This margarita-esque cocktail is inspired by Lauren Mote’s Toronto childhood memories: seeking comic books, movies and ice cream floats up and down Yonge Street. The tequila represents her mom’s drink of choice, while the blue curaçao is a reference to the blue of her favourite teams: the Blue Jays and the Maple Leafs. The juice signifies shared moments over breakfast, the orgeat symbolizes her mother’s almond-forward vegetarian lifestyle and the bitters provide the nostalgic flavour of root beer, which takes her right back to those special moments of youth.
Yonge Street
Lauren Mote's recipe for the "Yonge Street" cocktail: a margarita made with blue curaçao, lime, orgeat, pineapple and bitters.
Ingredients
- 1 oz blanco tequila
- ½ oz blue curaçao liqueur
- ¾ oz orgeat see tip or store-bought orgeat syrup
- ¾ oz lime juice
- ¾ oz pineapple juice
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters like Bittered Sling Plum & Rootbeer
To Garnish
- 1 thin slice dehydrated pineapple or fresh pineapple
- pineapple leaves
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add tequila, curaçao, orgeat, lime juice, pineapple juice and bitters. Using some force, shake hard for 5 seconds. Using small fine-mesh strainer, strain into highball glass.
- Garnish with pineapple slice and leaves.
Notes
To make your own orgeat, fill a nonreactive container with 50g chopped blanched almonds and 2 cups filtered water. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Transfer mixture to blender; add 2⅓ cups superfine granulated sugar, ½ oz white rum, 1 drop orange-flower water and a pinch of kosher salt. Blend on medium until sugar is dissolved; strain liquid through cheesecloth and wring out. This yields 2 cups orgeat, which can be stored in a clean bottle in the fridge for up to 10 days.
