I’m cutting it real close, but these Raw Sugar + Vanilla Margaritas are so easy to make that you’ll have plenty of time to throw them together for some Cinco de Mayo cocktailing. These guys start with a simple raw sugar syrup that’s punched up with vanilla bean. I always love the combo of sweet, creamy vanilla with tart citrus. I mean, there’s a reason why a creamsicle is such a classic. So, this is like an adult creamsicle minus orange and dairy, plus lime and booze. Once the syrup is made and cooled a bit, it’s just lime juice, a little water, and tequila. The syrup is caramel-y and fragrant with vanilla, which play so nicely with the tart lime and sharp tequila. I also made a quick vanilla bean salt for the rim of the glasses–totally optional, but totally delicious. I mixed these up pitcher-style and served them on-the-rocks, so they’re perfect for an easy, breezy cocktail-hour and are perfect for scaling up for a crowd. ¡Salud!
- for the syrup:
- ½ cup raw sugar (sometimes called turbinado sugar)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 vanilla
bean, split and scraped - for vanilla salt:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ vanilla
bean, split and scraped - for margaritas:
- 1 cup Raw Sugar + Vanilla Bean Syrup
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 cup tequila
- 1½ cups water
- lime wedges, crushed ice, and vanilla salt (optional) to serve
- for syrup:
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod. Heat over medium-high to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil, and boil 1 minute. Remove from the heat to cool. Pour into a heatproof jar and set aside.
- for the margaritas:
- Stir together the syrup, lime juice, tequila, and water in a pitcher to combine. In a bowl, combine the salt and vanilla bean seeds and rub the two together until the seeds are distributed throughout the salt. Spread the vanilla salt into a shallow dish. Rub the edges of your glasses with a lime wedge and dip each glass in the vanilla salt. Fill each glass with crushed ice and top off with the margarita mixture. Serve with a lime wedge.
Wow! This sounds lovely and refreshing. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Definitely into the simplicity of this! Looks awesome!
I am obsessed. I love the recipe and the blog. SO happy to have come across it.
xo
Well clearly I missed out on these for Cinco de Mayo but who says you can’t celebrate Seis de Mayo with double the margaritas, amiright? 😉
Cindy, Cinco de Mayo totally blew right past me (which is depressing since any excuse to eat tacos is a good day for me) but I’m glad you squeezed these lovely margaritas in 🙂 I love those cups, btw!
Vanilla Salt is an awesome idea, Cindy! Now I’m thinking of all the other places it would be amazing… brownies! caramel! You’re a smart woman.
What would be the measurements to substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla bean?
I would use 2-3 teaspoons of extract in place of the vanilla bean.