I’ve been after the perfect margarita since I moved to New York City, and despite a few sips that have been close to margarita nirvana, I still seek the holy grail of lime, salt, and tequila perfection.

Even though I have yet to find margaritas that measure up to the ones that I’ve had in Texas, the search, which has taken me to far reaches, down strange streets, and across four out of five boroughs, has been a whole lot of fun.

The recipe comes from a seriously good BBQ place called Blue Smoke, so I had high expectations for results. We gave it a 7 for it’s tangy, well-balanced use of blood oranges, which were tasty as they are beautiful. Demerits for being a bit too sweet and somewhat too weak.

Being the first real outdoor cocktail of the season, we had high hopes that we would adore this recipe. And despite hitting  a major beginning-of -the-season snag when I discovered that we were out of tequila, we did not fret.

We just substituted Pisco instead, which I prefer, and which tends to leaving our heads less rattled the next day, which is just icing on the cake.

Let’s raise our glasses to the arrival of springtime! It was an apt toast for a perfect weekend that we largely spent in Central Park. Cheers!

Blood Orange Margarita
Recipe from Blue Smoke, via New York Magazine, March 29, 2009 

FOR THE BLOOD-ORANGE PURÉE:
4 blood oranges, peeled, segmented, and seeded
1 tablespoon simple syrup (combine an even ratio of sugar and water in a bottle and shake until sugar is dissolved) 
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FOR THE MARGARITA: 
1 lime wedge and coarse salt for rim
Ice
2 ounces puro blanco tequila (I used Pisco)
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice (approximately 21/2 limes) 
3/4 ounce orange liqueur
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce blood-orange purée
1 lime wheel (optional) 
1 blood-orange wheel (optional)

FOR THE BLOOD-ORANGE PURÉE: In a blender, combine the orange segments, simple syrup, and lemon juice and purée until smooth. (Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use; the purée will keep for up to two days.) 
FOR THE MARGARITA: Moisten the edge of a rocks glass with a ¼-inch wedge of lime. Sprinkle a good amount of salt on a plate and press the outside rim of the glass into the salt. Chill glass in freezer for a few minutes. Fill cocktail shaker and glass with ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and blood-orange purée to the shaker and (1) shake vigorously. (2) Strain into glass and (3) garnish with orange and lime wheels.