Mango Margaritas to Celebrate Spring

Spring is finally here!  Eric and I just got back from a trip to California where we got to indulge in some tasty Mexican food.  This reminded me that I’d been wanting to recreate my favorite drink from my recent trip to Mexico, a mango margarita.  I think the arrival of spring weather in dreary Washington is the perfect reason for a refreshing fruity margarita, if you need a reason!

As I mentioned, we were just in California for my cousin Jeremie’s wedding.  He and his beautiful bride Katelyn were the happiest bride and groom I’ve seen in a while.  It was SUCH a joyous wedding and a ton of fun.

There were tons of great photo opportunities and I don’t think I even set the camera down to dance!

The sun was high in the sky, and the white tent for the reception made for amazing lighting.  Eric got a little overheated in his dress slacks in the 89 degree weather, but we really had a great time.

We also got in some Disneyland time in addition to the family reunion.  27 hours of Disneyland and California Adventures in two days to be exact!

It was one of those vacations that you feel kind of exhausted after, but it was worth it.

I don’t drink alcohol very often, so when I do it’s usually a special occasion.  When we came home I was so excited to see our tulips and plum tree in full bloom.

I whipped up this margarita to enjoy the view and have a “me” moment before the daily work schedule started up again.

If you’d like to make your own Mexican resort style margarita, there are a couple of ingredients you might need to buy at an ethnic grocery store or online.  The first (which could possibly be in a regular grocery store) is mango nectar.  You can buy it in a big box to make several margaritas, or in a can to make two.

The second, less common, ingredient is a blend of chili peppers, salt and lime.  In Mexico they used Tajin Fruit and Snack Seasoning which you can buy on Amazon.  My Latino grocery store had Znax brand, and in California I even saw Tajin in the regular grocery stores!  Basically you’re looking for a seasoning mix of chili, salt and lime or citric acid.

The reason this tastes so great is the surprising kick of spice from the rim of the glass.  You have sweet, sour, spicy and salty all in one refreshingly tropical drink.

If you don’t drink alcohol, you can make a fun alcohol free cocktail by skipping the tequila and simple syrup, just mix the mango nectar with lime juice in a glass rimmed with the seasoning.

If you’re a very light drinker like I am, there’s only 1/2 a shot of tequila in each drink!

I’m celebrating spring, what do you have to celebrate right now?