Aug 23
2012

Virgin Tamarind Margarita + A Tropical Fruit Giveaway!!

in ad-free, Drinks, Giveaway, Mexican, Travel

Virgin Tamarind Margarita

A virgin tamarind margarita makes the perfect treat to beat the heat during the miserably hot days of August.  It’s an icy combination of tamarind, lemon, orange, and lime flavors that slides down the throat like a tangy bit of paradise, helping you to forget the sweaty hair sticking to the back of your neck, or the shirt sticking to the small of your back.  I fell in love with this concoction during our most recent trip to Cancun, and haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since.

Fresh Tamarind

Tamarind, by itself, is an ingredient that a lot of Americans are less familiar with, but are almost guaranteed to have tasted, because tamarind is the main flavor ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.  Tamarind is fruit that grows in a pod-like structure on a tree.  The fruit has a wonderfully sour, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor, is high in protein, potassium, and vitamin A, and is a good source of calcium, B vitamins, and antioxidants.

FromTheFarm's Tropical Fruit Box

When I received an email from FromTheFarm.com (FTF), a company that offers farm-fresh specialty foods for delivery to your door, offering to send me one of their 5 pound boxes of Tropical Fruit to play with, I immediately thought of recreating the virgin tamarind margarita from our trip, starting by making a tamarind pulp from the fresh tamarind in the box.

Making Tamarind Pulp

FTF acts as an online farmers market, with the goal of supporting American family farms.  As such, all of their products as shipped directly from family farms from around the US, and nothing is ever warehoused by FTF.  My box of tropical fruit came directly from Bob Petrucci of Fresh Gardens, a family-owned farm in Dade County, Florida.  One of the downsides to having lived and traveled around the world, is that I have developed tastes for ingredients that can be harder to find locally.  I love that through FTF, not only is there a way for anyone to enjoy fresh foods straight from family farms, but there is a way to get some of the more exotic ingredients that I love that are grown within the borders of my own country!  How could you not smile having all of this gorgeous fruit sitting on your  kitchen table?  I was lucky to get a picture because it disappeared so quickly.  When it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, nothing is safe when the Fujis are around!

Farmer Bob's Tropical Fruit Assortment

FTF and Farmer Bob launched a brand new Tropical Fruit of the Month Club today, so to celebrate I’m sharing my recipe for that virgin tamarind margarita with you, and one of you is going to receive your own box of tropical fruit from Farmer Bob, courtesy of FTF!  After you enter to win (details after the recipe below), pull out your blender and whip up a bit of paradise (aka, virgin tamarind margarita) to survive the remainder of the summer heat.

Refreshing Virgin Tamarind Margarita

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Virgin Tamarind Margarita

Makes 4 servings

For salting the rims of the glasses:
coarse salt or Tajin seasoning* for rim
1 lime, cut into wedges

For the margarita:
6 ounces (3/4 cup) tamarind pulp (see recipe below)
2 ounces (1/4 cup) simple syrup
8 ounces (1 cup) lemonade
2 ounces (1/4 cup) orange juice
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups ice

1. Salt the rims: Pour enough coarse salt (or Tajin) onto a small plate to cover the surface, then gently shake the plate to evenly distribute. Make a cut down to the peel in the middle of a lime wedge. Place the lime wedge onto the rim of a glass and gently squeeze it and run it completely around the rim. Then dip the rim of the glass into the seasoning on the plate, and let it sit for a few seconds, then set it upright and repeat with the remaining glasses.

2. Make the margarita: Place all of the margarita ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy. Pour into the rimmed glasses and serve.

* Tajin seasoning is what decorated the rim of my glass in Cancun.  It’s a wonderful mixture of Mexican chili, lime, and salt, and makes a fun alternative to a regular salted rim!

Tamarind Pulp

Makes approximately 6 ounces

Adapted from Rick Bayless’s Fresh Tamarind Pulp Recipe

4 ounces fresh tamarind pods (about 4 large pods)
1 cup water

1. Remove the tamarind flesh from the pods by holding the pod in one hand, then pulling out the stem with the other hand, then removing any remaining shell and the strings that run down the pulp.

2. In a small, non-reactive (non-aluminum) saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the tamarind flesh to the water, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit until the flesh has softened completely (depending on how fresh the pods are), approximately 1 to 2 hours.

3. Use your fingers to loosen the softened tamarind flesh from the seeds and fibers. Pour everything through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container, and discard the solids that remain in the sieve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

=========================================

From The Farm Tropical Fruit Giveaway

One very lucky reader will receive their own Tropical Fruit Box from Farmer Bob, courtesy of From The Farm!

To enter, leave a comment below before Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 11 pm EST (8pm PST)! This giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. shipping address. The winner will be chosen via random.org.

If you aren’t the lucky winner, never fear!  You can still order something delicious from Farmer Bob and get a 10% off discount!  Just use Coupon Code: LAFUJIMAMA, to save 10% on all tropical fruits.  This coupon code is valid from now through September 3, 2012.

Make sure you check out all of the other offerings from family farms that are available through FTF and connect with them via:

{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }

pamela August 23, 2012 at 4:19 pm

i’d love some fresh fruit!

Reply

Abigail (Mamatouille) August 23, 2012 at 5:12 pm

The fruit sounds great, and I love tamarind so that drink looks so good. It’s not hot in Seattle, anymore, though! Today was 60 and we’re wearing long sleeves!

Reply

sara August 23, 2012 at 5:26 pm

Fantastic giveaway- yum! That virgin margarita looks fantastic!

Reply

Fuji Nana August 23, 2012 at 5:35 pm

Fruit, fruit, and MORE fruit. That’s what we eat. (Plus veggies.) I want some of your drink.

Reply

Amy August 23, 2012 at 5:43 pm

These are some wonderful tropical fruit that I love. They are widely available in Hong Kong (where I grew up) but not in the States. It’s good to know that From the Farm has these beauties. :)

amy [at] utry [dot] it

Reply

Kaname August 23, 2012 at 5:43 pm

I love tamarind but I’ve never tried using the fresh pods. And your tamarind margarita is looking very delicious!!!

Reply

Kate @eatrecyclerepeat August 23, 2012 at 5:46 pm

I love it when you make mouthwatering things with recipes I have easy access to! Tamarind at the local store? Check :)

Reply

lora August 23, 2012 at 7:02 pm

Wowww! Makes my mouth water! Sure would love to be so lucky!!!!

Reply

Katherine August 23, 2012 at 7:10 pm

Now I need to try that drink…!

Reply

Amber August 23, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Yum! I’ve never had tamarind in a drink before, I’d love to try it.

Reply

Schmidty August 23, 2012 at 7:51 pm

How fun it would be to receive a box like yours! Thanks for the chance, and thanks to Farmer Bob too!

Reply

LiztheChef August 23, 2012 at 8:09 pm

Beautiful post – and such a luscious and original “cocktail”. Stay cool!

Reply

Elena F August 23, 2012 at 8:41 pm

This sounds absolutely AMAZING! So amazing, I had to retype ‘amazing’ three times to spell it properly!

Reply

TK August 23, 2012 at 9:17 pm

Fresh fruit makes an amazing gift!

Reply

Kelly G August 23, 2012 at 10:16 pm

Fruit sounds great!

Reply

Kristen August 23, 2012 at 10:28 pm

Love it! Tamarind is so good!

Reply

Sarah H.P. August 23, 2012 at 10:36 pm

I love snacking on fruit so this box of juicy goodness would be awesome!!

Reply

Rae Higgins August 23, 2012 at 11:08 pm

Awesome giveaway! I’m off to check out From The Farm! Thanks!

Reply

leslie August 24, 2012 at 3:11 am

Totally forgot about the tamarind in my pantry. What a great idea!

Reply

Cathy B*****y August 24, 2012 at 3:31 am

so glad you did this review. I am from FL and never heard of this fruit club or the farm. Would LOVE the opp to win this and do a review!
Cathy B*****y pbprojecthope at yahoo dot com
@projecthope7
pinterest.com/palmbreezelife
palmbreezeliving.blogspot.com

Reply

Fuji Papa August 24, 2012 at 5:35 am

I just saw some tamarind the other day and was wondering what it was. Now I know and would love to try some in that wonderful looking beverage.

Reply

Ting August 24, 2012 at 6:20 am

never used tamarind. but the drink looks good!

Reply

JanaB August 24, 2012 at 8:04 am

I’ve always wondered how tamarind was prepared. Your blog has really helped to expand my culinary horizons. Next time I go to the market I’ll look for the tamarind. Thanks!

Reply

Jeanna August 24, 2012 at 8:20 am

This will be a great recipe to add to my collection!

Reply

Charlynne B August 24, 2012 at 11:34 am

My family is from the Philippines, so I’m very familiar with tamarind and other tropical fruit. I’d love to win a box!

Reply

JoAnn August 24, 2012 at 1:01 pm

What a great way to extend summer as fall approaches! :)

Reply

Sara August 24, 2012 at 4:31 pm

Oh man, that sounds so delicious! I hope I can win a box of fruit so I can try this out myself.

Reply

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray August 24, 2012 at 7:05 pm

Oh I’d love to win! I’m missing home (Dominican Republic) so much and fresh fruit would be awesome!

Reply

Shannon August 25, 2012 at 6:36 am

Thanks for the chance to win! Would love to receive a box!

Reply

Kindra August 25, 2012 at 1:16 pm

Thanks for the chance to win!

Reply

scrapper al August 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm

What a great giveaway! Thanks for the recipe.

Reply

Iryna B. August 25, 2012 at 9:53 pm

I tried it once in spicy candies from Asian market. Really loved it!

Reply

Ilana August 26, 2012 at 3:06 pm

I’d sure love to win some delicious tropical fruit.

Reply

Jean August 26, 2012 at 5:15 pm

That tropical fruit looks so tasty.

Reply

Tricia August 26, 2012 at 5:53 pm

That drink sounds delicious…I wish I’d had the recipe before I left a part of the world where tamarind was readily available! Some fresh tropical fruit would be great :)

Reply

nicole August 26, 2012 at 7:19 pm

wow! this looks so refreshing~

Reply

Sandra August 27, 2012 at 9:12 pm

I love tamarind. Thanks for another idea how to use it.

Reply

Kristin August 28, 2012 at 10:44 am

Oh what great things I could do with all thise great looking fruit!!!!

Reply

Jillie August 28, 2012 at 11:35 am

Great giveaway!! We love fresh fruit!!

Reply

Alexis {Diva on a Diet} August 28, 2012 at 11:45 am

So I wouldn’t even know what to do with Tamarind, but now I know! And now I want to go back to Cancun again! And the Tajin seasoning? Get out of here! This is all too cool of a margarita!

Reply

Amanda August 28, 2012 at 11:52 am

This sounds fantastic! Can’t wait to try your Virgin Tamarind Margarita, it has been awhile since I have had Tamarind.

Reply

Ra Chan August 28, 2012 at 12:11 pm

Amazing giveaway!! Logan fruit and rambutan are my hands down favorite fruit and I always have a hard time finding them in the States!

Reply

Becca Z August 28, 2012 at 12:24 pm

Magnificent drinkie, thanks for the tutorial

Reply

Chris August 28, 2012 at 12:36 pm

That sounds like a beautiful margarita!

Reply

Wendy August 28, 2012 at 12:41 pm

One of my life dreams is to belong to a [Blank] of the month club. This looks awesome.

Reply

Clara August 28, 2012 at 12:54 pm

Mmmm margaritaaaa

Reply

licorous August 28, 2012 at 2:33 pm

free fresh tropical fruit? yes please!

Reply

Angel August 28, 2012 at 2:41 pm

Love this,would make a very unique gift !

Reply

Ally August 28, 2012 at 2:44 pm

My sister introduced me to tamarind and now I can’t get enough. I’ll have to share this with her (:

Reply

sharla August 28, 2012 at 3:09 pm

tropical fruit… one of the things i miss most about home (hawaii)

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: