**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Exotico Tequila intended for a 21+ audience only.

I freaking love passion fruit. You split those suckers open and it’s like they come with their own perfect little serving bowl. Even the chickens appreciate a delicious snack that comes in its own bowl. Which is why I let them go rampant in my yard (the chickens AND the vines); WE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH. And I’ve been rather impatiently waiting for them to get ripe so that I could throw them in a margarita. Thanks to Exotico Tequila (and passion fruit season in my backyard), the time is nigh!

This margarita gets its passion fruitiness mainly from a homemade simple syrup; a bit of cinnamon added to the syrup gives a little extra kick and plays nicely with the warmth and subtle spice of the Exotico Reposado. And don’t strain out those gorgeous seeds! They look magical bouncing around in your beverage.

If you don’t actually have access to fresh passion fruit, don’t fret! I’ll give you a cheater version below using store-bought juice.

PASSION FRUIT MARGARITA

Makes 1 serving (however, I should note that the ones shown here are double servings, teeheeee)

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Exotico Tequila Reposado

• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

• 1/2 ounce Passion fruit liqueur (or orange liqueur, or elderflower liqueur)

• 1/2 ounce Cinnamon Passion Fruit Syrup (instructions below)

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 cup passion fruit pulp

  • 1 cinnamon stick

• 1/2 passion fruit for garnish

• 1 tbs. coarse sugar + 1 tbs. coarse Himalayan sea salt for rim

  To make the syrup:

  Combine sugar, water, passion fruit pulp, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Discard cinnamon stick and transfer liquids to an air-tight container and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks (if you don’t like passion fruit seeds in your drink, strain the liquid first).

  • If you don’t have access to fresh passion fruit, sub store-bought passion fruit juice for the water and skip the passion fruit pulp part of the recipe. So: 1 cup passion fruit juice, 1 cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat, allow to cool. Discard cinnamon stick, transfer liquids to an airtight container and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To make the cocktail:

• Start by combining sugar and salt and place it on a small plate. Prep glass by rubbing a lime wedge around the rim, and then dipping the rim into the sugar/salt mixture. Fill glass with ice and set aside.

• Combine tequila, liqueur, and lime juice in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into your prepped glass. Place your garnish passion fruit half in the top of your drink, and then pour your passion fruit syrup into the halved fruit. This is purely a presentation thing; the passionfruit half is like a tiny bowl and I like using it as such. Once you are ready to drink, pour the syrup over the top of your drink, stir, and enjoy.

I definitely recommend letting your chickens snack on the guts of a freshly cut open passion fruit while you sip on your fresh Passion Fruit Margarita. It’s pretty adorable and entertaining to watch them eat daintily out of a little fruit bowl.

And I should also mention that once they’ve eaten it clean, the passion fruit shell makes a pretty perfect chicken helmet.

Which doesn’t mean they’ll actually wear it. Cuz they’re chickens. So that’s a no.

**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Exotico Tequila intended for a 21+ audience only.