Before heading off on a long trip, some friends of ours dropped off a few things from their fridge. Among the booty: Meyer lemons. As someone who enjoys giving purpose to over-the-hill food, I loved finding ways to use up all they had given us… except the Meyer lemons. I actually love Meyer lemons, but since they’re sweeter than the more common varieties (they’re actually a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange) I couldn’t use them for my recipe development.
So there they sat in the produce bin for weeks until it was finally time to toss them. As I was walking from the fridge to the garbage disposal, I suddenly got inspired. (Nothing like the end to motivate!) If these were limes, what would I do? Create a drink, of course! And what’s a lime-based drink we love? The Margarita! It worked. Since Meyer lemons are mildly tart with a hint of sweetness, they make a great margarita.
So now you know the backstory for Meyer Lemon Margarita.
I was at the store last night and paid forty cents apiece for limes. For recipes that call for lot of lime juice (as with a margarita), it’s nice to know there’s another option.
- ⅓ cup tequila
- ⅓ cup Meyer lemon juice
- ⅓ cup Cointreau
- Kosher salt (optional)
- Ice cubes
- Mix tequila, lemon juice, and Cointreau in a liquid measuring cup. For optional salted rims, rub 2 rocks glass rims with one of the lemon shells to moisten and dip in salt if desired; fill glasses with ice. Pour margarita mix into prepared glasses and serve.
Will definitely try this!
Here is a great idea when your citrus is reaching it’s “use by” date – I juice them and freeze them in ice cube trays and use them in drinks. I LOVE a lime ice cube as the foundation for a vodka tonic! Also good with seltzer, Coke, or lemonade.
Love your idea too. Mary! Will give that a try too.
mmmm… i have a little tree full of them- ready to be used! can’t wait to try… and love the ice cube idea too!
p.s. my husband made one of your recipes ( http://www.torriesessions.blogspot.com/2012/02/happily-ever-after.html ) for our valentine’s dinner… so incredibly delicious and the leftovers the next couple of days were even better!
Looks fab and very refreshing. I could use one today. It’s been a long week 🙂
The first time I bought Meyer lemons it was a bagful of over a dozen. They were so beautiful I sat them in a bowl on the windowsill and looked at them for a week – even took a pic. I made Lemon Bars ( Pam -your recipe) with them and people just raved. There is a difference – a good one. Three in the fridge now – which will become Margaritas this weekend. Thank you.
So glad you found a use for the Meyer lemons; they are too good for the trash! I just did a post using blood oranges for a margarita; because they have such a short season (and because I love this cocktail), I’m buying a bunch of them tomorrow to juice and freeze. Both Meyer Lemons and Blood Oranges are so amazing…I could see a party serving both. Yes…we could pretend spring is here!
Thanks for letting me know about your margarita, Barbara. It’s beautiful. For those who are interested, here’s the link: http://www.creative-culinary.com/blood-orange-margarita
This sounds great! I have a bag of meyer lemons I bought last week sitting in the fridge. I’ve never tasted meyer lemons or seen them until recently. I think a margarita sounds like the perfect way to be try them for the very first time!