This Margarita Raspado is a Tequila-Fueled Snow Cone of Awesomeness
The Margarita Raspado: A Mexican street food cocktail that's as refreshing as it is chaotic. Tequila, passionfruit, lime, and Cointreau shaken violently, served over shaved ice with a drizzle of sweet and spicy chamoy.
I like a margarita. A proper one. None of that frozen slush puppy nonsense you get in places where the music is too loud and the clientele wear more neon than a Tokyo Pachinko parlor. But sometimes, even I can't be bothered with the faff of dragging out the industrial-grade blender, the one I normally reserve for pulverizing particularly stubborn root vegetables. So, what’s a chap to do when the sun's over the yardarm and the thirst for something tequila-based is clawing at your throat like a badger in a sack?
Well, gather 'round, you horticultural hooligans, because I’ve stumbled upon a solution, and it involves neither blenders nor, thankfully, anything resembling a cocktail umbrella. It's called a Margarita Raspado, and it's basically a Mexican snow cone for grown-ups. Don’t let the name fool you, though. This isn't some flimsy excuse for a drink. This is a proper, face-melting cocktail, disguised as a refreshing summer treat.
You’ll need some shaved ice. Not crushed ice. Shaved. Think of the texture of freshly fallen snow, not the sort of icy rubble you find at the bottom of a freezer drawer after a power outage. If you haven't got one of those fancy ice shaving machines, frankly, what are you doing with your life? Go and get one. I'll wait.
Right, you back? Good. Now, you'll need some paper snow cone cups. Two of them, unless you plan on drinking alone, in which case, well, crack on. Pack those cups tight with the shaved ice. Like really pack it in. We’re talking Himalayan mountain range levels of density here. You want a proper dome on top, like a miniature Everest ready to be conquered by your tongue.
Now for the interesting bit. The booze. Two ounces of blanco tequila. None of that anejo nonsense. We want the pure, unadulterated agave punch. Then, a bit of sunshine in liquid form – an ounce of passion fruit juice. And I'm talking proper passion fruit juice here, the kind you have to wrestle out of a fruit that looks like a wrinkled alien testicle. None of that pre-packaged "cocktail" or "nectar" rubbish. That’s the sort of thing they serve in airports, and we all know what I think of airports.
Next, an ounce of lime juice. Freshly squeezed, naturally. If you're using bottled lime juice, you should probably just stop reading now and go and hand in your cocktail shaker. Finally, half an ounce of Cointreau. It’s the orangey stuff that adds a touch of sophistication, because let's face it, even a hardened petrolhead like myself enjoys a bit of refinement now and again.
Bung all that in a Boston shaker with some ice, and shake it like you're trying to dislodge a particularly stubborn sheep from a ditch. Twenty seconds should do it. Then, slowly strain the liquid gold into your ice-filled cups.
Now, this is where things get really interesting. Drizzle some Chamoy over the top. What's Chamoy, you ask? Well, it’s a Mexican condiment, a glorious concoction of chiles and fruit, usually mango or plums. It's sweet, sour, spicy, and utterly addictive. If you can't find it in your local supermarket, you're clearly shopping in the wrong place. Finally, a sprinkle of sea salt. Not too much, mind. Just a delicate dusting.
And there you have it. A Margarita Raspado. A cocktail so ridiculously refreshing, so fiendishly simple, and so utterly delicious that it’ll have you questioning why you ever bothered with a blender in the first place. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mountain of shaved ice to conquer. Cheers!
The Margarita Raspado
Makes 2 cocktails
Ingredients:
2 oz. blanco tequila (60 ml)
1 oz. strained passion fruit juice (30 ml)
1 oz. strained lime juice (30 ml)
1/2 oz. Cointreau (15 ml)
Chamoy
Sea salt
Instructions:
Pack snow cone cups with shaved ice so they have rounded domes on top. Combine tequila, passion fruit juice, lime juice, and Cointreau in a Boston shaker with ice and vigorously shake for 20 seconds. Slowly strain cocktail into cups, drizzle Chamoy over top, garnish with salt, and serve.
For those who insist on knowing these things, each Margarita Raspado contains 115 calories. That’s 115 glorious, guilt-free units of pure joy. No fat, no cholesterol, and just enough carbs to justify calling it “energy.” Protein? None. But let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t a protein shake. It’s a cocktail, and it’s here to make you happy, not healthy.
In-text Citation: (Grasse & Erace, 2022, p. 95)
