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These tangerine mezcal margaritas are batched in a 750 ml bottle, so they are ready to pour all night with no shaker. Fresh tangerine juice, lime and smoky mezcal, finished with a chili-sugar rim.
Tangerines are sweeter and softer than oranges, which makes them perfect with mezcal’s smoke. They are in season now, peaking December through January, so this is the time to make it.
Batching is my favorite hosting trick. You make it once, chill it and pour, the same way I make my Fall Sangria the night before.
What Goes Into These Margaritas
- Mezcal. One cup. Use half mezcal and half blanco tequila if you want a softer smoke.
- Tangerine juice. One cup, fresh-squeezed from 5 to 6 tangerines, or store-bought.
- Lime juice. Fresh only, since bottled tastes flat.
- Orange liqueur and agave. Cointreau and a little agave syrup for balance.
- Cold water. It stands in for the melt you would get from shaking with ice.
- Chili-sugar rim. Sugar and Tajín.
- A 750 ml glass bottle. With a cap or cork, and a small funnel.
How to Make Them
Rim the glasses. Run a tangerine wedge around each rim and dip it in the chili sugar.
Batch the bottle. Stir everything in a large measuring cup, taste, then funnel it into the bottle.
Chill. At least 2 hours, until very cold.
Pour. Shake the bottle and pour about 3 ounces into each glass over fresh ice. Add a tangerine wheel.
Tips
- Taste before bottling. Add a little more agave if your tangerines are tart.
- Do not skip the water. Without it, the drink is too strong straight over ice.
- Keep it cold. Store the bottle in the fridge and pour over fresh ice every time.
Make Ahead and Storage
The bottle keeps up to 2 days in the fridge, although fresh juice tastes best the first day. Mix the chili sugar ahead and keep it in a jar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use all tequila?
Yes. It is less smoky, but just as good.
Is there a version without alcohol?
Replace the mezcal with chilled brewed lapsang souchong tea, which is naturally smoky, and the orange liqueur with more tangerine juice.
How many drinks does one bottle make?
About 8.
More for the Holiday Table
Holiday Recipes
Candied Yams with Marshmallows
Side Dishes
Cornbread Dressing
Holiday Recipes
Roasted Cajun Turkey Recipe
Dessert
Honey Butter Cornbread
Tangerine Mezcal Margaritas
Ingredients
For the rim
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Tajín or chili powder plus a pinch of kosher salt
- 1 tangerine wedge for wetting the rims
For the bottle
- 1 cup mezcal 8 oz, or half mezcal and half blanco tequila
- 1 cup tangerine juice 8 oz, fresh-squeezed or store-bought
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 oz
- 1/4 cup orange liqueur 2 oz, such as Cointreau
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup 1 1/2 oz, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup cold water 2 1/2 oz
To serve
- Ice
- Tangerine wheels
- A clean 750 ml glass bottle with a cap or cork and a small funnel
Instructions
- Rim the glasses. Mix the sugar and Tajín on a small plate. Run the tangerine wedge around each rim and dip into the chili sugar.
- Batch the bottle. Stir the mezcal, tangerine juice, lime juice, orange liqueur, agave and water in a large measuring cup. Taste and add a little more agave if it needs it. Funnel into the 750 ml bottle, cap it and refrigerate at least 2 hours, until very cold.
- Pour. Shake the bottle, then pour about 3 oz into each rimmed glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish. Add a tangerine wheel.
