Mariposa Margarita
Spring is here and so are the Painted Lady Butterflies migrating from Mexico up the west coast through Southern California up their way to the Pacific Northwest. Seeing these Painted Ladies is such an enchanting sight to see! It almost feels like you are in a Disney movie, watching them flutter around. Hiking my normal trail and seeing clusters of fluttering butterflies and watching them in the moment and not being on my phone on a beautiful sunny SoCal day really made me smile and was super inspiring. I was in the moment with nature and it felt so lovely. This large of a butterfly migration hasn’t happened in years and I think it really important we cherish these moments and really truly remember to respect the planet and all its creatures. I wanted to make a cocktail that represented the metamorphosis that a butterfly goes through in its life (relatable), especially these particular Painted Ladies from out of their chrysalis and on their journey from Mexico. A few months ago I finally got some Butterfly Pea Flower Tea that I have been seeing and hearing about and decided to experiment with some infusions. Infusing with tequila was an excellent choice and really what the natural born Mexican butterflies would want to sip on. Ha! I also no joke on my hike saw a butterfly land on a wild honeysuckle, instantly I knew what to make. One of my favorite classic cocktails is a Honeysuckle a rum, lime and honey cocktail that is refreshing and delicious! This cocktail is a play off of that, lime and honey in a Margarita are a match made in heaven and with this Butterfly Pea Flower Tea infused tequila you can’t get anymore enchanting and succulent than that. Enjoy the Mariposa Margarita! Cheers!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz. Honey Syrup (3 parts honey to 1 part hot water mixed)
- 2 oz. Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Infused Espolon Blanco Tequila
Instructions:
As mentioned above we have some things to prep for this drink. The honey syrup (listed above) is easy and a great thing to have in your fridge for other delicious drinks. Next, let’s infuse the Tequila with the Butterfly Pea Flower Tea. The good thing is this infusion is a fast one the Butterfly Pea Tea is very potent! I took a 1/4 cup of Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and steeped in 2 cups of Espolon Blanco Tequila. Right away you see the the color changing process happening and tequila will turn a beautiful blue color. I left the tea in the tequila for around 4 hours and then took out the flower buds and discarded them. Now we can make the cocktail! Place any glassware being used inside you freezer to get extra cold. Sometimes I like having a Margarita up but you can always put this drink on the rocks. Next get out all your ingredients measure them and pour all of them into your shaker tin. Add around 5-6 ice cubes then shake hard for 10-15 seconds making the tin frosty, that’s how you know you did a good shake. Grab your Hawthorne and fine strainer and pour cocktail out into your desired chilled glass. Now the drink is purple and no longer blue... it’s magic! Lastly, garnish the cocktail with a lime wheel (I dehydrated mine) and a few Butterfly Flower Pea Tea buds on top of the lime floating like a lime lily pad. Serve and enjoy!
A little background on my preferred spirits and inclusions:
Espolon Blanco Tequila: Made at the San Nicolas Distillery using the blue weber agave plant in Los Altos in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Espolon tequilas were created by Cirilo Oropeza and was introduced in 1998. On the nose it has hints of tropical fruit, sweet agave, lemon zest, pepper and floral notes. On the palate pineapple, vanilla bean, pepper, spiced agave and vegetal notes.
Butterfly Pea Flower Tea: I bought the brand Three Squirrels Whole Butterfly Pea Tea on Amazon and I love it! A couple cool things about Butterfly Pea Tea, one being it is full of antioxidants and it known for helping your skin against aging, reduces inflammation, good for brain health, treats general pain, increases vitality and helps fight against certain types of cancers. What?!!! Secondly, the tea steeps to a beautiful blue color but based on the pH level of what is added next the colors change. Adding lemon/lime changes the color to a pretty purple and I have heard but haven’t tried yet that adding hibiscus can change it to red. Nature is magical!