Fresh Cherry Margaritas

Occasionally, I find myself with a variety of ingredients or other food items that I need to find a use for. Generally, this happens in the middle or late summer, when I’ve had about all I can stand of tomatoes or other garden produce. But right now, I have an odd combination of ingredients on hand that beg to be utilized.

The first being fresh cherries. When they first come in season, I can’t get enough of them and I gorge myself stupid. That was last week. I still had about a pound of cherries on my kitchen counter threatening to go bad.

The second being agave nectar, left over from the tequila lime bars I made for a co-worker’s birthday yesterday.

Lastly, a bottle of tequila, also leftover from the birthday food, but as I stated in that post, me and Jose went our separate ways in college and haven’t spoken to each other since. So, I was eagerly looking for food-related recipes to help me use this bottle up.

Then, I went through my blog reader yesterday afternoon. And Evil Chef Mom gave me inspiration. And, admittedly, a little bit of drool. See, I had promised the hubs a very labor intensive meal (a la Tyler Florence) that he had discovered on the Food Network last week and it was on the calendar for Monday night. I was going to need a drink....extra bonus? I get to use up some of my forlorn ingredients.

People, I give you....the Fresh Cherry Margarita.Yessir....she’s beautiful. I even happen to have a cocktail shaker I bought years ago and have NEVER. ONCE. USED.

Well, that’s all changed now. I sipped this tasty little concoction last night while cooking a ginormous ribeye for the hubs and it made me so much more mellow about the procedure.
Oh, yeah, and I don’t have to worry about finding any more recipes to use up the tequila....as long as I have cherries, that’s not going to be a problem. AT. ALL.

Fresh Cherry Margaritas

adapted from fine cooking june/july 2010
serves 1

12 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1 1/2 fl. ounce silver (blanco) tequila
1 fl. ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 fl. ounce Chambord (I didn’t have the Chambord, and I wasn’t about to buy an expensive bottle just for this. I think it would really have take it over the edge, but we’ll save that for next time, now that I know how good they are.)
3/4 fl. ounce agave nectar
1 fresh cherry with stem for garnish
1 wedge of lime, for garnish

Put the cherries in a cocktail shaker and mash them with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon until well crushed, about 1 minute.
Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, Chambord, and eight large ice cubes. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Immediately strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the cherry and lime wedge.

This cocktail will definitely be seeing a repeat performance in my kitchen - SOON!