Festive Purple Margarita
Brightly colored and flavorful, this Purple Margarita will rock your events from Cinco de Mayo to cocktails on the deck!
I never met a Margarita I didn’t like! Blended, on the rocks, straight—all good. Tart, fruity and festive, they always seems to start an evening out right!
And whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, doing a Mexican or Southwest dinner, or just enjoying a fun cocktail, you can’t beat a Purple Margarita.
Deriving its color, and flavored (lightly) from the butterfly pea flower, I first encountered this at a local restaurant. Served on the patio, it was a perfect start to lunch! So I knew I had to recreate it.
Yes, so many Margaritas, so little time….
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. The peaflower is mild, so this has a lot of the classic lime Margarita flavor with some floral/herbal nuance.
Colorful. You eat with your eyes first, they say. And your eyes will love the vibrant purple!
Festive. Whether it’s cocktails on the deck, Mexican supper, or an actual party, this will be a festive addition!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Water. This is used to steep the butterfly pea flower blossoms
- Sugar. This sweetens the syrup, needed more for the lime juice than the pea flower. You can use another form of sweetener if you prefer.
- Butterfly pea flower. The dried blossom provides the purple color and a light foral/herbal flavor. You can buy in a tea blend (in which case you’ll be picking out the blossoms) or alone.
- Lime juice. This provides the classic lime flavor.
- Tequila, Cointreau. These provide the alcohol, and the Cointreau adds notes of orange and sweetness. You can use orange juice instead for a mocktail.
Special Tools
- No special tools are needed
Step by Step Overview
Combine syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat just to a boil, then remove from heat and steep for 15-30 minutes. Cool the syrup to room temperature.
Strain, pressing gently to release all the syrup.
Combine the drink ingredients and shake with ice, then strain. Or pour over ice and stir.
Variations
Not into alcohol? Just omit the tequila and Cointreau, then add a couple tablespoons of orange juice instead. Or consider a Virgin Strawberry Margarita which is another excellent mocktail conversion!
If you’re looking for some more tasty Margaritas, take a look at my Frozen Strawberry Margarita, Blood Orange Margarita, Mango Margarita, or Frozen Peach Margarita pictured clockwise below.
Yes, given my love for Margaritas I was surprised that I didn’t have more! Guess this Purple Margarita is coming just in time!
How to Serve
The biggest question in serving a margarita is what kind of glass to use. While there are a couple of traditional glasses, really anything will do. I usually go with a traditional glass for a margarita that I’m serving frozen or straight. For serving over ice, I will use something larger like a rocks glass or a more decorative glass. All fun!
Many people like to rim a margarita glass with salt–or sugar for sweeter variations like this. Sometimes I do it, but more often I skip it.
But sugar or not, I’d add a slice of lime
Of course a Mexican appetizer (or other) is always welcome with Margaritas. I’d recommend a side of Mango Pineapple Salsa or some amazing Steak Nachos.
Tips & FAQs
Pea flower syrup is renowned for its ability to change color. Blue when first steeped, the addition of an acid like lemon juice (or lime in this case) changes the color to purple. Alas mine came from a tea mixed with lemongrass, so it started out purple and I didn’t get to witness this.
A cocktail jigger will give you ½, 1 and 1 ½ ounce measurements. But I find it just as easy to use a tablespoon, which is equal to ½ ounce. I even have a 1/8 cup (1 ounce) measuring cup.
Purple Margarita
Ingredients
Butterfly Pea Flower Syrup:
- ¼ cup water
- 1-2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butterfly pea flower
Cocktail:
- Butterfly Pea Flower syrup approx. 1/4 cup from above
- 1 ounce tequila 2 Tablespoons
- ½ ounce Cointreau 1 Tablespoon
- 1 1/2 ounces lime juice 3 Tablespoons
Instructions
- Combine syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat just to a boil, then remove from heat and steep for 15-30 minutes. Cool the syrup to room temperature.
- Strain, pressing gently to release all the syrup.
- Combine the drink ingredients and shake with ice. Or pour everything over ice, stirring before serving.
Nutrition
I’m loving the idea of a Purple Margarita, so vibrant and festive! Butterfly pea flower is such a cool ingredient; it really takes the classic margarita to the next level with that beautiful color and subtle floral note. Definitely adding this to my summer cocktail rotation.
I happen to have a lot of butterfly pea flour at home — definitely want to make this over the summer!
You’ll have a lot of opportunity for cool drinks I expect!