We make this tart-and-sweet drink in the fall, when pomegranates are at their peak but the weather still begs for margaritas—by far summer’s best cooling agent in my eyes. For an extra layer of tartness with minimal effort, I make a sumac simple syrup, then reinforce the concept with a salty-sugary rim that adds even more tang with every sip.
Ingredients
Servings 4 drinks
- 6 small limes plus lime wheels for garnish
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons ground sumac
- 1 tablespoon plus a pinch of kosher salt
- 8 ounces tequila
- 8 ounces pomegranate juice
- Ice cubes
Nutritional Facts
Nutrition Facts
Pomegranate Sumac Margarita
Amount per Serving
Calories
312
% Daily Value*
Fat
0.5
g
1
%
Saturated Fat
0.1
g
1
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.1
g
Sodium
1754
mg
76
%
Potassium
226
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
49
g
16
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
40
g
44
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
50
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
29
mg
35
%
Calcium
42
mg
4
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Instructions
- Finely zest 2 of the limes (you should have 2 teaspoons zest). Use a Y-peeler to peel wide strips of zest from a third lime. Juice all 6 limes (you should have about 3/4 cup [6 ounces] juice).
- Bring the 1/2 cup sugar, the water, and the wide lime zest strips to a simmer over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, then stir in 3 tablespoons of the sumac and a pinch of the salt; let steep 1 hour. Press the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve; discard the solids (you should have 1/2 cup syrup).
- To make 2 drinks, combine 4 ounces each of the tequila and pomegranate juice, 3 ounces of the lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the sumac syrup in a large cocktail shaker.
- Before you shake the cocktails, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon each kosher salt and sumac with the finely grated lime zest on a small plate. Place 1 tablespoon of the syrup on another small plate and dip the rim of 2 rocks glasses in the syrup, then in the sumac-salt mixture. Add 1/2 cup ice cubes to the shaker and shake vigorously until a little frothy, 5 to 10 seconds. Carefully fill the rimmed glasses with ice, then divide the cocktail among the 2 glasses. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make the 2 additional cocktails. Garnish the glasses with lime wedges, if desired.
PITCHER COCKTAILS
- To make a pitcher of margaritas, combine 1/2 cup of the syrup with 16 ounces each of tequila, lime juice, and pomegranate juice in a pitcher. Stir, then pour into ice-filled glasses rimmed with the sumac-salt mixture using the method above.
Recipe courtesy of Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours by Adeena Sussman. Photo credit: Dan Perez
