Cheers to the weekend! What better way to celebrate than with happy hour? A warm summer evening is the perfect time to kick back with a cocktail or two. Something sweet, fruity and flavorful always takes us to a happy place. Shake things up this season with our Ginger Jamaica Margarita. If you’ve never tried this unique combination before, we guarantee it’s simply out of this world delicious. One sip of this tropical libation and you just may taste paradise.
Although we usually use flowers for decorative purposes, jamaica is truly an exception. Jamaica, also known as dried hibiscus flower pods, is a popular ingredient in the culinary world. This plant is native to tropical Asia with up to 300 different species all around the world. When you steep the dried pods with water, they impart a tart, cranberry and pomegranate-like flavor and deep garnet color. This delicious infusion combines beautifully with drinks, preserves and even sauces.
To create this ginger jamaica margarita, you’ll first have to begin by making the concentrate. All you have to do is boil water with the dried pods along with ginger and Melissa’s Organic Blue Agave Syrup. We’ve included instructions in the recipe below. The ginger will add a pleasant and subtle zing to the cocktail. In addition, the sweetness of the agave syrup will balance out the intense tart flavors of the jamaica. You can use this concentrate in any other cocktails, teas, agua frescas and more.
A ginger jamaica margarita is sure to dazzle even the most cultured of cocktail connoisseurs. The final touch that really takes this libation to the next level is the jamaica sugar rim. After all, it’s all about the little details that go into a recipe. This cocktail is the perfect combination of fruity, tart and floral that you’ll want to toast with all summer long.
Ginger Jamaica Margarita
- 1/8 cup fine sugar
- 6 oz. gold or silver blue agave tequila
- 4 ripe limes
- 4 oz. triple sec liqueur
- 1/2 cup jamaica concentrate
- 2 limes (cut into wedges)
- Ice
For the Jamaica Concentrate
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 (1.7 oz.) package Melissa’s Jamaica (Dried Hibiscus Flowers) (divided use)
- 2 slices Melissa’s Fresh Ginger
- 1/3 cup Melissa’s Organic Blue Agave S
- To make the concentrate, pour the water into a sauce pot and bring it to a boil. Remove 1/8 cup of the Jamaica and set aside. Add the rest of the Jamaica, ginger and agave to the water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain and place in the refrigerator to chill.
- Place the 1/8 cup of Jamaica into a spice grinder and pulse until coarsely ground. Place it into a bowl, add the 1/8 cup of sugar and mix until well combined.
- In a large pitcher, combine the tequila, juice from the 4 limes, triple sec and 1/2 cup of the Jamaica concentrate. Place the pitcher in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Rub the rim of 4 glasses with the lime wedges and then press the glass rims into the Jamaica sugar to coat. Set aside.
- To make the margaritas, place some ice into a cocktail shaker and fill it 2/3 of the way full with the tequila mixture. Top with the cap and shake vigorously for a slow count to 10. Pour the margarita into the glasses and repeat until they are all full.
Note: Any extra Jamaica Concentrate can be refrigerated for 2 or 3 days.
