It’s not very often that I stray from a traditional Reposado Margarita. They’re my favourite cocktail for a reason — simple, balanced and consistently delicious. But every now and then it’s worth mixing things up, and when fresh passionfruit is available, a Passionfruit Margarita is hard to resist.
I love the taste of passionfruit but the texture – not so much. It sits firmly in my flavour camp of not-too-sweet ingredients, which means it complements everything I love about a good margarita: sharp lime, a little bitterness, plenty of salt and enough tequila to make the cocktail worth the effort. The passionfruit adds a fragrant sweetness and a touch more bitterness that somehow manages to bring a beach holiday feeling to even the gloomiest winter afternoon.
That was exactly the kind of Friday evening I was having when I mixed up this version. While it is excellent served over ice, it might be even better as a frozen Passionfruit Margarita. It was far too cold for that particular level of optimism when I made these, but I have blended them up on warmer holidays and can confirm they are absolutely worth the effort if you have a decent blender and a handful of extra ice.
If you don’t, don’t worry. This version still delivers everything you want from a margarita, just with a little tropical twist that makes it feel different enough to be worth making. And I like my cocktails on the stronger side – more bang for your buck (effort) but if you don’t, dial down the tequila a bit, it will still taste great. As much as it pains me to say this, this one is teetering on the edge of having a sugar coated glass versus salt or no coating at all. Or a combo. If you aren’t a ‘salty’ person, I’d skip it for this recipe as it can be a little over powering in this version if its not your usual flavour profile.
Worth Making?
- Yes – if you love margaritas but want something a little different without losing what makes them great
- Yes – if you want a little tropical infusion and touch of sweetness in your cocktail hour (or whatever hour you are choosing to have one)
- Yes – if fresh passionfruit is in season and you love the idea of them but don’t know what to do with them, can’t go wrong with a cocktail~
- Skip it— if you’re after the overly processed sweet pre-mix style taste of a flavoured margarita. This isn’t it.
- Skip it – if you’re a margarita purist who believes the classic version cannot be improved. I understand your position, even if I occasionally ignore it.
Passionfruit Margarita
Equipment
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
- 70 ml Tequila Use a decent quality tequila for best results
- 25 ml Cointreau or Triple Sec
- 30 ml passionfruit pulp (1 to 2 small passionfruits)
- 30 ml fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Run a squeezed lime half around the edge of the glass and roll edge of glass through salt to lightly coat glass edge
- Add tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and passionfruit pulp and a pinch of salt to a shaker
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with passionfruit or lime
Make it your own way
- Add 10ml vanilla syrup, regular sugar syrup or agave syrup for a sweeter version
- Swap half the lime juice for grapefruit juice for a softer bitter flavour
- Add a thin slice of jalapeño when shaking for a spicy passionfruit margarita
- Muddle a few strawberries with the lime and 1/2 tsp sugar for a strawberry passionfruit margarita
- Add a handful of ice and puree in a blender for a frozen version (throw in some mango cheeks if you have them for a full tropical vibe)
