Chili Cucumber Margarita

Happy Cocktail Friday! Well, Sunday I guess. This edition of Cocktail Friday is coming to you a little late, but better late than never, right? And if you have tomorrow off for President's Day, then Sunday is the perfect time for a cocktail! Though, if you don't have tomorrow off, you probably also need a cocktail today. And if it's snowing where you are, a cocktail involving chili and tequila is probably much needed right now. Especially if that somewhere is Boston and you're already busy dealing with the 2 feet of snow we got last weekend. I'm spending my time thanking my lucky stars I still live in an apartment building and can sit all warm and cozy watching the snowplows go by. And wondering why it only seems to snow on weekends. Kind of like in the summer when it only rains on weekends. One of the mysteries of the universe we'll never understand.

I spotted this Chili Cucumber Margarita from Martha Stewart and decided it was the perfect way to enjoy a margarita in the dead of winter. Sure, it's a margarita, but the addition of chili sauce turns up the heat on it and is just the drink for staring out the window at the snow. Or just the drink for when you come back inside after spending hours shoveling the snow. You know, kind of like the adult version of hot chocolate.

Chili Cucumber Margarita (serves 2):
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Print this recipe!

• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 T sambal oelek (Asian chili paste)
• 3 C ice
• ¾ C tequila
• ⅛ C triple sec
• ⅛ C freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt, for rimming glasses
• ½ t cayenne pepper, for rimming glasses

Start by chopping your cucumber up. I peeled mine, sliced in half, and removed the seeds.

Then I diced it.

And mixed it in a bowl with the sambal oelek.

If you've never heard of sambal oelek before, it looks like this and it's amazing:

Definitely on the awesome level of sriracha.

Place ice in blender, along with tequila, triple sec, and lime juice.

Blend until ice is finely chopped and mixture is frothy and margarita-like.

FYI the Vitamix is an expert at blending ice. It makes margarita-making a breeze.

Now, rim your glasses with a little bit of lime juice and put salt and cayenne pepper on a plate. Dip each glass, upside down, onto the plate.

Pour the margarita into the glass and stir in half the cucumber chili mixture.

Definitely a unique cocktail, unlike anything I've had before. A chili-lover's dream come true.

Of course, I'm the kind of person who would eat the cucumber and sambal oelek mixture with a spoon anyway. So, mix it into some tequila and I'm a girl in heaven.

And now I will allow this drink to power me through everything I need to get done this weekend. Which is a lot. But doesn't involve shoveling any snow at least. But it does involve a whole extra 24 hours to get stuff done.

Which totally deserves another cocktail in and of itself. So, it's a good thing I have another one planned for this weekend. I also have a couple recipes planned featuring the one and only sriracha. And maybe even a couple that combine cocktails and sriracha. Because why not combine two of the best things on the planet?

Happy weekend! I hope your weekend is filled with extra spicy cocktails and an extra day off. And that it doesn't involve straining all of your muscles by spending another few hours shoveling your driveway. If it does, remember that tequila always helps!

Do you like your cocktails to have an extra kick?

[Sues]