Recipe – Smoky Honey And Apple Margarita
Ingredients
- 200ml pure honey
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 180ml good quality tequila
- 90ml Cointreau
- 270ml cloudy apple juice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Fresh apple slices, to garnish
- Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
Directions
Step 1 – Soak your preferred wood chips for at least one hour before cooking. We recommend apple or pecan chips for this recipe. Alternatively, you could use wood chunks with a charcoal grill.
Step 2 – Pour the honey into a small ovenproof casserole dish, so that the honey comes up the sides to around 1cm depth.
Step 3 – Heat your barbecue to low – medium heat (150 – 180°C) with two zone heat. (If you are using a charcoal grill, keep at least half of the charcoal grate clear of briquettes or charcoal as a zone of indirect heat. If you are using a gas BBQ, light a burner on one side of the BBQ only. If you are using a Weber Q, have a trivet and convection tray on hand).
Step 4 – Once the BBQ has reached temperature, drain the wood chips and place into a smoker box. Add the smoker box to the BBQ over direct heat (or place the wood chunks directly onto the charcoal). Once the chips or chunks are smoking, place the casserole dish into the BBQ, away from direct heat, and smoke the honey for around 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the cinnamon sticks to the BBQ, away from direct heat, to toast. Remove from the BBQ and set aside.
Step 5 – Mix the cinnamon powder and white sugar in a shallow dish. Using 2 old fashioned style glasses, dip the rim of each glass into a shallow dish of water then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside.
Step 6 – Add ice to a cocktail shaker, along with the tequila, Cointreau, cloudy apple juice, apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp of the smoked honey (save the rest of the honey for cocktails or barbecued halloumi!) Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty.
Step 7 – Strain the mix into the prepared glasses, garnishing with a toasted cinnamon stick, apple slices and a sprig of rosemary.
