So this story starts with a meyer lemon tree I got for my dad some years ago for Father’s Day. I’m not sure why, but I was so stuck on the thought of getting him a lemon tree that year. I must have called a handful of different greenhouses to find one when that carried meyer lemon trees and then one finally said they did have some. I was so excited, but once I got there I realized the plants were really small. I thought, oh well I’m still going to get it because at that point ordering a full sized one wouldn’t be delivered on time. Of course my family made fun of me when I showed up with this tiny lemon tree, and it was funny because I’m all like: “Here’s a lemon tree” and meanwhile there’s this little tabletop plant, no lemons… It’s the thought that counts, right? Flash forward a few more years and said lemon tree has grown substantially, yielding the prettiest meyer lemons that I picked from it this year. My dad passed away 2 years ago and this summer when the tree made all these lemons I couldn’t help but think about that Father’s Day. It’s funny, we don’t think about the impact these little things will have on the future while they are happening, and sometimes these smalls things are the most significant.
Anyhow, onto this recipe. I really wanted to make something good with these and landed on the idea of a meyer lemon and rosemary infused margarita on the rocks. I already had fresh rosemary growing on my patio and my husband happened to just buy this bottle of Casamigos Tequila (it’s George Clooney’s tequila line, who knew?). It’s really good tequila, definitely go with a top shelf one when you’re making these margs. Scroll down for the recipe and instructions.
I kind of made a mess when I was making these, but at least it’s a pretty mess, right? Be sure to make your rosemary simple syrup first so it has enough time to cool (you can even make it the day before) and use your squeezed lemon halves to wet the rims of the glasses before dipping them with salt. I didn’t think about it at the time, but a salt rim with dried lemon zest, dried rosemary and sugar would be really good with this drink! Next round for sure.
Items used in this post:
Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Margarita Recipe
Ingredients
For the Simple Syrup
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- Handful of Rosemary Sprigs
For the Margarita
- 4 oz Meyer Lemon Juice
- 4 oz Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 4 oz Tequila
- 2 oz Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur)
- Ice
Garnish
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (optional)
- Meyer Lemon Slices
- Rosemary Sprigs
Instructions
For the Simple Syrup
- Put all ingredients on the stove, stir, then let simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Take off heat and allow to cool. Strain and store in an airtight container.
Instructions
- Squeeze fresh lemons and reserve for later.
- Place coarse salt into food processor and whiz to get a fine texture. Spread salt out into a dish. Run a lemon wedge along the rim of the glasses then dip glasses into salt.
- Measure and pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until combined, pour into salt rimmed glasses over ice. Alternatively, mix all ingredients in glass and stir well.
- Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary
