Spicy Blood Orange Margarita

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for limoncello. I think my husband first introduced me to it. He spent a summer in Europe when we were in college, right after we started dating. He enjoyed the Italian tradition of having a little limoncello after a meal, and introduced me to it when he got back. That was when I wasn't much of a drinker and couldn't stomach anything that wasn't positively saccharine. But limoncello manages to be very sweet and drinkable while still being quite sophisticated.

So when Fabrizia Spirits offered to send me some of their limoncello and blood orange liqueur, of course I said yes. I haven't had limoncello in a really long time - probably five years, when we moved to Boston's North End and bought a bottle because it seemed like a thoroughly Italian thing to do. That was before we had anything in our bar. It lived in our freezer and we would occasionally have dainty little glasses after dinner. I'm quite pleased to have a bottle again!

But to be honest, it was the blood orange liqueur that I was really excited about. It's something new and different for me, and who doesn't love blood orange? It's a delicious liqueur, vibrantly flavored and wonderfully drinkable. I knew right away that I was going to make a cocktail with it. After all, blood orange liqueur means blood orange garnishes, and who can resist that?

After we cracked open the bottles of Fabrizia (pre-chilled by the wintry cold), I asked my husband what spirit I should pair the blood orange with in a cocktail, and he immediately said "tequila." Genius. I used the liqueur where triple sec or cointreau would usually be in a margarita, and it was perfection. But to spice it up a little more, I added some Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. The result is absolutely fantastic - the perfect margarita.

Be sure to check out Fabrizia! I particularly enjoyed reading the story of how the company got started.

Spicy Blood Orange Margarita

1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. blood orange liqueur (Fabrizia recommended)
1/4-1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes (1/4 for a hint of spice, 1/2 for a real bite)
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup

If you'd like to salt the glasses, mix some kosher salt with a bit of ground chipotle pepper. Rub a slice of lime around the rim of a rocks glass and roll it in the salt. Half the rim is a good compromise. Fill glasses with ice. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into the prepared glasses. Garnish with fresh or dried blood orange slices.*

*To make dried blood orange slices, I used a dehydrator. You can also lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for several hours at the lowest possible temperature.