Strawberry Rhubarb Margaritas

Another great May treat is rhubarb, which is highly seasonal and only available for about a month each year. It looks like celery and has a tart flavor, which is great on its own, but pairs extremely well with strawberries. One of my earliest food memories is strawberry rhubarb pie.

So I grabbed a couple pounds of rhubarb and a quart of strawberries at the Worthington Farmers' Market the other day and made a batch of syrup (recipe below) to enjoy in various cocktails this week. It should be a nice change from beer, which is my go-to drink in fall/winter. The first thing I made was a margarita, but I plan to try it in a daquiri and cosmo later in the week (the only real variation here is the liquor used). Here's the approximate recipe I used, and it came out great! You could go heavier on the tequila if you like your drinks strong (I'm a huge lightweight so i need to water down my drinks or pass out at 8 p.m.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita
(makes 1 drink. scale up for pitchers)
1/4 cup strawberry rhubarb simple syrup
1 oz tequila
juice of one lime
splash of Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Shake well with ice, strain, enjoy!


Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
6-8 sliced strawberries (enough with the rhubarb to bring it to around 2 cups)
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water

Heat in a saucepan to boil, then reduce and simmer until the liquid is flavorful and rhubarb is mushy beyond recognition - about 15 minutes. Strain out the solids in a fine mesh strainer (don't press or it will be cloudy) and return the liquids to the pan, returning to boil. Boil over medium about 5-10 minutes. I didn't boil hard enough or long enough to reduce into a true syrup, I just wanted some intensely flavorful liquid to use in making cocktails.