Celery Margarita

Okay, okay, okay, I can feel your apprehension from here, “CELERY margaritas?!” You’re not sold. Well, brace yourselves for one hell of a sales job.

You thought celery was a one-trick pony where cocktails were concerned. Relegated to a lowly garnish, sometimes enhanced by Cheese Whiz (in the Murray Street Kitchen glory days), on a classic Caesar. Think again.

Celery has a subtle grassy flavour that pairs surprisingly well with the smoky flavour of tequila. This cocktail achieves balance with the addition of acidic lime juice and the sweet and spicy celery seed syrup. Again, the taste of this syrup will remind you of a Caesar, that delectable rim on your favourite boozy brunch mainstay is made of celery salt.

You can opt for a celery stick garnish or you can get playful with dehydrated fruit crisps like these beautiful paper-thin pineapple crisps I got from Jacobson’s. Not only are they lovely to look at, they also taste delicious.

The finished result is a refreshing cocktail that has celery living its best life with the help of a healthy dose of tequila.

I served this drink to a couple of Taste & Tipple’s most regular taste testers and they said it was the best cocktail I’ve served them thus far. If that doesn’t pique your curiosity, I’m not sure what will.

Seriously, make this drink. You won’t regret it.

Celery Margarita

5 from 1 vote

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Celery Margarita

Cook Time

5 mins

Resting Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Set aside your apprehension and trust me on this one. This Celery Margarita is about to become your new favourite drink. The subtle vegetal flavour of the celery, spicy celery seed syrup and lime juice all pair beautifully with smoky tequila.

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Celery, Celery Margarita, Lime, Tequila

Servings: 1 drink

Ingredients

Celery Margarita

• 1½ oz 100% agave reposada tequila
• ½ oz Celery Juice recipe follows
• 1 oz Celery Seed Syrup recipe follows
• 1 oz lime juice freshly squeezed

Celery Juice

• 3 stalks celery
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp salt

Celery Seed Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp celery seed

Instructions

Celery Margarita

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine ½ cup (125 mL) ice, 1½ oz 100% agave reposado tequila, ½ oz Celery Juice (recipe follows), 1 oz Celery Seed Syrup (recipe follows) and 1 oz lime juice. Shake sharply and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a celery stick.

CELERY JUICE

1. Combine 3 chopped stalks celery, ½ cup (125 mL) water and ½ tsp (2 mL) salt in a blender; purée. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and chill for up to a day.
2. Makes about 1 cup (250 mL)

CELERY SEED SYRUP

1. Combine 1 cup (250 mL) each sugar and water in a small saucepan; stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) celery seed, cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth; chill before use.
2. Makes about 1 cup (250 mL)

Recipe Notes

Recipe from: St. Onge, Christopher. “Celery Margarita.” Food & Drink. Early Summer 2018.