy Fresh Squeezed Margaritas Makes about 2 pitchers. 1 cup and 2 tbl. sugar 1 cup and 2 tbl. water 4 ½ cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 ½ cups fresh-squeezed orange juice 1 ½ cups fresh-squeezed lime juice 3 ¾ cups tequila 1 ½ cups Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Grand Torres or Triple Sec Kosher salt 6 limes, garnish Boil the sugar & water till clear and cool it. Blend together the rest. Moisten half the glass rim with a cut lime & salt it. Serve over lots of ice.
Pure Joy Fresh Squeezed Lemonade This goes out year round, sometimes with fresh mint, cherries and a bit of cherry juice, raspberries and a bit of raspberry juice, or culinary lavender from the farmers market (steep it with a portion of the water & sugar to make a simple syrup) the options of additions are endless. I made it for the Montecito Union Elementary School fair for many years using red vine licorice with the tips snipped off to make the straws for the children, now its most often made as an icy welcoming pre-ceremony wedding beverage. 3 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 ¾ cups sugar ¼ cup honey 6 oz pure fresh raspberry, cherry or strawberry juice (optional) 2 ½ quarts of good water 2 lemons, sliced To make the base; whisk or stir just the lemon juice, sugar and honey until no longer granular. That’s it, you can add raspberry or cherry juice if you like then when you want to serve it add the water as indicated, lots of ice, sliced lemons and whole berries or mint if you like. To make a smaller amount at a time just top one third part lemonade base with two thirds part water & lots of ice.
Pure Joy Farmer’s Market Melon Mojitos Yield 2 ½ Pitchers Refreshment defined; Mojitos do justice to fragrant, fresh mint and are easy to make in batches. For variation you can run fresh ginger through a juicer and make ginger Mojitos or puree fresh fruit; like watermelon, or the outstanding heirloom melons at the Farmer’s Market right now J 1 lb. of watermelon (or any fragrant market melon) 1 cup simple syrup (half water, half sugar, boiled until clear) ½ cup lime juice 3 cup light rum 1 bunches organic fresh mint 5 limes, cut in chunky wedges one liter bottle club soda Meyer’s dark rum to float (optional)
Peel chunk & puree half of the melon, use the other half for garnish. Once the simple syrup is cool, add the lime juice, melon puree and rum to it in a pitcher to create the base. Pluck the leaves from the washed mint and bruise them with a molcajete (Mexican stone mortar and pestle) or crush them with a spoon in each glass, a large pinch for each glass will do. Top the mint with 3 to 5 wedges of lime and fill half way with the base. Top that with ice, club soda, melon garnish and float a splash of dark rum on the top. A cocktail straw is important with these.
Cheers! Ching ching!