Yellow Watermelon Kumquat Margaritas

Happy National Margarita Day! I went to my fridge to make a classic lime margarita and discovered I had NO limes, but still a few kumquats … hmm … kumquats are kinda like limes. They’re tart but also sweet … I bet they would be good in a margarita.

And the watermelon? I know, it’s not watermelon season. But I had some yellow watermelon in my fridge that I had “pickled” a while ago by drowning it in tequila. It makes a really nice watermelon-flavored tequila. And the bonus is that you can use the drowned watermelon chunks in margaritas. I think you could really use this same idea with just about any fruit you like in your margaritas. Berries, mangoes, guavas, hey, whatever! Watermelon is REALLY nice in margaritas, though.

So this is my way of celebrating National Margarita Day. The way I see it, with all that blended fruit in there, it’s really quite healthy, right?

Yellow Watermelon Kumquat Margaritas

Adapted from Saveur

To make the drunken watermelon and watermelon-infused tequila:

• Yellow Watermelon, seeded and cut into chunks
• Silver Tequila

Put the watermelon in a glass jar. Fill the jar with tequila, completely covering all the watermelon chunks. Seal the jar, and keep it in the fridge for at least 2 days. (It keeps for a LONG time if you don’t use it right away.)

To make the margaritas:

• 1 cup of drunken watermelon chunks
• 1 kumquat (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter … if yours are smaller, toss in a few!), cut into chunks and seeded … (or substitute some lime or orange juice if you don’t have a kumquat)
• 1/4 cup watermelon-infused tequila
• 1/8 cup limeade concentrate
• 1/8 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
• Ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender (yes, the whole kumquat should go in, including the rind!) and add a few ice cubes. Blend till smooth. Add more ice cubes till the margaritas are the desired slushiness. I didn’t make mine too icy today because it is still February and although it is unseasonably warm here today, I’m not quite up for a slushy cold margarita yet.

This recipe was shared at Katherine Martinelli’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.