A SPICED PEAR MARGARITA MADE WITH THE TEA MASALA YOU LOVE IN YOUR CHAI!
WOW, am I excited to share this one with y'all! I've seen so many spiced pear margaritas on my social channels this season and I was eager to make one at home. A lot of the recipes I saw called for chai, or chai concentrate, or some even recommended making a chai simple syrup first.
I had plans to head to the movies in 30 minutes the evening I came up with this recipe and wanted to whip up something delicious AND quick! While I love the taste of chai in cocktails and would have loved to make chai, I didn't have enough time to cool it. I also love a good chai simple syrup but time is of the essence and unfortunately, I rarely have chai concentrate at home because I like the taste (and smell) of fresh chai brewing on my stovetop. Chai time is healing and if you know, YOU KNOW. Enter chai (tea) masala.
This ingredient takes tea up a whole notch and to my pleasant surprise, ALSO cocktails. :) I can't wait to use tea masala in more recipes, but this one I'll say will be the one to beat. It tastes like a warm hug and even though it is served cold, it is incredibly comforting.
Pears happen to be one of the best fruits to enjoy this time of the year and I love making batches of fresh fruit purees based on what is in season. They keep nicely and are fun to experiment with, especially considering the fun doesn't need to stop at cocktails. You can add some puree to maple syrup and top your waffles with it, add it to your smoothies, and the obvious - make some fabulous mocktails. Using pear puree that I had whipped up that week, I don't think I will be able to accurately describe with words just how SPECTACULAR pairing chai is with pear. It is just something else. I know a lot of you are big margarita stans (you've come to the right place) and I love this one for during festive gatherings. It is easy to make in a large mason jar and serve batched, too!
I have many more fun seasonal cocktails coming your way, so be sure to stay tuned - either by subscribing to the blog and/or following me on @thetashmashup on Instagram! I love winter cocktails specifically, there is too much fun to be had when recipe developing and I hope you're enjoying it as well! As always, I am open to feedback and requests- shoot any and all questions my way.
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INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Begin by making your pear puree. Roughly chop up 1-2 ripe pears (depending on how many cocktails you plan to make) and add to a pot on the stove. Add just enough water to cover the pears and cook until soft, for about 15-20 minutes. If there is a lot of remaining water, you can choose to drain a bit but if there isn't- just set aside the boiled pears to cool. Once the pears are cooled, blend until smooth and store in an air-tight container or until you're ready to make the margaritas!
To assemble the margaritas, simply add all of the ingredients- tequila, pear puree, lime juice, orange liqueur, agave nectar, and tea masala into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for about 15-20 seconds until the shaker is cold to the touch.
Add ice to your glass first before straining. **Note: you can double strain this to ensure you don't have any skin/texture from the pear but I serve it without double straining.
While optional, I like to garnish this drink with pear slices strung onto a cocktail pick.
~ Serves 1
Notes
You can choose to use any type of pear that you have on hand. I used the Bosc variety but I know a lot of people love the Bartlett variety this time of the year. The Bartlett pear is a bit sweeter, so note that your drink might be a bit sweeter depending on which pears you use. That is the great thing about agave nectar- you can always add a little or a lot depending on your preferences!
I think reposado works best in this fall/winter cocktail as it has a nice flavor profile that pairs with pear and the spices in the tea masala blend. You can most definitely use a different type of tequila, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND sticking with reposado for this margarita recipe!
I love how customizable margaritas are, making them an ideal drink to serve to guests when hosting this season. For this one: you can use a bit of pear jam instead of the agave and pear puree (or omit the pear entirely), you can also skip the tea masala if you don't want to add any spices, and you can always use less or no agave. No pear puree? You have a tea masala marg. No tea masala? A yummy pear marg. You see where I am going here...margaritas are a great drink for new home bartenders as you can adjust and easily remix the recipe to your liking. Cheers!