Blog Block Party: Quince Margarita Recipe

Hey, it's me again with my first original post as part of the block party! I'm here to share a recipe of a fun drink I made. I made a post a few weeks back about how I had been cooking from the book by Guadalupe Rivera of Frida Kahlo's personal recipes and I decided to go "off menu" and make something of my own inspired by the cooking I had been doing from this book. One of the recipes in the book was for Quince Paste and it was written that Frida Kahlo would make or have this dessert pretty regularly. I did a little poking around and found some recipes for Quince Syrup and decided to go from there! If you've never had it, a quince is a very hard fruit that reminds me of an apple. When it cooks down, it becomes very sweet and soft. I'd never had one before buying Rivera's book as you don't always see them in standard grocery stores. Turns out, I was able to find some at the Whole Foods near my house! So! Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients
1. Two quinces
​2. Four cups of sugar
3. One lemon
4. One lime cut into wedges
5. Tequila of your choice
6. Triple sec
7. If desired, salt or sugar for the rim of the glass

Make the Quince Syrup
1. Quarter 2 quinces. They're hard to cut so be careful!
2. Place quinces in a pot with 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower the head to a simmer and covered. Allow to simmer for roughly 80 minutes.
4. Remove from head and pull out the quince pieces. 
5. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon.

I saved the quinces and used them in random smoothies and what not throughout the week. The syrup I placed in mason jars with lids until ready to use. 

​Make your Margarita!
1. Use a dab of quince syrup to rim of your glass and add your salt or sugar garnish. I prefer salt on my margaritas.  
2. Add approximately 3 tablespoons of quince syrup in glass (or cocktail shaker if using)
3. Most recipes call for 1 shot of tequila and 1 shot of triple sec, but I added an extra shot of tequila. The concentration of fruit juice in this drink is higher so I felt it was balanced, but drink with your own discretion! 
4. Squeeze in one lime wedge.
5. If you using a shaker, shake! If you're lazy like me, add in your ice and stir. 
6. Add additional lime wedge for garnish if desired.

​Voila! Enjoy! I thought this drink was really yummy and had it as my post work unwinding drink a few nights in a row.

I do want to add that here is some controversy over the idea of Frida's name and image being used in conjunction with alcohol. There is a Frida Kahlo line of tequila endorsed by those controlling her estate that is disliked by other members of her family. The way I see it, this recipe is not one that I think Frida has made, but one I was inspired to make after cooking from her recipes and made with love in her honor. I hope other admirers of Frida Kahlo will agree and, if you drink, you will enjoy my little concoction!